Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Graduate Program

Faculty

Andrew Arnold, Professor of Medicine and Murray-Heilig Chair in Molecular Medicine, M.D., Harvard University. The molecular genetic underpinnings of tumors of the endocrine glands. Role of cyclin D1 in tumorigenesis.

Dashzeveg Bayarsaihan, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Wesleyan University. Research interests are complex human disorders using stem cell technology, functional genomics and animal models to understand chromatin architecture and epigenetic modifications.

I-Ping Chen, Assistant Professor, Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, DDS, PhD. University of Connecticut Health Center. Generation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from craniometaphyseal dysplasia (CMD) patients and investigation of osteoclast biology in the human stem cell system as well as in CMD mouse models.

Caroline N. Dealy, Associate Professor of Reconstructive Sciences, Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development. Ph.D., University of Connecticut. Regulation of articular cartilage differentiation and homeostasis by matrix and growth factors; genetic control of skeletal development and regeneration; stem cells for repair or regeneration of cartilage or limb tissue; stem cells as models for cartilage disease.

Anne Delany, Associate Professor of Medicine. Ph.D., Dartmouth Medical School. Function and regulation of the non-collagen matrix protein osteonectin/SPARC in bone; regulation of osteoblast gene expression by microRNAs; exploring how the extracellular matrix regulates gene expression in bone-metastatic prostate carcinoma.

Patricia I. Diaz, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., The University of Adelaide. Inter-species interactions in oral microbial communities that determine oral biofilm formation. Shifts in the oral microbiome composition associated with oral diseases such as mucositis during cancer chemotherapy and periodontal diseases. Interaction of oral microbial communities with the host.

Anna Dongari-Bagtzoglou, Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, Division of Periodontology, D.D.S., Aristotle University, Greece, M.S., University of California, Los Angeles, Ph.D., University of Texas, San Antonio. Pathogenesis of oral opportunistic infections in the immunocompromised host. Regulation of oral mucosal inflammation in response to bacterial or fungal infection. Innate immune factors which limit oral mucosal infection and invasion.

Hicham Drissi, Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. Ph.D., Universite Paris V. Molecular pathways of bone and cartilage repair.

Paul Epstein, Associate Professor of Cell Biology; Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Targeting the cAMP signaling pathway for treatment of leukemia and breast cancer.

Marion Frank, Professor of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences; Director, Center for Neurosciences, Ph.D., Brown University. Study of the sense of taste using basic and clinical research. Development of a fundamental understanding of gustatory systems in mammals, at all levels from receptors to cerebral cortex. Application of basic knowledge of gustatory systems to the diagnosis and treatment of taste disorders in humans.

A. Jon Goldberg, Professor of Reconstructive Sciences, Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development, Ph.D., University of Michigan. Biomaterials, with studies involving structure-property relationships, development of novel systems, clinical evaluations and surface analysis.

Gloria Gronowicz, Professor in the Department of Surgery with a secondary appointment in Orthopaedics, Ph.D., Columbia University. Projects: 1) Response of bone cells to implant biomaterials, 2) the effect of the human biofield, through Therapeutic Touch, on normal cells and breast cancer cells, and 3) otosclerosis.

Arthur R. Hand, Professor of Craniofacial Sciences and Cell Biology, D.D.S., University of California, Los Angeles. Study of protein and gene expression in rodent salivary glands during normal growth and development and in various experimental conditions employing morphological, immunological and biochemical methodology.

Marc Hansen, Professor of Medicine, M.S., University of Wisconsin, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Molecular genetics of osteosarcoma and related bone diseases.

Marja Hurley, Professor of Medicine, M.D., University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Molecular mechanisms by which members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGFs) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) families, (produced by osteoblasts, osteoclasts and stromal cells) regulate bone development, remodeling and disorders of bone. Fgf2 knockout and Fgf2 transgenic mice are utilized in loss and gain of function experiments to elucidate the role of FGF-2 in disorders of bone including osteoporosis.

Ivo Kalajzic, Assistant Professor, Department of Reconstructive Sciences and Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology. M.D., Ph.D., University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Croatia. Bone biology, differentiation of the osteoblast lineage cells.

Yusuf Khan, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering. Ph.D. Drexel University. Strategies to synthesize scaffolds that are also capable of delivering proteins and growth factors essential for complete and adequate healing of bone defects through the use of biodegradable polymers alone and in combination with ceramic materials.

Barbara Kream, Professor of Medicine and Genetics and Developmental Biology. Ph.D., Yale University. Hormonal regulation of bone remodeling.

Liisa T. Kuhn, Assistant Professor of Reconstructive Sciences, Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development. Ph.D., University of California-Santa Barbara. Biomaterials for drug delivery and bone regeneration and repair.

Sangamesh Kumbar, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ph.D., Karnatak University. Synthesis and characterization of novel biomaterials/polymers for tissue engineering and drug delivery applications.

Marc Lalande, Professor and Head, Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology. Ph.D., University of Toronto. Genomic imprinting of human chromosome 15q.

Cato Laurencin, MD, PhD. Professor Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine. Regenerative engineering using scaffolds of appropriate physical and chemical cues to differentiate stem cells to complex tissue type

Sun-Kyeong Lee, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Ph.D., University of Connecticut. Osteoclast biology and molecular and cellular regulation by cytokines in osteoclastogenesis.

Alexander Lichtler, Associate Professor of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Ph.D., University of Florida, Gainsville. Hormone regulation of bone collagen synthesis.

Alan G. Lurie, Professor of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences; Head, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, D.D.S., UCLA, Ph.D., University of Rochester. Digital imaging analysis of dental and bone diseases.

Peter Maye, Assistant Professor of Reconstructive Sciences, Ph.D., Wesleyan University, 2001. Isolation, characterization and differentiation of embryonic and adult skeletal stem cells down the osteogenic lineage.

Mina Mina, Professor of Craniofacial Sciences; Head, Division of Pediatric Dentistry; Director, Skeletal, Craniofacial and Oral Biology Graduate Program, D.M.D., National University of Iran, Ph.D., University of Connecticut Health Center. Development of the mandibular arch including the elongation and polarized outgrowth of the mandibular primordia and subsequent differentiation of the skeletal tissues in spatially defined patterns. Characterization of genetic and epigenetic influences involved in the pattern formation and skeletogenesis of the chick mandible and mouse tooth germ. Regulation of patterning in the developing mandible and developing teeth by mandibular epithelium, extracellular matrix molecules, growth factors, and transcription factors.

Lakshmi Nair, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering, Ph.D., SCTIMST, India. Design and development of regenerative biomaterials to favorably modulate the responses of a variety of cell types involved in tissue regeneration and repair.

Syam P. Nukavarapu, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery; Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering. Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Scaffold based bone tissue engineering.

Carol C. Pilbeam, Professor of Medicine; Ph.D., Yale University, 1982. M.D., Yale School of Medicine. Mechanisms of regulation of bone formation and resorption.

Ernst Reichenberger, Assistant Professor of Reconstructive Sciences, Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development. Ph.D., University of Erlangen. The Reichenberger laboratory is interested in learning about the complex processes required for generating and maintaining the skin and bones. To find out how the mechanisms operate in a healthy person, we study human genetic disorders in which they are disrupted.

Blanka Rogina, Associate Professor of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Ph.D., Zagreb University School of Medicine. Biology of aging including the molecular genetic determinants of aging and longevity.

David W. Rowe, Professor of Reconstructive Sciences, Director of Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development, M.D., University of Vermont. Identification and characterization of cells within the mesenchymal lineages that lead to formation and maintenance skeletal tissues. Murine models for assessing cell based therapies for regeneration of adult skeletal structures.

Archana Sanjay, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ph.D.
Regulation of bone remodeling; examining signaling pathways that regulate osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation and function.

William B. Upholt, Professor of Reconstructive Sciences, Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development; Ph.D., California Institute of Technology. Molecular mechanisms regulating differentiation and pattern formation during embryonic skeletal development in the limb and mandible. Use of transgenic mouse model systems. Study of the regulation of the process of chondrogenesis.

rev. 4/13