NCI Cancer Education Program Class of 2016

Emma Adkins

University of Kentucky undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Haribabu Boddului, PhD
Research Project: Crystalline Silica Mediated Inflammation: Role of Mast Cells

Kaitlyn Adkisson

Western Kentucky University undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Cash, PhD
Research Project:Nutritive Intake Relates to Activated Cytotoxic T Cells in Lung Cancer Patients

Saira Ahmed

University of Louisville Dental Student
Faculty Mentor: Richard Lamont, PhD
Research Project: Detecting the Presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Yomna Amer

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Brian Clem, PhD
Research Project: The Effect of Reactivation of PRb in the Metabolism of Cancer Cells

Kyle Bilyeu

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Chi Li, PhD
Research Project: Sensitizing Pancreatic Cancer Cells to Chemotherapeutics by Modulating Intracellular Iron Homeostasis

Christian Bradley

Howard University graduate
Faculty Mentor: La Creis, Kidd, PhD, MPH
Research Project: Impact of High Order Interactions Between Inflammatory and Immune Response Genes in Prostate Cancer Among Men of African Descent

Charles (Kyle) Castaneda

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Brian Clem, PhD
Research Project: Effect of Pharmacological Inhibition of Phosphoserine Aminotransferase (PSAT1) on Metastatic Breast Cancer Motility

Phillip Chuong

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Lacey McNally, PhD
Research Project: Detection of Pancreatic Cancer Using a Modified Gelatin Nanocontrasting Agent 

 

Kayla Feagins

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Susan Galandiuk, MD
Research Project: Circulating Plasma MicroRNA in Colorectal Neoplasia: A New Role in Assessing Response to Therapy

Wesley Field

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Robert C.G. Martin, MD, PhD
Research Project: Quality of Life Assessment for Patients Undergoing Irreversible Electroporation for Treatment of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Olivia Fields

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Sandra Sephton, PhD
Research Project: Rest-activity Rhythms and Quality of Life in Lung Cancer Patients

Zackary Fitzsimonds

Middle Tennessee State University graduate
Faculty Mentor: Richard Lamont, PhD
Research Project: Differential Regulation of Long-non coding RNAs by Poryphoromonas gingivalis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Benjamin Fouts

Earlham College undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Lacey McNally, PhD
Research Project: Characterization of acidic pH functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles for ovarian cancer diagnostics

Madison Furnish

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: David Hein, PhD
Research Project: Investigation of CRISPR/Cas9 Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase 1 Knockouts in MDA-MB-231 Cell Lines via Anoikis and Invasion Assays

Ashley Gleaton

Cornell University undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Geoffrey Clark, PhD
Research Project: Functional Interaction Between NORE1A and Mutationally Activated RIT(Q79) Represses Malignant Transformation in Lung Cancer

Zahara Gully

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Demetra Antimisiaris, PharmD
Research Project: Tamoxifen: A Study in Pharmacovigilance

Adayshia Haddock-Pitt

Spelman College undergraduate
Faculty Mentor:Barbara Polivka, PhD
Research Project: Effectiveness of Reducing Home VOC Measurements using One Inch Carbon Furnace Filters

Adaline Heitz

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Kathy Baumgartner , PhD
Research Project: Healthy Lifestyle Impact on Breast Cancer Specific and All-Cause Mortality

Parker Howard

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Paula Bates, PhD
Research Project: Investigating HGPRT as a Component of an AS1411 Prodrug Mechanism

Maya Huss

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Jill Steinbach-Rankins, PhD
Research Project: Transport and Distribution of Stealth and Cell Penetrating Nanoparticles in Cervical Cancer Tissue Mimics

Kevin Jacob

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Robert C.G. Martin, MD, PhD
Research Project: Identification of Aberrant Wnt/ß-catenin Signaling on Cancer Stem Cell Activation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Corey James Ketchem

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Levi Beverly, PhD
Research Project: Novel Drug Combinations Sensitize Leukemia Cells to a Bcl-2 Inhibitor

Josephine Kim

University of Kentucky undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Jun Yan, MD, PhD
Research Project: Combining Natural Compound ß-glucan with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy to Promote Antitumor Immunity

Tiana Martin

Spelman College undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: La Creis Kidd, PhD, MPH
Research Project: The Impact of Complex Interactions of Chemokine Sequence Variants on Prostate Cancer Risk among men of African Descent

Delvon Mattingly

University of Louisville graduate
Faculty Mentor: Richard Baumgartner, PhD
Research Project: Health Behaviors and Breast Cancer Risk in Non-Hispanic White & Hispanic Women

Grant McKenzie

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Robert C.G. Martin, MD, PhD
Research Project: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment for Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgical Patients – A Systematic Review

Alex Palumbo

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Eleanor Lederer, MD
Research Project: KCC Expression and Function May Contribute to Human Cancer Cell Motility

 

Sophia Sears

Goshen College undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Jonathan Freedman, PhD
Research Project: Effects of therapeutic compounds on cadmium-induced prostate cancer

Seth Sereff

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Paula Bates, PhD
Research Project: Elucidating the Mechanism of XB05 in Malignant Cells

Mary Ann Smith

Mississippi State University undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Joshua Hood, MD, PhD
Research Project: Paracrine Induction of Macrophages by Melanoma Exosomes

Paula Stepp

Western Kentucky University undergraduate
Faculty Mentor: Mariusz Ratajczak, MD, PhD
Research Project:  Imprinting Status of Paternally Imprinted Tandem Genes and their Expression in Ovarian Carcinoma Cell Lines

Segen Tella

University of Louisville undergraduate
Faculty Mentor:Donald Miller, MD, PhD
Research Project: The Effect of G-quadruplex Oligonucleotides Sequences Targeting cMYC, SOX2 and HTERT in Melanoma Cell Lines

Matthew Ullum

University of Kentucky undergraduate
Faculty Mentors: Goetz Kloecker, MD and Jun Yan, MD, PhD
Research Project: Decrease of MDSCs by Oral ß-glucan in Lung Cancer Patients