2008 class book

earning Among a Group of Heroin Addicts in India: An Ethnographic StudyN MULTIPLE FORMS OF INSULIN RESISTANCE � Uncovering

le Derivatives to Enhance Conductive Polymer- Tissue Interaction

Association Analysis � Transmission and Control of Pandemic Influenza �REDUCTASES � CIRCADIAN CLOCK FUNCTION IN THE MAMMALIAN RETINA

urkinje Cell Synapse � MECHANICAL INJURY AND INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE

C ANALYSIS OF PROTEINS WITH RELEVANCE TO ARTHRITIS � The Dissection

Action � Mechanisms of Tsix-mediated repression of Xist

entral Nervous System � Development of a Low-Field 3He MRI System to

N DURING NATURAL PRODUCT BIOSYNTHESIS � Transitive Inference in H

Optical Coherence Tomography and Microscopy for Endoscopic Applicatio

HOMATIS WITH MAMMALIAN HOST CELLS � A Tale of Two mTor Compleating in Voltage-Dependent Ion Channels � VACCINE ANTIGEN EXPRESSION

icts in India: An Ethnographic Study � REACTIVE OXYGEN SPEC

SISTANCE � Uncovering Molecular and Spatial Predictors of Brainstem Neu

ymer- Tissue Interaction � Studies at the Hemochromatosis (HFE) Locus:ol of Pandemic Influenza � IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE

AMMALIAN RETINA � The Role of Endocannabinoids in Synaptic PlasticityY CYTOKINES AFFECT CARTILAGE INTEGRITY AND TISSUE HOMEOSTASIS: A MASS SPECTROMETRIC ANALYSIS O

n Vivo: Molecular Mechanisms of Hepatic Insulin Action � Mechanism

ting Axon Regeneration in the Adult Central Nervous System � Dev

tion � ENZYMATIC HALOGENATION DURING NATURAL PRODUCT BIOSYNTHESIS �for Schizophrenia � Advances in Optical Coherence Tomography an

TERACTION OF CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS WITH MAMMALIAN HOST CELLSY � Molecular Analysis of Gating in Voltage-Dependent Ion Channels � VA

a Group of Heroin Addicts in India: An Ethnographic Study � REACTIV

RMS OF INSULIN RESISTANCE � Uncovering Molecular and Spatia

hance Conductive Polymer- Tissue Interaction � Studies at the HemTransmission and Control of Pandemic Influenza � IDENTIFICATION AND C

HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOLHARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL

MD-PhDClass of 2008

S P R I N G D I N N E R

J U N E 3 , 2 0 0 8

MD-PhDClass of 2008

S P R I N G D I N N E R

J U N E 3 , 2 0 0 8

WelcomeWelcome to the M.D.-Ph.D. Program’s Annual Spring Dinner in honor of the M.D.-Ph.D. Classof 2008 at Harvard Medical School (HMS)! We are especially delighted to welcome the familymembers and significant others who are joining the graduates, faculty, students, and staff to recognize our graduates tonight.

This year, twenty-four students will graduate from our program with both M.D. and Ph.D.degrees. This book showcases the accomplishments of all the individuals among this selectgroup. Together, these students, who matriculated at HMS between 1996 and 2001, collectivelyspent about 206 years of academic study, or 8.38 years on average per student, to complete 24 Ph.D. degrees and 24 M.D. degrees. This year’s class of seven women and seventeen menreflects the diversity of graduate training available to M.D.-Ph.D. trainees at Harvard MedicalSchool. In all, they carried out their graduate studies at 12 different programs located withinHarvard University’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Public Health,Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and one at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.While the majority of students pursued their dissertations in the basic sciences, three of ourgraduates completed their dissertations within the new social sciences track and three are graduates from the MIT/HST Medical Engineering Medical Physics program.

Please spend a moment to read the individual biographies written by each of the students.They spent their early years in cities and towns across the United States in the states ofCalifornia, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,Ohio, Tennessee, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin; as well as Canada, the Czech Republic,Ghana, China and Nigeria. They went on to complete their undergraduate degrees at 18 differ-ent colleges and universities including Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Haverford, JohnsHopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Occidental College, Princeton, Purdue,Stanford, SUNY at Stony Brook, Tulane, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania,Wake Forest, Wesleyan, Williams College, and Yale. While at HMS, 14 enrolled in the HealthSciences and Technology (HST) curriculum, and 10 joined the New Pathway and represent all four different societies (4 Cannon, 3 Castle, 2 Holmes, and 1 Peabody).

While these students are meeting the joint challenges of graduate and medical study, the M.D.-Ph.D. Program endeavors to provide a nurturing and cohesive environment throughout thecourse of their studies. The program is fortunate to be able to provide financial support for themajority of the graduates under the sponsorship of the NIH-Medical Scientist Training Program(MSTP) Grant and other sources, and wish we could provide funding for all. Participation bythe graduates in our special courses, advising sessions, retreats, dinners, symposia, lunches,poster sessions and thousands of emails helped us to bring the diverse groups together in fulfilling our mission to “educate and inspire the leading physician-scientists of the future.”

We congratulate the graduates on their numerous achievements and accomplishments towardsthe completion of the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees and send our most heartfelt wishes for continued discovery, success and happiness into the future.

Best wishes,

The Faculty & Staff of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program

© 2 0 0 8 P R E S I D E N T A N D F E L L O W S O F H A R VA R D C O L L E G E

ANNUAL SPRING DINNER IN HONOR OF THE

MD-PhDClass of 2008

June 3, 2008

5:30 PM

Formal Group Photo of Graduates

Cocktail ReceptionClassic Jazz, Brazilian & Latin Music by Tal Shalom-Kobi Trio

(piano, bass, drums)

7:00 PM

Seating for Dinner

7:30 PM

Welcome and introduction of graduates and mentorsDr. Stephen C. Blacklow

Dean’s Champagne Toast to the GraduatesDr. Jeffrey S. Flier

7:45 PM

Dinner

8:45 PMSpecial Remarks

Dr. Stephen C. BlacklowMs. Linda BurnleyDr. Anna F. Farago

Dr. Cullen M. Taniguchi

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *The M.D.-Ph.D. Program welcomes

the families and friends of the graduates.

HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL

C O N T E N T S

PAGES 2–3

Gallery

PAGES 4–5

The Class of 2008

PAGES 6–29

Graduates’ Bios

PAGES 30–31

Post Graduate YearDestinations

PAGES 32–36

Gallery

MD-PhDClass of 2008

2

“To study thephenomenonof disease without booksis to sail anuncharted sea,while to studybooks withoutpatients is not to go to sea at all.”SIR WILLIAM OSLER

3

LEFT: Dr. Ronald Arky; Dr. JulesDienstag; Dr. Maria Rupnick andDr. Joel Hirschhorn.

MIDDLE: Match Day 2008 with M.D.-Ph.D. Graduates andDr. Stephen Blacklow (Director)and Dr. Jeffrey Flier (Dean) onback row.

M.D.-Ph.D. Program Staff fromleft: Janelle O’Rourke, MariMather, Linda Burnley, Yi Shen,and Robin Lichtenstein.

RIGHT: Program Leaders duringtime that graduates were atHMS: Dr. Stephen Blacklow (cur-rent director), Dr. Christopher A.Walsh, Dr. Allan Brandt (socialsciences), Ms. Linda Burnleyand Dr. Nancy Andrews.

Class oAaron Dominic Aguirre

Advances in Optical Coherence Tomography and

Microscopy for Endoscopic Applications and

Functional Neuroimaging

HST Society/MIT Medical Engineering Medical Physics

Mentor: James G. Fujimoto, Ph.D.

PAGE 6

Siraj M. Ali

A Tale of Two mTor Complexes

HST Society/Harvard Biophysics

Mentor: David M. Sabatini, M.D., Ph.D.

PAGE 7

Zarine Rohinton Balsara

The interaction of Chlamydia trachomatis

with mammalian host cells

HST Society/Harvard Immunology

Mentor: Michael N. Starnbach, Ph.D.

PAGE 8

Savita Visalakshi Dandapani

Role of alpha-actinin-4 in the kidney

Castle Society/Harvard BBS: Genetics

Mentor: Martin R. Pollak, M.D.

PAGE 9

John P. Dekker

Molecular Analysis of Gating in

Voltage-Dependent Ion Channels

Cannon Society/Harvard Neuroscience

Mentor: Gary I. Yellen, Ph.D.

PAGE 10

Amar Dhand

Peer Learning Among a Group of Heroin

Addicts in India: An Ethnographic Study

Holmes Society/Oxford University Educational Studies

Mentor: Geoffrey Walford, Ph.D.

PAGE 11

Anna F. Farago

Uncovering Molecular and Spatial Predictors

of Brainstem Neuron Identity

Castle Society/Harvard BBS: Genetics

Mentor: Susan M. Dymecki, M.D., Ph.D.

PAGE 12

Paul George

Novel Polypyrrole Derivatives to Enhance

Conductive Polymer- Tissue Interaction


Mentor: Robert S. Langer, Ph.D.

PAGE 13

John Richard Greenland

Vaccine antigen expression and immune responses

HST Society/Harvard Virology

Mentor: Norman L. Letvin, M.D.

PAGE 14

Nicholas E. Houstis

Reactive oxygen species play a causal role in

multiple forms of insulin resistance

HST Society/MIT Biology

Mentor: Eric S. Lander, Ph.D.

PAGE 15

Junne Kamihara

Studies at the Hemochromatosis (HFE) Locus:

Gene conversions, Haplotypes, and an

Association Analysis

HST Society/MIT Biology

Mentor: David E. Housman, Ph.D.

PAGE 16

Joseph Abiodun Ladapo

Cost-Effectiveness of 64-slice Computed Tomography in

Cardiac Care and an Analysis of the Adoption and

Diffusion of a New Technology

Peabody Society/Harvard Health Policy

Mentor: G. Scott Gazelle, M.D., Ph.D.

PAGE 17

H A R VA R D M E D I C A L S C H OH A R VA R D M E D I C A L S C H O

NOCARCINOMA

StaphylococcusOCELL: PHYSICALrburg Syndrome AITROSYLATION OF

HELIAL CELLS �and Integrins in

ENE EXPRESSION

pindle CheckpointATE RETINAL

ATHWAY � Cs-

h1 Functionally

lating Synaptic

r � MolecularALING CENTERS IN

Acceleration in Paralleloactivator PGC-1a in

own and KnockedP Triple-Knockout

ORMALIZATION INRAL, AND SPATIALcal Research and

lysis � Dynamic

� Mammaliancle�SOURCES OF

WITH IMPLICATIONS

odon-Optimizedmedical Informatics

Resonance Imaging:

ND FUNCTIONAL

NEUROGENESIS4

of 2008Christina E. Mills

Transmission and Control of Pandemic Influenza

HST Society/ HSPH Epidemiology: Concentration in

Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Mentor: Marc Lipsitch, D. Phil.

PAGE 18

Robert Shigeo Ohgami

Identification and characterization of the

Steap family of metalloreductases

HST Society/Harvard BBS: CDB

Mentor: Mark D. Fleming, M.D., D. Phil.

PAGE 19

Carlos Paz

Circadian Clock Function in the Mammalian Retina

Cannon Society/Harvard BBS: CDB

Mentor: Charles J. Weitz, M.D., Ph.D.

PAGE 20

Patrick Kwame Safo

The Role of Endocannabinoids in Synaptic Plasticity

at the Granule Cell to Purkinje Cell Synapse

Cannon Society/Harvard Neuroscience

Mentor: Wade G. Regehr, Ph.D.

PAGE 21

Kevin A. Shapiro

On the Instantiation of Grammatical

Categories in the Brain

Cannon Society/Harvard Psychology (Cognition,

Brain, and Behavior Program)

Mentor: Alfonso Caramazza, Ph.D.

PAGE 22

Anna Lea Stevens

Mechanical injury and inflammatory cytokines affect

cartilage integrity and tissue homeostasis: a mass spectro-

metric analysis of proteins with relevance to arthritis

HST Society/MIT Biological Engineering

Mentors: Alan J. Grodzinsky, Sc.D. and

Steven R. Tannenbaum, Ph.D.

PAGE 23

Bryan Kee-Hong Sun

Mechanisms of Tsix-mediated repression of Xist

Holmes Society/Harvard BBS: Genetics

Mentor: Jeannie T. Lee, M.D., Ph.D.

PAGE 24

Cullen Mitsuo Taniguchi

The Dissection of Insulin Signaling Isoforms In Vivo:

Molecular Mechanisms of Hepatic Insulin Action

Castle Society/Harvard BBS: CDB

Mentor: C. Ronald Kahn, M.D., D.Sc.

PAGE 25

Leo Lee Tsai

Development of a Low-Field 3He MRI System to Study

Posture-Dependence of Pulmonary Function


Mentor: Ronald L. Walsworth, Jr., Ph.D.

PAGE 26

Ellen Yeh

Enzymatic halogenation during natural

product biosynthesis


Mentor: Christopher T. Walsh, Ph.D.

PAGE 27

Glenn Chung-Wing Yiu

Signaling Mechanisms Limiting Axon Regeneration

in the Adult Central Nervous System

HST Society/Harvard Neuroscience

Mentor: Zhigang He, Ph.D., B.M.

PAGE 28

Martin Zalesak

Transitive Inference in Healthy Humans and

Implications for Schizophrenia


Mentor: Stephan Heckers, M.D., M.Sc.

PAGE 29

Key:

BBS: Biological and Biomedical Sciences

CDB: Cell and Developmental Biology

HSPH: Harvard School of Public Health

HST: Health Sciences and Technology

MIT: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

H O O L M D – P h D P R O G R A MH O O L M D – P h D P R O G R A M

VACCINE ANTIG

Learning Among� REACTIVE

MULTIPLE FO

Molecular and Spa

Polypyrrole De

Interaction �Haplotypes, and aPandemic Influen

FAMILY OF METALL

MAMMALIAN RET

at the Granule CINFLAMMATORY C

OSTASIS: A MASS

ARTHRITIS � TMolecular Mech

Tsix-mediated

Limiting Axon RDevelopment of a

Pulmonary Functi

BIOSYNTHESIS �Implications f

Tomography and

Neuroimaging �MAMMALIAN HOALPHA-ACTININ

Dependent Ion Ch

RESPONSES � 5

AARON DOMINIC AGUIRRE

I enjoyed growing up in the small town of Standish, Michigan and spent as

much of my earlier years as possible playing sports, fishing, and hunting. I

was drawn in high school toward careers in math and science and subse-

quently studied electrical engineering at the

University of Michigan. As an undergraduate, I

became interested in research in medical imaging

as a means to apply engineering toward prob-

lems in human health.

I was fortunate to follow my interests in graduate

school at MIT and the Medical Engineering and

Medical Physics (MEMP) program of the Harvard-

MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology

(HST). In September 2000, I joined the laboratory

of Prof. James Fujimoto in the electrical engineer-

ing department at MIT, where I completed master’s and doctoral theses study-

ing a novel imaging technique called optical coherence tomography. After

defending my Ph.D. thesis in 2006, I transferred to the HST M.D. program

and began clinical training.

In June, I will start internal medicine residency at the Brigham and Women’s

Hospital, with the eventual goal of pursuing an academic career in cardiolo-

gy. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities to train in the HST programs

at MIT and Harvard. The HST community has been second to none as a

source of support and career inspiration. I am also thankful for the mentor-

ship and support of my thesis advisor, Jim Fujimoto. Finally, I’m grateful to

my family and friends who make all of the hard work worthwhile.

6

SIRAJ M. ALI

I was raised on a farm in Smallville, Kansas, but born on a planet that no

longer exists, the dying world of Krypton. That’s what my parents told me at

first in a misguided effort to build my self-esteem. I couldn’t under-

stand why I was growing up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and my par-

ents were a professor of physical chemistry and a Montessori

teacher, and named Ali, instead of Kent. Nonetheless, I grew up in a

tranquil and almost now unrecognizable world, one without the

Internet and cellular phones. But I wasn’t satisfied with my lot in

life– I chose to further my education by attending elementary

school. Everyday, I made the half-mile trek in suburban Maryland

weather to first Glen Haven, then Oakland Terrace Elementary

School. My horizons expanded greatly somewhere between the

third and fourth grades, and I made the decision to join the M.D.-

Ph.D. Program at Harvard via the Health Sciences and Technology Division.

A few barriers, like college, high school, and puberty, lay in the way, but I

was undeterred. Albert Einstein Senior High School and Johns Hopkins Univ-

ersity were pleasant way stations, but I am hoping puberty will arrive soon.

I am very grateful for the support I have received during my time at HMS/HST.

I particularly thank my thesis advisor, David M. Sabatini, and my mentor, Lee

Gehrke for their continual help and advice. I feel very privileged to have been

part of the extraordinary M.D.-Ph.D. program at HMS, and can only hope to

repay that investment by continuing to excel in the future.

7

ZARINE ROHINTON BALSARA

I entered this world a mere 3 minutes after my twin brother and became the“baby” of my family. Although my parents were expecting their second child, no one had prepared them for the possibility of hitting the jackpot and getting two for the price of one! My unexpected arrival sent my parents into a frenzy to borrow an extra crib, stroller, and car seat. Havingmade such a spectacular entrance into the world, I wasfree to live a rather ordinary childhood in the suburbs ofPhiladelphia. I spent most of my childhood years jugglingschool between gymnastics, softball practice, and karatelessons. By the time I started 9th grade at an all-girlsCatholic high school, I had already been labeled as the“studious” one in the family.

Having physicians as parents, I had always thought aboutbecoming a doctor. But, a summer science program inPittsburgh in which I studied the development of fruit fliesturned my focus towards basic science. That summer proved pivotal for anotherreason: I visited Boston for the first time and instantly fell in love with the city. I started at Harvard College in 1994 and made my first display of independence by trading in my ugly high school uniforms for something infinitely more stylish—sweatpants! I majored in biochemistry and had the good fortune of working inDoug Melton’s lab for 3 years studying endodermal development in frogs.

Motivated in equal parts by interest and indecision, I decided to pursue the M.D.-Ph.D. program at Harvard. When a course in medical microbiology piqued my inter-est, I decided to step off the developmental biology ladder and start working onorganisms that can only be seen under a microscope. Once again, I was lucky towork with a great mentor, Michael Starnbach, to study the interaction between theobligate intracellular bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis and their mammalian host cells.Not only did I discover that Chlamydia are fascinating and challenging organisms withwhich to work, but I also realized that they make quite the conversation stopper!

When I returned to the wards, my years studying microscopic organisms initiallyconvinced me that a career behind the scope might be my niche. But, instead, Isurprised everyone, including myself, when I discovered a strong interest in thefield of urology. (I have yet to determine which stops a conversation faster—telling someone you work on Chlamydia or telling someone you’re a urologist!).

After many memorable years at Harvard, I have decided that it’s time to try some-place new. So, this upcoming year, I will be starting my urology residency atDuke. Ironically enough, my twin brother is already a resident at Duke. So, I guess what they say is true—you always find your way back home…8

SAVITA VISALAKSHI DANDAPANI

I spent my childhood in small towns from Youngstown, Ohio to ColoradoSprings, Colorado. I grew up swimming competitively, and yes, skiing andhiking the Rocky Mountains. Although few venture from such an idyllic set-ting, I decided to head to the East Coast. I went to MIT thinking I would bean engineering professor like my father. However, I quickly fellinto the world of biomedical research in the lab of Jackie Lees.This was my first extended family in Cambridge and I alwayslook fondly to those days. Research requires being a dreamerand thus I also ended up majoring in poetry/literature, probablya hint of my indecision at picking just one path to tread. I alsohad my first exposure to the field of oncology at the NIH in theVarmus lab (Thanks Yi!) and Fresno, California.

While applying to medical school, I traveled around the countrysearching for my next adventure. Colorado and the West werebeckoning me home but I decided to stay in Boston due to theendless number of opportunities available. I was also impressedthat we would have a woman leader, Nancy Andrews, who I had the greatprivilege as having as one of my advisors throughout my eight years oftraining. I did my Ph.D. in the lab of Martin Pollak to focus on genetics andalso because Martin let me truly be an independent, creative thinker. I stud-

ied the role of alpha-actinin-4 in thekidney and have a wonderful extend-ed family on the 5th floor of theHIM. I am lucky to have met someinspirational professors as well asmade amazing friends in Boston.Their passion for loving what theydo and shared love of travel hasbeen a source of encouragementthroughout my years in school.

Now, I am headed back West andwill do my residency in radiation oncology in California.

Harrison put it best: “Here comes the sun…” My family and friends areexcited to have me close; I may never have to cook again! I look forwardto new adventures though a part of me will always miss my extended fami-lies in Boston. Especially our annual trek to Sunday River. Thanks to every-one who stood beside me through the journey.

9

10

JOHN P. DEKKER

I grew up in Connecticut, and from an early age I derived immense pleasurefrom a number of “scientific” hobbies. These included definitive disassemblies ofelectronic devices I found around the house, and anything involving dramaticallyexothermic reactions or molten-metal phases. I was very fortunate to have par-ents who allowed (in exchange for supervision)these pursuits, and it was clearly during this earlyperiod that my path to science was established.

As an undergraduate at Wesleyan University, Imajored in molecular biology and biochemistry andneuroscience. During this time I had my first realresearch experience studying the brains of song-birds, which culminated in a Master’s degree and ledme to pursue M.D.-Ph.D. training.

In graduate school at Harvard, I performed patchclamp experiments on cloned voltage-dependent ionchannels with Gary Yellen. Gary was a truly extraordinary advisor and mentor,and it was in his lab that I learned how good science is done. It is also where I spent some of the most enjoyable and interesting years of my life.

On returning to medical school, Irealized exactly how much more Ienjoyed doing science than takingdiet histories. I was thus happy tofind in pathology a field intermediatebetween the worlds of academicresearch and clinical medicine, and I look forward with excitement tobeginning residency in pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

As I look back over the past nineyears, I realize I owe a great deal to the M.D.-Ph.D. program for its

generous support from beginning to end. Additionally, I could not have beenmore privileged by the special friends who have surrounded me during this time.And most importantly, I’m thankful to my parents and to Christina for theirunconditional encouragement in everything I’ve chosen to do.

11

AMAR DHAND

I grew up in the breadbasket of Canada—Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. To thecredit of my parents, a professor of education and an artist, my childhoodwas marked by a reflective engagement with learning and creative endeav-ours. I attended Dartmouth College where I relished the liberal arts curricu-lum studying ideas emerging from diverse fields such as neu-roscience, Romantic poetry, and jazz. Although not alwayssure about how divergent concepts would lead to a unifiedcareer, I persisted in learning what I enjoyed.

I entered the New Pathway program at Harvard MedicalSchool in 2001. My experience of learning with my peers intutorials led me to contemplate the nature of this learning pat-tern. I was fortunate to gain support for formal study of thisidea through the Rhodes Scholarship that took me to GreenCollege in Oxford University. Here, I worked with ProfessorGeoffrey Walford at the Department of Educational Studies toexamine the phenomenon of peer learning. The best casegroup to answer my research questions turned out to be a group of heroinaddicts in New Delhi, India. Using ethnographic methods, I described experi-ences of learning in their lives during activities such as poetry, street ‘docto-ry’, and peer outreach.

This summer, I will enter acategorical neurology resi-dency at the UniversityCalifornia San Francisco.My goals are to improvepatient care through quali-tative study of clinicalphenomena, engage inmedical education broad-ly involving doctors-in-training, patients, andsociety, and continue tolearn what I enjoy.

12

ANNA F. FARAGO

I was born in Boston and grew up in nearby Newton. After graduating fromNewton South High School, I went to Haverford College in Pennsylvania.There, I worked with Phil Meneely studying meiosis in C. elegans and I volunteered with a needle exchange program inPhiladelphia. For my Ph.D. research at Harvard, Iworked with Susan Dymecki in the Department ofGenetics. Using exciting new fate mapping technolo-gies recently developed in the lab, I investigated thegenetic codes that underlie progenitor cell organiza-tion and future cell fate in the brainstem. The pro-genitor cell zones studied give rise to a variety ofessential and interesting cell types, including thoseinvolved in auditory processing, coordination andbalance, and serotonin signaling. Working with Susanwas truly a privilege and a gift; the lessons shepassed on to me will profoundly enrich the rest of my career.

Outside of school, my proudest accomplishments are my relationships with myfamily and friends. I have been blessed with incredibly loving and light-heart-ed parents, and a sister who is one of my closest friends and confidants. Myboyfriend John has become my greatest companion, my rock-climbing partner,my travel buddy and my cat co-parent.

I look forward withgreat anticipation tostarting my residencyin internal medicine atBrigham and Women’sHospital next year. I’dlike to thank theM.D.-Ph.D. office, aswell as my M.D.-Ph.D.classmates, many ofwhom have beenamong my closestfriends since out firstsummer togethermany years ago.

PAUL GEORGE

After growing up in Cookeville, Tennessee, I traveled to one of America’sbest cities, New Orleans, to study biomedical engineering at TulaneUniversity. I then ventured to Baltimore for a couple of years to work on amasters degree in the same field and finallyjourneyed to Boston where I have worked inRobert Langer’s lab at MIT. During my doctor-ate studies, I researched conductive polymersand helped to develop applications for drugdelivery and neural regeneration. The environ-ment and tutelage provided by Dr. Langer wereamazing and provided an excellent start for myresearch career. I’m excited to begin my prelim-inary year in internal medicine at Stanford thissummer and then continue my clinical trainingin neurology. In the future, I hope to combinemy medical training with my engineering back-ground to help promote recovery from neurological injury.

I would like to thank my wonderful wife Sierra for all of her encourage-ment and patience. The past year has been one of the most amazing yearsof our lives with the birth of our son Leo. Being a parent is unparallel, andour son is such a blessing, bringing something new and exciting everyday. My family has also beenamazing throughout myeducation with their con-tinued love and supportwhich has alwayshelped to keep megrounded in what istruly important.

13

JOHN RICHARD GREENLAND

14

The thought of only one career has always seemed confining to me. When I was growing up in the mountains overlooking Boulder, Colorado, I hadplans to be a physician-astronaut. However, at Space Camp, I was told that I would probably be too tall to fly in a space shuttle. It wasn’t until collegethat I learned about M.D.-Ph.D. programs, in which youcould be a nearly perpetual student and spend a careerdoing new and interesting things.

In high school, I worked in a chemistry lab at theUniversity of Oregon, trying to split water into hydrogenand oxygen using sunlight. This seemed like a greatproject, but all I succeeded in creating was an explosionof corrosive acid that dissolved the walls of my labhood. Still, I continued in chemistry research at Stanford,working on a project elucidating the electron states ofporphyrin-bound iron. Here in graduate school, I soughtsomething that seemed to have a more immediatepotential benefit to humanity. Working under Dr. Norm Letvin, I studiedways of improving HIV vaccines by synthesizing chemical adjuvants and byexamining the immunologic mechanisms limiting their efficacy. My Ph.D.experience taught me about the power and limitations of the scientificmethod and gave me new appreciation for the art of medicine.

Looking back, I am extremelygrateful for my experiences here.I’ve had a chance to see intomany patients’ remarkable lifestories. I’ve had many wonderfulmentors who have gone out oftheir way to help and adviseme. I’ve met amazing col-leagues who continue toimpress me, and I’ve enjoyedthe unwavering support of myfamily. Thanks to everyonewho made this possible.

NICHOLAS E. HOUSTIS

I’m a Hoosier by birth (ie born and raised in Indiana). My family, however,is from Greece and that’s where home is now. I grew up in a college town,home of Purdue University, and dropped out of high school to study com-puter science there. Graduating in 1994, I ignored the birth of the internet,and went on to study biology instead.

I came to Harvard for medical school and tried to find myidentity as a computational biologist, joining the MIT labof Eric Lander for my thesis work. After a brief stint at thecomputer followed by many long years at the bench, Icame to see myself first as a biologist. I studied the mech-anisms involved in cellular insulin resistance, an integralfeature of type 2 diabetes as well as multiple other clinicalconditions. My experience in graduate school had a signif-icant monastic component, and while I wouldn’t recom-mend that for everyone, for me it led to tremendousgrowth as a scientist. Eric was an inspiring mentor and I can not thank himenough for my time there. With the completion of medical school the physi-cian identity has subsumed all the rest. I look forward to the final leg of thistrek, a residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The M.D.-Ph.D. years have been the most rewarding, but also the toughest.Completing them has required the combined strength of my mentors,friends, family, and my wife Philina. To them, thank you.

15

JUNNE KAMIHARA

I grew up on Long Island where I developed quite an impressive accentand an appreciation for good pizza and long hours at the mall (pronounced“mawl”). I don’t recall much about my early scientific career, other than getting into trouble for the jars of planaria stacked in our bathroom. Duringcollege, I majored in biochemistry and worked in thelaboratory of a wonderful mentor, Raymond Erikson,with whom I studied protein kinase signaling atHarvard.

After college, I received a Rockefeller fellowship tospend a year in Kenya where I volunteered at a pri-mary school and in a medical clinic in the slums. Thisexperience confirmed my decision to become a physi-cian and shaped my desire to work with children inthe future.

During the first year of medical school, I met DavidHousman, who became a supportive mentor to me

since he taught our genetics class. In his lab Istudied the influence of gene conversions onhaplotype structure and how these haplotypescan be used to find genes that contribute tohuman disease. I am grateful for Dr. Housman’smentorship and for continually inspiring us withhis passion for bettering the human condition.

As I look forward to residency in pediatrics atChildren’s Hospital in Boston this summer, I amgrateful to the many friends who have blessedmy life, and also to Rick, Patty, and Linda in theHST office who have been strong supportersfrom the minute medical school began. HST isalso where I met my husband Dave, who usedto pass notes to me during class! Dave and I arenow proud parents of our new son Seiji. Seiji isthe newest member of an amazing family whoselove and support make everything in my lifeboth possible and incredibly worthwhile.

16

JOSEPH ABIODUN LADAPO

I was born in Ibadan, Nigeria and my parents moved to the United Stateswhen I was five. After I completed grade school in Louisiana and Georgia,we finally arrived in North Carolina, where I attended high school and col-lege. I majored in chemistry at Wake Forest University and was a decathleteon the track team. My older sister, Jumoke, was also a studentthere, and my younger brother, Patrick, eventually made hisway into Deacon territory too. Jumoke is now finishing a fam-ily medicine residency in North Carolina and Patrick is a med-ical student at Brown. My entire college experience was won-derful, but the highlight was being admitted to HarvardMedical School.

My experience at HMS has been incredible every step of theway. After my third year, I left to pursue a Master of PublicPolicy degree at the Kennedy School, as I had a longstandinginterest in policy and decision making. Enthralled by my eco-nomics courses and sensing an opportunity to make a more

meaningful impact on policy, I trans-ferred into the Ph.D. program in healthpolicy. There, I was lucky enough tocollaborate with some of the leadingminds in economics and medicine. Mostof my work focused on the cost-effec-tiveness of using noninvasive coronaryangiography in the management of car-diac patients.

Four years later, I returned to HMS.Now that I’m finally graduating, my nextstop will be the internal medicine pro-gram at the Beth Israel Deaconess.During my time away, I also met mywonderful, incredible fiancée—wife, bythe time this prints—and we will be get-ting married a few weeks before gradu-ation. I am incredibly happy that we getto share our lives together, and I amgrateful to the Lord for his blessings.

17

CHRISTINA E. MILLS

“I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up,” I wrote in a first-grade essay.An addendum to this essay explained that I had later changed my mindabout becoming a vet because I did not want to do any “extra school.” Littledid I know that I would choose to spend the next two decades as a student,writing a doctoral thesis on 1918 and avian influenzaand preparing for a residency in pediatrics at Children’sHospital, Boston.

My trajectory towards becoming a physician-scientistfocusing on pediatrics, mathematical modeling of infec-tious diseases and international health was, in someways, my family’s doing. I was born in San Franciscoto a mother forging a path for women in surgery and aphysician father with a penchant for virology research.My older brother, now a computer genius, let me dohis math homework and taught me code before theworld knew how to turn on a computer. When my older sister moved toTaiwan and became fluent in Mandarin, it seemed natural for me to spend a year in teaching in rural Thailand and to dedicate my research efforts toglobal health issues.

I could not have made it through these nine years in the M.D.-Ph.D. Programwithout the help of my family, friends and mentors. Rick Mitchell, Patty

Cunningham and the HST Program have been very support-ive since my arrival in 1999. I am extremely grateful toNancy Andrews and the Program for helping to make mynovel degree combination of an M.D.-Sc.D. a reality. Iwould also like to thank my thesis advisor Marc Lipsitch

and HSPH faculty Jamie Robins, Andy Spielman andMiguel Hernán for men-toring me through fivewonderful years in theEpidemiology Department.Finally, I would like to givea special thanks to my part-ner Mason Astley for beingthere through 3rd-yearclerkships, 4th-year matchand all that our future holds.

18

ROBERT SHIGEO OHGAMI

I was born March 29, 1978 in California. Nearly two-thirds of my lifehas been spent in the Golden State and one third in the East Coast. I guess if you divided the difference I’d land somewhere in the middleof the US, maybe Colorado or Kansas. Personally, I think I might preferColorado, for skiing. And while some peoplemight define themselves as an East Coast orWest Coast person, I feel split. I suppose my lifehas been one of dualities and not ironically I’vechosen a future which will allow me to continuegliding between two lives, one as a clinician andone as a basic science researcher. A lifestyle fitfor a traveler of sorts.

Even sitting here writing these few paragraphs,my mind drifts and now as I look to my future, I am already headed back to the Golden Gatesof California filled with hope. Good luck to all.

19

Picking fruit on California’s agricultural farms make up some of my earliest child-hood memories. In the 1950s, my parents emigrated from Mexico to work as farmlaborers. When my six siblings and I were not in school, we would work withthem to maximize their financial gain. I developed an appreciation for hard workand became sensitive to the importance of education as aresult of working on agricultural farms. Shortly after start-ing grade school I decided to use education as a meansof escape from the fields. I immersed myself in booksand developed a fondness for the natural sciences.

My interest in science continued when I attended Yale to study biology. I was introduced to biomedical researchwhile working in a neuroscience laboratory during thesummer after my freshman year. As a result of that expe-rience I eagerly pursued other research opportunities. Ispent summers working in laboratories at Harvard, Yale, and the National Institutesof Health (NIH). After my first year of medical school I was accepted into the BBSPh.D. program at Harvard. My interest in molecular biology led me to do my Ph.D.dissertation on the circadian clock function in the mammalian eye, work whichwas later published in the journal Cell.

Empowered by my success as a Ph.D. student, I pursued a post-doctoral fellow-ship in cutaneous research at the NIH. My work as an NIH post-doctoral fellow took me to Mali, West Africa foreight months where helped establish a research laboratoryto study Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. The opportunity to workin Mali helped put my research in context and helped medevelop an appreciation for research that directly translatesinto patient care.

When I returned to medical school, I fell in love with thefield of surgery. Surgery appealed to me because the skills I had gained throughout my scientific career seemed tocompliment the skills needed to become a good surgeon.As a Ph.D. student I had developed agile hands and

learned how to be creative, think critically, and apply basic principles to solvecomplex problems. Surgery also piqued my interest because of the significantimpact it has on people. I was especially captivated by the reconstructive surgeriesI saw. Surgery also drew me in because it is amenable to good translationalresearch. In the future, I’d like to practice medicine and run my own research laboratory. The M.D.-Ph.D. Program at HMS will help make this dream a reality.

CARLOS PAZ

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PATRICK KWAME SAFO

21

I grew up in Ghana where life was simple and the most I aspired forwas to train as a doctor in the local university. That goal was changedafter I started college at Stony Brook in 1995 and became increasinglyinterested in basic science research. I spent most of my summersworking at Merck laboratories and became increas-ingly convinced of my desire to pursue the M.D.-Ph.D. route. Here at Harvard, I had the pleasure oftraining in Wade Regehr’s lab studying synapticplasticity in the central nervous system. Wade hasbeen invaluable mentor and role model in mydevelopment as a scientist. As I transition to thenext phase of my training outside Boston, I havefond memories of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program especiallythe students. I am grateful to the staff, mentors andespecially my family for the support through this endeavor.

KEVIN A. SHAPIRO

I was born and raised in suburban Los Angeles during the heyday of Valley cul-ture. It was, like, totally rad. When not at school, I spent most of my early life atthe beach, collecting tusk shells and sand crabs. In the third grade I decided thatI wanted to be a scientist, and gradually converted the attic into lab space forbotanical experiments. After I managed to kill severaldozen carnivorous plants by exposing them to mail-ordered amino acids, my concerned mother suggestedthat I think about more practical career options, likemedicine.

In 1996, I left sunny California and came to the Bostonarea for college. Although the charm of dark, coldwinters soon wore off, the move apparently turned outto be permanent. During my freshman year at HarvardI began working with Alfonso Caramazza, who hasbeen my mentor and collaborator ever since. As anundergraduate major in cognitive neuroscience, my research goal was to under-stand how the brain processes language. Eleven years later, I’d like to think

that I’m slightly closer to that goal, having helped to describe some of the neural circuits that underliegrammatical knowledge. At the very least, I’velearned how to think rigorously, write succinctly, and operate an MRI scanner without obliterating my credit cards.

Along the way, my work with aphasic patients con-vinced me that I was destined for a career in neurol-ogy. An affinity for stickers and finger puppets ledme specifically to child neurology, and I’m lookingforward to my next five years as a resident in pedi-atrics (at Children’s Hospital) and neurology (atMassachusetts General Hospital). In my free time, I hope to resume my childhood hobby of beach-combing on the rocky stretches of the South Shore.

I’m grateful to the staff of the M.D.-Ph.D. Programand the Harvard Psychology Department for their

invaluable help in negotiating my academic path, and to my parents and mysecond family, the Grecos, for their love and support.

22

ANNA LEA STEVENS

Sometimes it felt that I could see the edges of the world—I saw the sunrise andthe sun set on the flat windy plains of Kansas. Much later, I realize that theworld is far larger than I ever envisioned and that opportunity exists far beyondmy imagination. I am the child of farmers, born and raised in a small commu-nity in Kansas. I attended local high school, then MIT for undergraduate train-ing and Harvard and MIT for an M.D.-Ph.D..

Over the past twelve years at MIT and Harvard, I engaged ina number of research projects including studying the regula-tion and expression of renal aquaporins (water channels) inthe male reproductive system, evaluating the role of specificHIV viral proteins in deterring immune surveillance, probingthe vibrational dynamics of proteins in hydrated films usingRaman spectroscopy, characterizing the effects of cardiac tro-ponin T mutations in altering the energetic efficiency of theheart, and validating novel nanofluidics methods for bio-macromolecule separations. These projects fueled my excitement for scienceand for medicine. My Ph.D. research focused on systems level proteomics workto better understand cartilage injury and how it may lead to osteoarthritis.

In the fall of 2006, I returned to the wards, and I found myself fulfilled at apersonal level in a way that research was unable to offer—I was involved inpatient care, and I witnessed the impact of great medicine and medicalproviders on their patients. Orthopaedics inspired my curiosity and my imagi-

nation. The concepts andapproach to repair made intu-itive sense; the surgery is fas-cinating; and the results pro-vide a solution that enablesrapid mobility. I look forwardto residency in orthopaedicsat the University of PittsburghMedical Center where theyprovide a balance from state-of-the-art orthopaedics, totrauma, to community prac-tice, to cutting edgeorthopaedics research.

23

BRYAN KEE-HONG SUN

I was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and grew up in Wisconsin, California,and Hawaii as my family seemed to move westward about every six years.My memories of living in Wisconsin include eating ice cream and playingaround a frozen Lake Mendota. Of California, I remember being the pitcherfor the Red Sox team in our school baseballleague (a foreshadowing, I guess) as well aswinning the elementary school science fair bymaking a pH indicator out of boiled red cab-bage juice and testing the pH of importantthings such as dog saliva. In Hawaii, I remem-ber the culture shock of not understandingPidgin English, and not knowing how to surf.But I did develop a taste for Spam.

Since high school I’ve headed eastward, goingfirst to Stanford where I majored in English andbiology. One day, I saw a posting by a ProfessorLuca Cavalli-Sforza describing a project to trace human linguistic evolutionusing genetic markers. I contacted him out of curiosity, a call which eventu-

ally turned into a long-term undergraduate projectand fostered my interest in genetics. After college,I spent at year with Dr. Francis Collins at theNational Human Genome Research Institute, andwas very happy to be accepted to the M.D.-Ph.D.Program at Harvard.

During my almost-a-decade here in Boston, I’veenjoyed learning research from and completingmy graduate thesis with Jeannie Lee on X-chro-mosome inactivation; meeting and marryingmy wife, Grace, and having our awesome littledaughter, Natalie; and learning medicine fromtalented teachers and classmates at HMS.Many thanks to the M.D.-Ph.D. Program forgiving me the opportunity. Having run out of U.S. real estate going eastward, I next turnaround and head back to Stanford for myinternship and residency in dermatology.

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CULLEN MITSUO TANIGUCHI

When I entered the M.D.-Ph.D. Program at the age of 24, I did not fullyappreciate what it would mean to sacrifice my twenties (and some of mythirties) to study for a dual degree. Put in terms a fourth-grader could under-stand—I went to school until the 27th grade! Although to many, this amountof school seems pathologic, I know deep down it was allworth it because along the way, I have always been happy.

I think of all the amazing ways my life has changed overthese eight years: I married my high school sweetheart. I’vebeen honored and humbled to work with some of thebrightest scientific and clinical minds in the world. I’vemade lifelong friends in medical school, beginning from thefirst day of the M.D.-Ph.D. summer course, to gross anato-my lab and then extending all the way to my last rotationsin fourth year. I’ve also had the chance to play many rolesduring my training at Harvard: the earnest student, the hun-gry young scientist, the jaded old post-doc, the jaded oldman returning to the wards, the phone book ripping guy, the “expert,” andthe loser who couldn’t name the heart valve between the right ventricle andthe pulmonary artery when he returned to the wards. I’ve cherished theseexperiences, as well as the considerable amount that I’ve learned from myfellow students and my courageous patients. I will now pursue my residencytraining in radiation oncology at Stanford University.

Moving to California is anexciting yet bittersweetopportunity, since my wifeand I will miss our friendsand colleagues here, as wellas the Red Sox. However,we can’t wait to be closer tofamily, and to experiencenew challenges (and betterweather) on the West Coast,where we will continue tobuild on the lessons wehave learned in Bostonand at Harvard.

25

LEO LEE TSAI

I was born and raised in New York City. Like many other kids in my neighbor-hood in Queens, I wanted to play for the Mets. Somehow that didn’t work out,and I ended up in college where I found that I really enjoyed physics, eco-nomics, and cooking. When I was a senior I decided to apply for a culinaryarts degree with the idea that I could possibly run arestaurant one day. A scholarship to study in Englandturned out to be too good to turn down, despite mybeing subjected to English cuisine. I worked in a mus-culoskeletal MRI lab and became fascinated with bio-medical imaging. This eventually led me to the M.D.-Ph.D., HST and Biophysics Programs.

Graduate school was wonderful. I got married, movedto a new home, bought a car, and adopted a very lazydog named Milo. I also did some research, workingwith Ron Walsworth to design and construct a low-field MRI system to provide regional, quantitative dataon human pulmonary function and its dependence on gravitational orientation.My first test subject: Barbara, my wife. Her lungs are showcased in my thesis.

Throughout all my career changes and seemingly endless years of school, Ihave been supported by many friends, relatives, colleagues, and mentors, and

I am deeply thankful for all of their guidance and encour-agement. I am excited to begin a surgical internship at theBWH this summer, followed by a residency in radiology at BIDMC and a career in imaging research.

26

ELLEN YEH

I had my beginnings in the Midwest (Milwaukee, to be exact) but did most of mygrowing up in the Northeast in the suburbs outside Boston and in Connecticut.The second of four sisters in my family, I took on the tasks of mowing the lawn,hefting rocks for landscaping projects, and shoveling snow off our long windingdriveway (my dad bought a snow blower the year I left forcollege). My family can hardly blame me then for my tomboytendencies and an adventurous streak that has kept me frombeing safely tucked away at home.

I was a reader and writer throughout high school and contem-plated the idea of writing as a career. I can still revel in a beau-tifully constructed sentence, but in college at Harvard I discov-ered that arrow pushing and the molecular structure of a pro-tein could be equally inspiring. During my Ph.D. in ChristopherT. Walsh’s lab, I fully indulged my enthusiasm for enzyme reac-tions and protein biochemistry by working out the mechanismof a class of halogenating enzymes and exploring otherenzyme activities involved in natural product pathways. Although my natural ten-dency is towards the molecular, my M.D. training has provided me with a larger

perspective, both scientificallyand socially, that I hope willallow me to direct my enthu-siasm towards an area of real medical and social need. I start my residency in clini-cal pathology at Stanfordnext year, where I plan toembark on research ininfectious diseases and tocombine my biochemistrybackground and residencytraining in the develop-ment of new diagnostics.

In my odyssey fromMilwaukee to M.D.-Ph.D.

and beyond, I have had at my side many family, friends, and mentorsto support me, in particular, my fiancé Ji, parents, sisters, and Ph.D. advisor ChrisWalsh. I am indebted to all of them for having kept my sense of adventure andenthusiasm alive and well throughout the journey. 27

28

GLENN CHUNG-WING YIU

I was born halfway around the world in Hong Kong, but I immigrated toBrooklyn, NY at the age of 8. My developing Chinese-Brooklyn accent was fortu-nately left behind when I crossed the river to attend high school in New YorkCity. There I had my first taste of laboratory research studying plants that glowedwith the power of firefly genes. I then moved uptown to Columbia Universitywhere I spent the next four years balancing classeswith neuroscience research and online deathmatchesbefore obtaining my bachelor’s degree in biochem-istry and psychology.

In 2000, I came to Boston to begin my M.D.-Ph.D.training at Harvard. My interest in the human mindled me back to neuroscience research, and I eventu-ally joined Dr. Zhigang He’s lab to study the molecu-lar mechanisms that limit nervous system regenera-tion in adults. My four years of graduate studiestaught me the skills of patience, persistence, anddealing with the unknown (both in the scientific

sense and in terms of my career).Beyond that, my time in the programhas also afforded me the experiencesof owning a home, raising two chub-by pet rats, developing my passion forbilliards and fine cooking, and fallingin love with my wife Melody. I’ve alsomet some smart and genuine friendsalong the way who have been invalu-able to me.

Since returning to the clinical world,I’ve found my calling in the field ofophthalmology. I’m excited to beginmy internship at the Brigham andWomen’s Hospital this summer beforeresidency training at the MassachusettsEye and Ear Infirmary. I am indebtedto my wife, family, and friends fortheir unwavering support throughoutthe years.

MARTIN ZALESAK

Martin was born and raised in the Czech Republic. His childhood experi-ences of working on his grandmother’s farm every weekend instilled in himtwo defining qualities – the inability to sit still and the desire to be outdoorsas much as possible. He was only six when his family moved to Syria forthree years. It was in Damascus where his interest in foreign languages andcultures was born. Since he picked up Arabic too slowly toplay with local kids much, he spent most of his time readingbooks thus becoming predisposed to intellectual pursuits inhis later life. His curiosity about foreign cultures brought him to the United World College of the Atlantic (UWCAC), a boarding high school in the UK that combined academicrigor with emphasis on international understanding and community service.

It was his desire to be helpful to others that drove him toenroll in the HST Ph.D. program after undergraduate educa-tion at the University of Pennsylvania. At MIT, Martin appliedhis engineering background to research pertinent to abnormalities of brainstructure and function in schizophrenia under the guidance of Dr. StephanHeckers. The motivation for this line of research is to ultimately render brainimaging an important tool in diagnosing mental illness. Martin’s interest in

clinical medicine led him to pursue theM.D. degree through HST as well. Hishospital rotations belong amongst themost formative experiences of his life.Martin’s drive to pursue new intellec-tual challenges guided his post-gradu-ation plan of joining the Boston officeof LEK Consulting as a life sciencespecialist.

Academic accomplishments areimportant but it is the peoplearound us who give life its truemeaning. Martin was fortunateenough to benefit from the supportof his family and many specialfriends who all have his boundlessgratitude.

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P O S T G R A D U A T E Y EP O S T G R A D U A T E Y E

Aaron Dominic AguirreInternal MedicineBrigham and Women’s HospitalBoston, MA

Siraj Mahamed AliPathologyBeth Israel Deaconess

Medical CenterBoston, MA

Zarine Rohinton BalsaraUrologyDuke University Medical CenterDurham, NC

Savita Visalakshi DandapaniRadiation OncologyUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA

John P. DekkerPathologyMassachusetts General HospitalBoston, MA

Amar DhandNeurologyUniversity of California – San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA

Anna F. FaragoInternal MedicineBrigham and Women’s HospitalBoston, MA

Paul GeorgeNeurologyStanford University ProgramsStanford, CA

John Richard GreenlandInternal MedicineBeth Israel Deaconess


Nicholas E. HoustisInternal MedicineBrigham and Women’s HospitalBoston, MA

Junne KamiharaPediatricsChildren’s HospitalBoston, MA

Joseph Abiodun LadapoInternal MedicineBeth Israel Deaconess


Christina E. MillsPediatricsChildren’s HospitalBoston, MA

Robert Shigeo OhgamiPathologyStanford University ProgramsStanford, CA

30

“Match Day is when we celebrate find-ing out wherewe will beginthe next step in our careers as physician-scientists.”

Y E A R D E S T I N A T I O N SY E A R D E S T I N A T I O N S

Carlos PazGeneral SurgeryUniversity of California – San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA

Patrick Kwame SafoDermatologyUniversity of Pittsburgh

Medical Center Medical Education ProgramPittsburgh, PA

Kevin A. ShapiroPediatricsChildren’s HospitalBoston, MA

Anna Lea StevensOrthopaedic SurgeryUniversity of Pittsburgh

Medical Center Medical Education ProgramPittsburgh, PA

Bryan Kee-Hong SunDermatologyStanford University ProgramsStanford, CA

Cullen Mitsuo TaniguchiRadiation OncologyStanford University ProgramsStanford, CA

Leo Lee TsaiRadiologyBeth Israel Deaconess


Ellen YehPathologyStanford University ProgramsStanford, CA

Glenn Chung-Wing YiuOphthalmologyMassachusetts Eye & Ear InfirmaryBoston, MA

Martin ZalesakLife Science SpecialistL E K ConsultingBoston, MA

31

“Chancefavors thepreparedmind.”LOUIS PASTEUR

32

LEFT:Amar Dhand; Jose Aleman and Nicholas Houstis.

MIDDLE:M.D.-Ph.D. Program’s 25thannual retreat held October2007 at Waterville Valley, NH.

Other photos from previousretreats: Sagar Koduri, SirajAli, Amar Dhand (lower left);and hiking group (lower right).

RIGHT:Ellen Yeh speaking at retreat;Patrick Safo, John Dekker,and Anna Farago at the retreat in 2004.

“Take rest; a field thathas restedgives a bountifulcrop.”OVID (43 BC-17AD)

ROMAN POET

33

34

LEFT:M.D.-Ph.D. class that matriculat-ed in 2000 gathers for a party.

Anna Farago, Todd Herrington,and Cullen Taniguchi on a boatin Boston Harbor.

Match Day 2008: Graduates pic-tured Junne Kamihara (left) andBryan Sun (middle).

MIDDLE:Anna Farago participates in the program’s revisit for newstudents held in April 2008.

RIGHT:Students gather at the pro-gram’s spring dinner in 2007:Salil Garg, John Hanna, MauroZappatera, Cullen Taniguchi,and Michael Dougan.

John Greenland and Rebecca Spencer

Anna Farago

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

We are thankful to the twenty-

four graduates who sent us

their short bios and photos

for this special edition.

Their stories reveal personal

triumphs and the steadfast

commitment to complete both

the Ph.D. and M.D. degrees.

We congratulate them on

their remarkable individual

and collective achievements.

LINDA BURNLEY, Editor

JANELLE O’ROURKE, Assistant Editor

KATHY SAYRE, Design

PHOTO CREDITS:

PAGE 2: Suzanne Camarata, Liza Green*,Moshe Jakubwoski

PAGES 3-32: Contributions from the graduatesPAGES 32-33: Linda Burnley, Moshe JakubowskiPAGES 34-35: Suzanne Camarata, Liza Green*,

GraduatesPAGE 36: Suzanne Camarata, Moshe

Jakubowski

*©2008 President and Fellows of Harvard College onbehalf of HMS Media Services, Photo by Liza Green,All Rights Reserved

35

This page, from top to bottom:Dr. Judy Lieberman (center)hosting the Women’s Dinner in March 2008.

Dr. Joe Bonventre, Ms. PattyCunningham, and Dr. RickMitchell (left middle); Dr. TomFox, Christina Mills, and Dr.Joseph Martin (right middle).

Vijay Sankaran, Erin Chen, JohnGreenland, and Salil Garg.

Opposite page, clockwise:M.D.-Ph.D. class that matricu-lated in 2000 shown here withDr. Richard Maas, Director ofthe summer course “MolecularBiology of Human Disease.”This entering class was the firstto take the summer course.

Dr. Stephen Blacklow presentsa gift of appreciation to Dr.Elizabeth H. Blackburn at theLeaders in Biomedicine Lecturein May 2008.

36

VACCINE ANTIGEN EXPRESSION AND IMMUNE RESPONSES � Peer LearnREACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES PLAY A CAUSAL ROLE IN M

and Spatial Predictors of Brainstem Neuron Identity � Novel Polypyrrole

at the Hemochromatosis (HFE) Locus: Gene conversions, Haplotypes, and an AssoIDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE STEAP FAMILY OF METALLORED

Role of Endocannabinoids in Synaptic Plasticity at the Granule Cell to PurkCARTILAGE INTEGRITY AND TISSUE HOMEOSTASIS: A MASS SPECTROMETRIC A

Signaling Isoforms In Vivo: Molecular Mechanisms of Hepatic Insulin Ac

Signaling Mechanisms Limiting Axon Regeneration in the Adult CenPosture-Dependence of Pulmonary Function � ENZYMATIC HALOGENATION D

Humans And Implications for Schizophrenia � Advances in O

Functional Neuroimaging � THE INTERACTION OF CHLAMYDIA TRACHOROLE OF ALPHA-ACTININ-4 IN THE KIDNEY � Molecular Analysis of Gatin

IMMUNE RESPONSES � Peer Learning Among a Group of Heroin AddictsA CAUSAL ROLE IN MULTIPLE FORMS OF INSULIN RESI

� Novel Polypyrrole Derivatives to Enhance Conductive Polym

sions, Haplotypes, and an Association Analysis � Transmission and Control

LY OF METALLOREDUCTASES � CIRCADIAN CLOCK FUNCTION IN THE MAM

Granule Cell to Purkinje Cell Synapse � MECHANICAL INJURY AND INFLAMMATORY CY

RELEVANCE TO ARTHRITIS � The Dissection of Insulin Signaling Isoforms In V

mediated repression of Xist � Signaling Mechanisms LimitinLow-Field 3He MRI System to Study Posture-Dependence of Pulmonary Functio

Transitive Inference in Healthy Humans And Implications fo

for Endoscopic Applications and Functional Neuroimaging � THE INTERof Two mTor Complexes � ROLE OF ALPHA-ACTININ-4 IN THE KIDNEY

GEN EXPRESSION AND IMMUNE RESPONSES � Peer Learning Among a GEN SPECIES PLAY A CAUSAL ROLE IN MULTIPLE FORM

Brainstem Neuron Identity � Novel Polypyrrole Derivatives to Enha

(HFE) Locus: Gene conversions, Haplotypes, and an Association Analysis � Tr

2008 class book

Documents