2009-07-01

The Minority Medical Student Award Program (MMSAP) encourages minority medical students to pursue an interest in hematology research. For an eight- to 12-week period, MMSAP participants will work closely with their mentors on a hematology-related research project. The subjects investigated by this year’s students include lymphoma, leukemia, sickle cell anemia, multiple myeloma, and stem cells. The awardees will have the opportunity to present the results of their research at ASH’s annual meeting in December.

This year’s program has the largest number of participants yet, including three returning students. Each award recipient will receive the support of a research mentor and a career-development mentor, travel stipends to attend medical meetings, and subscriptions to The Hematologist and Blood.

Second-Year MMSAP Participants

Nnenaya Agochukwu
Louisiana State University School of Medicine
Research Project:
Objective measures of pain during sickle cell pain crisis
Research Mentor:
Shantan Reddy, MD
LSU Health Sciences Center – Shreveport
Feist-Weiller Cancer Center

Jamie Brewer
University of Illinois – Chicago
Research Project:
Significance of factor VIII inhibitors by ELISA in hemophilia A patients and functional limitations in hemophilia A: comparison of a self-assessment tool and joint ROM
Research Mentor:
Anaadriana Zakarija, MD
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine

Ashanti Franklin
University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine
Research Project:
Elucidating the effects of the PIGA gene mutation in endothelial cells in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria
Research Mentor:
Howard Liebman, MD
University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine

First-Year MMSAP Participants

Imo Akpan
University of Illinois - Chicago College of Medicine
Research Project:
Determination of the relative roles of transcription and translation in the mechanism responsible for increased fetal hemoglobin levels following decitabine administration in the baboon model
Research Mentor:
Joseph DeSimone, PhD
University of Illinois – Chicago

Mohamad Alghothani
University of Illinois
College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign
Research Project:
Exploring the therapeutic potential of targeting programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) receptor and PD-1-ligand in EBV-related lymphoproliferative disorders
Research Mentor:
Robert Baiocchi, MD, PhD
The Ohio State University

May Cho
Meharry Medical College
Research Project:
Structural requirements for LDB1 protein dimerization in mammalian cell
Research Mentor:
Stephen Brandt, MD
Vanderbilt University

Hector R. Flores-Bermudez
Universidad Central del Caribe - School of Medicine
Research Project:
Activation of PP2A as a therapeutic target in multiple myeloma
Research Mentor:
Steven Rosen, MD
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine

Michael Garcia
Harvard Medical School
Research Project:
The role of CD74 in blocking apoptosis during lymphoma
Research Mentor:
Felipe Samaniego, MD
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

William J. Gostic II
Harvard Medical School
Research Project:
Comparison of myelosuppression in pediatric ALL treatment using PEG-asp and L-asp
Research Mentor:
Lewis Bary Silverman, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Tiffany D. Jackson
Mercer University School of Medicine
Research Project:
Optimization of culture and growth factor conditions for differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to megakaryocytes and platelets
Research Mentor:
Kenneth Zuckerman, MD
University of South Florida/H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center

Courtney Nicole Johnson
University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine
Research Project:
Evaluation of mutations in imatinib-resistant CML Latino versus non-Latino patients
Research Mentor:
Allen Yang, MD, PhD
USC Keck School of Medicine

Steven Ovu
Texas A&M Health Science Center - College of Medicine
Research Project:
Investigating the impor tant role of nucleolin in SLL/CLL apoptosis
Research Mentor:
Felipe Samaniego, MD
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Vanessa Pineros
University of Pennsylvania
Research Project:
Targeting the c-Myb mRNA: a novel approach to treating acute leukemia
Research Mentor:
Alan Gewirtz, MD
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Nneamaka Ugbode
Jefferson Medical College
Research Project:
Manipulating the stability of ß-globin mRNA for the treatment of major hematologic disorders
Research Mentor:
J. Eric Russell, MD
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Elizabeth Yeboah
University of Toronto
Research Project:
Determining the patient and disease characteristics that correlate with long-term response to lenalidomide in the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma
Research Mentor:
Christine Chen, MD
University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Hospital

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