GRADUATE STUDENTS
GRADUATE STUDENTS
GRADUATE STUDENTS
GRADUATE STUDENTS
GRADUATE STUDENTS
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Current Students
| Student | Year | Mentor | Education | Research |
 Dean Oldham | 2024 | Rotating | In my view, obesity is the biggest health related issue in the U.S. My research interests involve the physiological changes with obesity and the effect it has on different organ systems (e.g. brain, cardiovascular, hepatic, etc.). | |
Natalia Weinzierl | 2024 | Rotating | My general research interests include whole-body and tissue-specific metabolism, endocrinology, inflammation, and musculoskeletal physiology. I am specifically interested in studying the mechanisms by which certain conditions (e.g. cancer, diabetes, and other inflammatory diseases) can affect different tissues/organs, and how tissue cross-talk can exacerbate dysfunction. I’m also interested in studying sex differences within these conditions. Natalia's ORCHID | |
Carissa Birznieks | 2023 | Benninger | BS Biological sciences, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, MS Modern Human Anatomy University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus | I study connections between cells in the pancreatic islet to understand how disruptions in cell-cell communication may drive development of diabetes.
|
Gilda Opoku | 2023 | Evans | MD, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology | I am interested in respiratory physiology. My research focuses on the assembly of Muc5ac and the phsyiological impact of discrupting it. This would inform potential therapeutic measures in the management of conditions like Asthma. |
Gabriel Medrano | 2023 | Melanie Cree | BS, Human Biology, University of California Irvine | I study the pathways underlying metabolic dysfunction/diseases, particularly in the context of pediatric PCOS and hepatic steatosis. |
| 2022 | Henry | BS, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester; MS, Reproductive Science and Medicine, Northwestern University | The impact of obesity on the progression of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) and drug efficacy. |
| 2022 | Sucharov | MD, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana | I study pediatric heart failure. I am currently working on developing an animal model of disease for pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy. |
| 2022 | Lau | BS, Pre-health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Northern Colorado | My research is investigating the effects of tissue cross talk using iPSC derived adipocyte and cardiomyocyte models. |
| 2022 | Restrepo and Gibson | BS, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bellarmine University; MS, Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus | Encoding and recall of hippocampal engrams related to behavior. |
| 2021 | Melanson and Catenacci | BS, Dietetics, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; MS, Exercise Physiology, West Virginia University | My research focuses on novel dietary interventions to improve obesity treatment strategies. Specifically, I am utilizing doubly labeled water (DLW) for assessing objective measures of energy intake and diet adherence from a 12-month randomized trial comparing weight loss generated from intermittent fasting and daily caloric restriction. I am also interested in reward-based eating behaviors and appetite hormone alterations from weight loss. |
 | 2021 | D'Alessandro | BA, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado College | My work focuses on using MS-based methods to study how exercise affects proteomic and metabolomic profiles in humans and mice. I particularly investigate exercise's impact on metabolic pathways related to conditions like cardiovascular diseases, hemolytic diseases, and cancer. I employ mass spectrometry analysis to explore the roles of various metabolites and gain comprehensive insights into their functions within these processes. |
| 2021 | Boyle | BS in Biochemistry, Minor in Environmental Toxicology, North Carolina State University | Suzzi focuses on the effects of gestational exposure- such as to PFAS chemicals, obesity, or stress- on long-term offspring metabolic health. She utilizes umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells as her experimental model. |
| 2021 | Nozik | BS Biological Science (Microbiology), Minors in Bioinformatics and Chemistry, San José State University | I am interested in the maternal stress on neonatal to adulthood outcomes! My research focuses on extracellular superoxide dismutase on the development of lung and pulmonary vasculature and the macrophage accumulation with prenatal hypoxic stress. |
| 2020 | Nadeau | BS, Exercise Science, South Dakota State University; MS, Exercise Physiology, Boise State University | I study body composition and fat distribution in adolescents with severe obesity and how it impacts their metabolic health such as type 2 diabetes. Specifically, I am investigating how metabolic bariatric surgery elicits changes in body composition, particularly losses in lean mass and how that may influence weight regain after surgery. |
| 2020 | Reusch | BS, Exercise Science, Harding University; MS, Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University | My scientific focus is on the effects of type 2 diabetes on skeletal muscle. I am interested in hyperglycemia's independent effects on muscle architecture and blood supply. |
| 2020 | Santoro | BS, Physiology with a minor in Neuroscience, University of Wyoming | My research focuses on the composition of the olfactory system and how it is altered by experience. I am particularly interested in lifelong neurogenesis and how it may serve an adaptive as well as a reparative function in the olfactory system. |
Student Leadership (2024-2025)
Admissions Committee
Karlin, Kira and Obed
ORE Student Council
Nick and Jay
Recruitment Leads
Jay, Karlin, and Suzzi
Retreat Committee
Asia, Nick, Tina, Tyler, Gilda
Seminar Planners
Gilda and Matt
Social Media Manager
Francesca
Social Events Planner
Carissa, Gabriel and Suzzi
Website Managers
Obed and Tina
Alumni
| Name | Thesis Mentor | Program | Graduation Year |
Dubner, Allison M. | Weiser-Evans, Mary C.M. | IPHY | 2023 |
McDonald, Rosie | Kumar, Raj | IPHY | 2023 |
Swenson, Karli | Bates, Emily | IPHY | 2023 |
Nash, Michael | Friedman & Wesolowski | MSTP | 2022 |
Kahn, Darcy | Bergman, Bryan | IPHY | 2022 |
Llerena Cari, Evelyn | Johnson, Joshua | IPHY | 2022 |
Dahle, Jared | Catenacci, Victoria A. and Melanson, Edward L. | IPHY | 2021 |
Strand, Keith A. | Weiser-Evans, Mary C.M. | IPHY | 2020 |
Presby, David M. | MacLean, Paul S. | IPHY | 2019 |
Foright, Rebecca M. | MacLean, Paul S. | IPHY | 2019 |
Coates, Sydney L. | Moore, Lorna | IPHY | 2019 |
Oliphant, Michael U. J. | Ford, Heide L. | IPHY | 2019 |
Soderborg, Taylor K. | Friedman, Jacob E. | MSTP | 2019 |
Libby, Andrew E. | McManaman, James L. | IPHY | 2018 |
Schmidt, Linnea G. | Williams, Trevor J. | IPHY | 2017 |
Roof, Allyson K. | Gutierrez-Hartmann, Arthur | IPHY | 2017 |
Rumer, Kristen K. | Winn, Virginia D. | MSTP | 2013 |
Alumni Testimonials
The IPHY program provided a broad, supportive environment that was integral to my development as a scientist. As an IPHY student, access to the state-of-the-art resources on the Anschutz Medical Campus contributed significantly to my successful research in graduate school.
Keith Strand
PhD, Senior Scientist, PfizerIPHY provided a very supportive and collaborative environment. The diverse training and curriculum allowed me to be well prepared for the rigors of a postdoc.
Mike Oliphant
PhD, Graduated 2019, NCI F99/K00 Postdoctoral Fellow, Joan Brugge and Senthil Muthuswamy Labs, Harvard Medical SchoolI am thankful for the breadth of research I was exposed to while in the IPHY Program, as it gave me a birds-eye view of physiology in addition to a focused education in reproductive physiology. I gained experience in both translational and clinical research that prepared me for a research career in a clinical setting.
Sydney Coates Lane
PhD, Maternal Health Scientist, Ferring Pharmaceuticals