FACULTY MENTORS IN THE MSCI PROGRAM

Xylina Bean, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Chair of the Department is investigating the use of addictive substances in pregnant women, health outcomes and behavioral and behavioral modification.  She has served as mentor and clinical researcher during her academic career at Drew University.

Derrick Beech, M.D., Professor of Surgery and an experienced clinical researcher in the field of surgical oncology who has served in the role of mentoring students and residents in surgical interventions.

Marino Bruce, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Family Medicine is a social epidemiologist examining the relationship between socioeconomic stratification, community social environment, risky behavior, and cardiovascular disease among underserved populations.  He just received a fundable score on his K01 from NHLBI.  One of his primary responsibilities at MMC is to expand the research profile for the Department of Family and Community Medicine by training residents and junior faculty.  Dr. Bruce is an investigator on the Jackson Heart Study.

Yong Cui, M.D., Assistant Professor and epidemiologist in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Division of Cancer Biology has focused on the epidemiology and molecular epidemiology of chronic diseases and cancers including the evaluation of health-related QOL in breast cancer patients, the use of complementary and alternative medicine by breast cancer survivors, and the use of cancer screening among African Americans and Caucasians in a low-income population.

Sakina Eltom, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Cancer Biology, studies the role of the AhR receptor in cancer initiation, progression and metastasis, and the impact of its over-expression on this progression, even in the absence of environmental toxins that serve as receptor ligands.

ZhongMao Guo, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Cardiovascular Biology, studies the interdependence of lipid metabolism, oxidative stress and vascular biology in the initiation and development of atherosclerosis. His translational studies with genetically altered mice with perturbed oxidant stress responses are paralleled by clinical studies of hypertensive patients for markers of oxidative stress and their correlations with atherogenic pathophysiology and lesions.

Margaret Hargreaves, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine is an expert in community based participatory research and commands multiple research grants evaluating the disparities of cancer, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

James E. K Hildreth, M.D.,  Ph.D.,  Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center For Health Disparities in AIDS, has a large cadre of clinical applications derived from his basic research into mechanisms to control HIV and is currently developing a clinical trial to evaluate a microbicide against HIV targeted for underserved populations.  His expertise in translational HIV work will be a major resource to scholars.

Paul Juarez, Ph.D., Professor of Family Medicine is a social scientist whose expertise is on the conduct of clinical research in the community and will serve as an excellent resource and mentor for scholars targeting community based participatory research.  He has active grants in prevention of disease and violence.

Dineo Khabele, M.D., Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology is both a clinical and basic researcher performing trials in gynecologic oncology and evaluating cell growth mechanisms in ovarian cancer cell lines.

Gwen Ladson, M.D., Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and has been active in various clinical trials for the underserved with particular interest in health literacy and cultural competency.

Alicia Malin-Fair, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery focuses her research on lifestyle epidemiology and health services research factors related to breast cancer risk. Her specific research areas include compliance to diagnostic procedures following an abnormal mammogram, the etiology of energy balance combined with insulin-resistance hormones and the role of vitamin D in breast cancer risk within the field of minority health and molecular and behavioral risk factors.

Stephania Miller-Hughes, Ph.D., MSCI graduate and Assistant Professor of Surgery is a social scientist interested in effects of contemporary lifestyle on the development of diabetes and the metabolic syndrome targeting the poor outcome of rural patients.  Her qualitative research includes analysis and interventional activities in this population to promote better health practice.

John J Murray, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has extensive experience in the design and conduct of clinical trials in the field of allergy and asthma serving to guide the research career of multiple post-doctoral fellows during his prior long tenure at VU.

LaMonica Stewart, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology, is interested in the role of PPAR ligands in suppressing cancer initiation and progression, especially prostate cancer, and in the proteomic and genomic characterization of human prostate tumors to inform therapeutic and diagnostic monitoring strategies

Flora Ukoli, MBBS, MPH, Assistant Professor of Surgery and an epidemiologist is studying the affects of nutrition and dietary components on the development of prostate carcinoma.  Her work involves comparing native African populations and those who immigrated and reside in the US.

Janice Whitty, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the high-risk obstetrical service at the Nashville General Hospital is evaluating the clinical issues of why people of color and the underserved develop the greatest degree of pre and post-partum complications and recently expanded her area of interest to obesity and its relationship to obstetrical complications.

Steven Wolff, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, Director of the MBCCOP cancer trials program has extensive experience in mentoring and is an active patient oriented investigator is hematology/oncology clinical trials whose main interest continues to be the clinical evaluation of cytotoxic therapy for the treatment of malignancies.

Roger Zoorob, M.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine is the Scientific Director of the EXPORT Center for Health Disparities and PI on two community based research grants studying chronic disease and disparities including nutrition, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.  He has mentored residents, medical and graduate students and his primary care research, scholarly activity, health services research record and publications make him an excellent candidate to mentor MSCI scholars.