The University of Texas
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston
Alumni Association
E-Mentor Program
Welcome to the newly revised E-Mentor Program.
Below are listed GSBS Alumni E-Mentors who are knowledgeable in particular career areas and willing to offer suggestions or answer questions in that regard from GSBS students or other alumni. E-mail them!
Academia: faculty, research, clinical trials
Hussein A. Abbas, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Lebanese American University; Beirut, Lebanon
Consultant, Sanofi-aventis Pharmaceuticals; Beirut, Lebanon
Medical student, Nini Hospital; Beirut, Lebanon
hussein.abbas@lau.edu.lb
Type of employment: Academia, education, hospital, pharmaceutical
Field of expertise: Genetics, stem cells, hematology
Dissertation program: Genes and Development
Pornpimon Angkasekwinai, Ph.D.
Instructor, faculty of Allied Health Sciences
Thammasat University; Pattaya, Thailand
p.akswn@gmail.com
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Immunology
Dissertation program: Immunology
Fariba Behbod, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
The University of Kansas Medical Center; Kansas City, KS
fbehbod@kumc.edu
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: obtaining career transition awards such as K99/R00;
Mammary gland biology and breast cancer
Dissertation program: Cell Biology
Russell Broaddus, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pathology
The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX
rbroaddus@mdanderson.org
Type of employment: Academic medical center/cancer center
Field of expertise: Pathology, gastrointestinal pathology, gynecologic pathology, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, cancer biomarkers, molecular diagnostics
Dissertation program: Immunology
Keith Syson Chan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
kc1@bcm.edu
Type of employment: Academia, Translational research
Field of expertise: Cancer stem cells, Urological oncology
Dissertation program: Molecular Carcinogenesis
Joya Chandra, Ph.D.
Associate Professor,
Department of Pediatrics
The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX
jchandra@mdanderson.org
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Cancer biology research
Dissertation program: Cancer Biology
Chris Friedrich, M.D, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics
University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS
cfriedrich@umc.edu
Type of employment: Academia/participant in clinical trials
Field of expertise: Adult-onset genetic disorders
Dissertation program: Human and Molecular Genetics
Xun Gu, Ph.D.
Professor; Iowa State University, Ames, IA
xgu@iastate.edu
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Genome sciences and evolution
Dissertation program: Human and Molecular Genetics
Richard A. Hajek, M.S., Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist and Research Core Director
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX
rhajek@mdanderson.org
Type of employment: Academia, education, administration
Field of expertise: Biopsychosocial effects on health disparities
Dissertation program: Reproductive Biology.
Sungki Hong, Ph.D.
Research Fellow
Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI
hong1972@gmail.com
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Biochemistry (mTOR signaling pathway)
Dissertation program: Molecular Carcinogenesis
John Kopchick, Ph.D.
Goll-Ohio Professor of Molecular Biology
Ohio University; Athens, OH
kopchick@ohio.edu
Type of employment: Academia and pharmaceutical
Field of expertise: Molecular Endocrinology
Dissertation program: Virology and Gene Therapy
Kaiyi Li, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Baylor College of Medicine; Houston, TX
kli@bcm.edu
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Cancer research for breast and liver cancer
Dissertation program: Cancer Biology
Azra (Hadi) Ligon, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School/Clinical Cytogeneticist
Brigham and Women's Hospital; Boston, MA
aligon@partners.org
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Clinical Cytogenetics/medical genetics/diagnostics
Dissertation program: Cancer Biology
Hui-Wen Lo, Ph.D. (2002)
Associate Professor, Division of Surgical Sciences
Duke University School of Medicine; Durham, NC
huiwen.lo@duke.edu
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Molecular biology
Dissertation program: Molecular Biology
Jeannette Mowery, Ph.D.
Program Director, Biotechnology Lab Technical Program
Madison Area Technical College; Madison, WI
jmowery@matcmadison.edu
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Biotechnology education
Dissertation program: Cell Biology
Brian Phillips, Ph.D.
Licensing Associate II, Baylor Licensing Group
Baylor College of Medicine; Houston, TX
bphillip@bcm.edu
Type of employment: Academia, technology commercialization and intellectual property management
Field of expertise: Biochemistry and molecular biology
Dissertation program: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Robert B. Rebhun, DVM, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of California; Davis, CA
rbrebhun@ucdavis.edu
Type of employment: Academia, education
Field of expertise: Veterinary and comparative oncology
Dissertation program: Cancer Biology
Claudia I. Vidal, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO
cvidal1@slu.edu
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Dermatopathology
Dissertation program: Cancer Biology
Danny R. Welch, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of Cancer Biology
Kansas University Medical Center; Kansas City, KS
dwelch@kumc.edu
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Cancer biology-metastasis
Dissertation program: Integrative Biology
Wei-Chung (Vivian) Yang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Director, Ph.D. Program for Translational Medicine;
Executive Director, Center for Translational Medicine
Taipei Medical University; Taipei, Taiwan
vyang@tmu.edu.tw
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Biomedical materials and tissue engineering; translational medicine
Dissertation program: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Zhongming Zhao, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Nashville, TN
zhongming.zhao@vanderbilt.edu
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Bioinformatics, genomics, and personalized medicine
Dissertation program: Human and Molecular Genetics
Biotechnology
Cindee Ewell, Ph.D., J.D.
In-House Corporate and Patent Counsel
Inguran LLC, dba Sexing Technologies; Navasota, TX
crewell@sbcglobal.net
Type of employment: Intellectual property/biotechnology business
Field of expertise: Reproductive biology
Dissertation program: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Carol Linsner Brooks, M.S., CGC
Regional Medical Specialist
Myriad Genetics, Inc.; Salt Lake City, UT
cbrooksms@gmail.com
Type of employment: Biotechnology
Field of expertise: Genetic counseling
Thesis program: Genetic Counseling
Steven Lott, Ph.D., MB(ASCP)
Senior Scientist- Bioinformatics
Pacific Biosciences; Menlo Park, CA
stevenlott@yahoo.com
Type of employment: Biotechnology industry
Field of expertise: Bioinformatics, biotechnology, assay and instrument product development
Dissertation program: Human and Molecular genetics
Ted Mullins, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
CDC-IRR American Type Culture Collection; Manassas, VA
tmullins@atcc.org
Type of employment: Industrial management, biotechnology, government contract management
Field of expertise: Biotechnology production, process development
Dissertation program: Cell Biology
Jackie Peltier Horn, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair in Biology
Houston Baptist University; Houston, TX
jhorn@hbu.edu
Type of employment: Academic administration and undergraduate education at a liberal arts university
Field of expertise: Scholarship of teaching, microbiology, molecular biology. Dissertation program: Virology and Gene Therapy
Brenda Whaley, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology
Houston Baptist University; Houston, TX
bwhaley@hbu.edu
Type of employment: Academician at an undergraduate liberal arts college
Field of expertise: Pharmacology
Dissertation program: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Barbara Williams, Ph.D.
AP Chemistry Teacher
DeBakey High School for Health Professions; Houston, TX
bwilli14@houstonisd.org
Type of employment: Education
Field of expertise: Protein biochemistry
Dissertation program: Regulatory Biology
Hannah Wingate, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Houston Baptist University, Houston, TX
hwingate@hbu.edu
Type of employment: Undergraduate education
Field of expertise: Teaching undergraduate biology
Dissertation program: Immunology
Carol Linsner Brooks, M.S., CGC
Regional Medical Specialist
Myriad Genetics, Inc.; Salt Lake City, UT
cbrooksms@gmail.com
Type of employment: Biotechnology
Field of expertise: Genetic counseling
Thesis program: Genetic Counseling
Government Agencies
Lida Anestidou, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Senior Program Officer
Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, The National Academies; Washington, D.C.
l.anestidou@me.com
Type of employment: Nonprofit public service institution chartered by Congress to offer advice to the nation in matters of science and technology.
Field of expertise: Science and technology policy, scientific integrity, research ethics and responsible conduct of research animal models, laboratory animal care and use, biodefense and biosecurity, veterinary medicine.
Dissertation program: Physiology
K. Leigh Greathouse, M.P.H., Ph.D., R.D.
Cancer Prevention Fellow
National Cancer Institute; Washington, D.C.
klgreathouse@gmail.com
Type of employment: Government
Field of expertise: Mechanisms of obesity and cancer prevention
Dissertation program: Molecular Carcinogenesis
Dianne K. Hammond, Ph.D.
Senior Lead Scientist, retired
Contractor for NASA on site at Johnson Space Center; Houston, TX
dianne.hammond44@verizon.net
Type of employment: Government agency; core laboratory facility
Field of expertise: Biochemistry, toxicology, instrumentation, cell biology
Dissertation program: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Ted Mullins, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
CDC-IRR American Type Culture Collection; Manassas, VA
tmullins@atcc.org
Type of employment: Industrial management, biotechnology, government contract management
Field of expertise: Biotechnology production, process development
Dissertation program: Cell Biology
Joye E. Purser, Ph.D.
Operations Research Analyst
US Department of Defense; Washington, DC
joye.purser@gmail.com
Type of Employment: Systems analysis
Field of expertise: Chemical and biological defense
Dissertation program: Molecular Pathology
Ana Robles, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist
National Cancer Institute, NIH; Bethesda, MD
roblesa@mail.nih.gov
Type of employment: government
Field of expertise: Cancer Biology, Cellular Senescence, Transcriptomics
Dissertation program: Molecular Carcinogenesis
Sol Bobst, Ph.D., D.A.B.T.
Senior Regulatory Compliance and Toxicology Advisor
Nexeo Solutions; Houston, TX
smbobst@yahoo.com
Type of employment: Industrial risk assessment, regulatory, product. stewardship, modeling
Field of expertise: Toxicology
Dissertation program: Toxicology
Suneeta Mahagaokar, Ph.D., D.A.B.T. (1979)
Manager, Business Improvement & Operations
Shell Health, Shell Oil Co., Houston, TX
s.mahagaokar@shell.com
Type of employment: Industry
Field of expertise: Cell biology
Dissertation program: Cell Biology
Licensing/intellectual property, patents
Cindee Ewell, Ph.D., J.D.
In-House Corporate and Patent Counsel
Inguran LLC, dba Sexing Technologies; Navasota, TX
crewell@sbcglobal.net
Type of employment: Intellectual property/biotechnology business
Field of expertise: Reproductive biology
Dissertation program: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Brian Phillips, Ph.D.
Licensing Associate, Office of Technology Commercialization
The Texas A&M University System; College Station, TX
Brian.Phillips@tamus.edu
Type of employment: Academia, technology commercialization and intellectual property management
Field of expertise: Biochemistry and molecular biology
Dissertation program: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
BethLynn Maxwell, Ph.D., J.D.
Senior Attorney, Office of General Counsel
The University of Texas System; Austin, TX
bmaxwell@utsystem.edu
Type of employment: Patent attorney for UT-System
Field of expertise: Intellectual property law, patent law, technology transfer, commercializing the Board of Regents’ intellectual property (created by UT System’s employees and faculty)
Dissertation program: Cell Biology
Leisa Talbert Peschel, Ph.D., J.D.
Associate Attorney
Williams, Morgan & Amerson PC
leisapeschel@gmail.com
Type of employment: Intellectual property law
Field of expertise: Biotechnology, energy, chemical
Dissertation program: Environmental and Molecular Carcinogenesis
Peter Seferian, Ph.D.
Research Technology Management, Patent Manager
The University of Texas Health Science Center; Houston, Texas
peter.seferian@uth.tmc.edu
Type of employment: Patent agent
Field of expertise: Biotechnology and genetics
Dissertation program: Immunology
Medical Imaging; Computational Modeling
Behrang Amini, M.D., Ph.D. (2005)
Fellow, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, Texas
zyryab@gmail.com
Type of employment: Academia
Field of expertise: Computational modeling, radiology
Dissertation program: Neuroscience
Medical Physics
Joseph Dick, M.S.
Medical Physicist
Medical Physics Services, LLC; Tampa, FL
Joseph.S.Dick@gmail.com
Type of employment: Consulting
Field of expertise: Medical physics
Thesis program: Medical Physics
Pharmaceutical
John Kopchick, Ph.D.
Goll-Ohio Professor of Molecular Biology
Ohio University; Athens, OH
kopchick@ohio.edu
Type of employment: Academia and pharmaceutical
Field of expertise: Molecular endocrinology
Dissertation program: Virology and Gene Therapy
Hussein A. Abbas, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Lebanese American University; Beirut, Lebanon
Consultant, Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals; Beirut, Lebanon
Medical student, Nini Hospital; Beirut, Lebanon
hussein.abbas@lau.edu.lb
Type of employment: Academia, education, hospital, pharmaceutical
Field of expertise: Genetics stem cells, hematology
Dissertation program: Genes and Development
Paul Nemeth, Ph.D.
Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs
iCeutica Operations, LLC
paul@iceutica.com
Type of employment: Drug development
Field of expertise: regulatory affairs
Dissertation program/area: Physiology/pharmacology
Public Policy
Kirstin Matthews, Ph.D.
Fellow in Science and Technology Policy
James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University; Houston, TX
krwm@rice.edu
Type of employment: Public policy/government
Field of expertise: Science policy, biomedical research and funding policy, public understanding of science, stem cell policy, patenting
Dissertation program: Molecular Biology
Scientific Writing
Maureen E. Goode, Ph.D.
Administrative Director
Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences
The University of Texas Health Science Center; Houston, TX
Maureen.Goode@uth.tmc.edu
Type of Employment: Academic administration
Field of expertise: Biomedical sciences
Dissertation program: Human and Molecular Genetics
Anne Netek Hart, Ph.D.
Senior Coordinator at Neuroscience Research Center;
Assistant Editor at Learning & Memory
The University of Texas Health Science Center; Houston, TX
Anne.Hart@uth.tmc.edu
Type of employment: Science outreach and education; editor for a scientific journal
Field of expertise: Neuroscience, learning and memory
Dissertation program: Neuroscience
Kimberly A. Mankiewicz, Ph.D.
Technical Writer III
The University of Texas Health Science Center; Houston, TX;
kamankiewicz@gmail.com
Type of employment: Academia, medical/technical writing
Field of expertise: Biochemistry, molecular biology
Dissertation program: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Start-ups
Ben Thomas, Ph.D.
CEO
CleanBlue Water LLC; Houston, Texas
bthomas@cleanblueh2o.com
Type of employment: Health/environmental consultant; business start-up
Field of expertise: Pathology, toxicology
Dissertation program: Molecular Pathology
