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

Megan Mercer

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Nicholas Ajkay, MD
Research Project: Estimated Percentage of Breast Volume Excision and Its Relationship with Quality of Life and Satisfaction After Breast Conservation Therapy for Breast Cancer

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

Nazeer Shaikh

University of Louisville medical student
Faculty Mentor: Neal Dunlap, MD
Research Project: A Prospective Study of Nasociliary Function and Rhinosinusitis Symptomatology in Patients with Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Receiving Intensity Modulated External Beam Radiotherapy: Preliminary Results

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