Education and Training

Meet our Clinical and Translational Science Faculty Mentors

Founding faculty in the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science represent a wide range of research interests and a commitment to training the next generation of clinical and translational researchers.  They come from well-established research careers and have already trained many others who are now establishing their own successful track records in academia, industry, and clinical settings. 

Click here for a 90-second intro to our mentors 

Pathway to Clinical and Translational Research

The University of Massachusetts Medical School recently launched an exciting new pathway for medical students interested in medical careers in clinical or translational research.  Through a longitudinal and structured program over the four-year medical school curriculum, selected medical students will learn the concepts and methods of clinical and translational research.  The first clinical and translational pathway students began their studies in the academic year (2007/8) as members of the medical school Class of 2011.  This year saw the Class of 2012 begin their studies.

Learn more about the Pathway to Clinical andTranslational Research...

Congratulations and Good Luck to our Class of 2012

1. Jennifer Aborn, BS, Double Major, Biology and English, Pre-med, Tufts University
2. Jenna Checchi, BS, Biology and Psychology minor, George Washington University
3. Costas Gioules, BS, Biology, Cornell University
4. Rashad Hardaway, BS, Biochemistry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI); Doctor of Medicine, UMass Medical School
5. Erin Habecker, BA, Smith College
6. Ali Irshad, BS, Biochemistry, Minor in Linguistics, Pre-Med Track, UMass Amherst
7. Nicholas Maselli, BA, Chemistry, Concentration Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Williams College
8. Yaphet Tilahun, MS, Microbiology, UMass Amherst
9. Alexander M. Tucker, BA, Neuroscience, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
10. Stefan Vanderweil, BA, Biochemical Sciences, Harvard University
11. Kristy Webster, BS, Biology, Concentration Neurobiology, Yale University
12. Irena Zaretskaya, BS, Biology and Neuroscience, Brandeis University

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Class of 2011 Summer 2008 Research Projects

1. Pathway Student:  Adedamola Adepoju, BS & MS, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; UMass Amherst
   Research Mentor:  Fumihiko Urano, MD, PhD and Heidi Tissenbaum, PhD
   Project Title:  The role of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER stress) in the aging process and age-related human disorders
2. Pathway Student:  Edward Arous, BS, Chemistry; Tufts University  
   Research Mentor:  Jennifer F. Tseng, MD, MPH and Ted McDade, MD
   Project Title:  Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors:  A national survey
3. Pathway Student:  Zheni Gjoka, BS, Chemistry, Yale University 
   Research Mentor:  Silvia Corvera, PhD 
   Project Title:  Insulin signal transduction and mitochondrial energy metabolism
4. Pathway Student: Amanda Johnson, BA, English and Psychology, Boston College
   Research Mentor: Carole Upshur, EdD
   Project Title:  Health status and perinatal history of young children with behavior issues in preschool
5. Pathway Student: Julie Lamusta, BA, Environmental Science and Public Policy, Harvard University
   Research Mentor: Jason Chen, PhD
   Project Title:  Identification and characterization of a plant preparation on tumor cell selective cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction
6. Pathway Student: Tim Menz, BS, Biochemistry, UMass Boston
   Research Mentor: Terence Flotte, MD, and Christian Mueller, PhD
   Project Title:  Immunomodulatory gene therapy for allergic bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA)
7. Pathway Student: Michael Messina, BS, Biochemistry, Boston College   
   Research Mentor: Steven Grossman, MD, PhD
   Project Title:  Development of a high-throughput screen for CtBP inhibitors
8. Pathway Student: Mary Linton Peters; BS, Biology and BS, Humanities, MIT; MS, Engineering-Economic Systems, Stanford University
   Faculty Mentor:  Julie G. Pilitsis, MD, PhD 
   Project Title:  Correlation between olfactory loss and mood disturbances in Parkinson’s disease
9. Pathway Student: Alisha Carson, BS, Medical Laboratory Science, UMass Dartmouth 
   Research Mentor: Joseph DiFranza, MD
   Project Title:  Nicotine dependence 
10. Pathway Student: Jason Wiseman, BA, Psychology, Boston University 
    Research Mentor: Shimul Shah, MD
    Project Title:  Regionalization and volume in laparoscopic cholecystectomy 

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