People
The M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of Toledo on the Health Science Campus consists of a diverse group of excellent students, faculty, staff, and alumni. These people are the foundation of our program. We are proud of everyone who contributes to the M.D./Ph.D. program.
The Students of the M.D./Ph.D Program
The students of the M.D./Ph.D. program are highly qualified and talented students with interests both in clinical medicine and medical science research. Our students play an active role in the program through participation in numerous events and activities held throughout the year.
Justin Creeden
Research Project: "Signaling Networks that Drive Deleterious Outcomes in the Pancreas and Liver"
Advisor and Track: Robert Smith, MD., Ph.D.; Cancer Biology
Undergraduate School and Major: University of Michigan; Anthropology
Sara Moore
Research Project: "Implications for Properdin, a Complement Regulatory Protein, in
Rheumatoid Arthritis"
Advisor and Track: Viviana Ferreira, D.V.M., Ph.D.; Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Undergraduate School and Major: Rhode Island College; Biology
Kathryn Becker
Research Project: "The Role of mDia Formins in Glioblastoma Therapy Resistance"
Advisor and Track: Kathryn Eisenmann, Ph.D.; Cell and Cancer Biology
Undergraduate School and Major: University of Michigan; Anthropology
Nicholas Henkel
Research Project: "Developing strategies to improve cognition in Alzheimer's Disease
by assessing protein kinase networks"
Advisor and Track: Robert Smith, M.D., Ph.D.; Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders
Undergraduate School and Major: Miami University; Zoology & Neuroscience
Justin Franco
Research Project: "An examination of the antiviral properties of Retinoic Acid (RA)
treatment during coronavirus infection"
Advisor and Track: Kevin Pan, M.D., Ph.D.; Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Undergraduate School and Major: Florida International University ; Biomedical Engineering
Shumin Fan
Research Project: "Regulation of virus-induced inflammation"
Advisor and Track: Saurabh Chattopadhyay, Ph.D. Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Undergraduate School & Major: The Ohio State University, Accounting; Sullivan University,
Information Technology
Smita Sahay
Research Project: TBD
Advisor and Track: Robert Smith, M.D., Ph.D., Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders
Undergraduate school and major: University of California San Diego; Bioengineering,
Bioinformatics
Hunter Eby
Research Project: TBD
Advisor and Track: Robert Smith, M.D., Ph.D., Bioinformatics, Proteomics, & Genomics
Undergraduate school and major: University of Toledo; Biology, Bioinformatics
Ahmad Hegazi
Research Project: TBD
Advisor and Track: Kuo-Hi Su, Ph.D., Cell and Cancer Biology
Undergraduate school and major: The Ohio State University; Genetics
David Jaramillo
Research Project: TBD
Advisor and Track: Arun Anantharam, PhD., Neuroscience & Neurological Disorders
Undergraduate school and major: Williams College; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emily Otmanowski
Research Project: TBD
Advisor and Track: Jasenka Zubcevic, Ph.D., Molecular Medicine
Undergraduate school and major: University of Pittsburg; Psychology & Neuroscience
Caroline Swain
Research Project: TBD
Advisor and Track: Thyagarajan Subramanian, M.D, Neuroscience & Neurological Disorders
Undergraduate school and major: The Ohio State University; Neuroscience
Yogesh Kumaran
Advisor and Program: Vijay Goe, Ph.D. l; Biomedical Engineering
Undergraduate school and major: University of Toledo; Bioengineering
Jacob Schmieder
Advisor and Track: Neuroscience & Neurological Disorder
Undergraduate school and major: Iowa State Universiyt; Biochemistry; Mechinical Engineering
Joanna Stuck
Advisor and Track: Molecular Medicine
Undergraduate school and major: University of Cincinnati; Biomedical Engineering
Melvin Ifeanyi Ezennia
Advisor and Track: Cancer Biology
Undergraduate school and major: University of Toledo; Biology
Jared Oenick
Track: Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Undergraduate school & major: University of North Georgia; Biology
Kimberly Heath
Track: Cancer Biology
Undergraduate school & major: University of Illinois at Chicago; Biology
Aaron Miller
Track: Neuroscience & Neurological Disorders
Undergraduate school & major: Wake Forest University; Music, California State University; Biochemistry
The Alumni of the M.D./Ph.D. Program
Recent M.D./Ph.D. graduates from UToledo have entered highly competitive residencies, and a few have gone on to distinguished academic careers at such institutions as Henry Ford Health System, Johns Hopkins and Harvard Medical School. Thirty M.D./Ph.D. dual degrees have been awarded since the first student graduated in 1992.
Alumni and friends of the M.D./Ph.D. program of the University of Toledo are encouraged to participate in the University of Toledo Alumni Association, which focuses on developing and implementing ways to keep our graduates in touch with each other as well as their alma mater.
The M.D./Ph.D. program also welcomes and encourages alumni to participate in current M.D./Ph.D. program affairs as well as provide suggestions and services. If an alumnus would like to meet with or speak to current M.D./Ph.D. students, perhaps to share their insights and experiences as a dual-degree holder, s/he should email Dr. Smith; Robert.McCullumsmith@utoledo.edu).