Cell Biology Highlights
We are proud to share select, newsworthy updates about the exciting work underway within the Department of Cell Biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, as well as new milestones reached by our dedicated students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty. Our faculty work on a wide array of research initiatives, some involving multidisciplinary participation or leadership roles across Montefiore Einstein centers and institutes. Stay up to date with the latest announcements, meeting highlights, annual retreat details, and awards and honors from the Department of Cell Biology.
Dr. Britta Will Named Director of Ruth L. & David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Research & Regenerative Medicine
Britta Will, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Departments of Oncology, Medicine, and Cell Biology, as well as the Diane and Arthur B. Belfer Scholar in Cancer Research. Read more.
Department of Cell Biology Welcomes New Graduate Students
Seven graduate students in Einstein’s Ph.D. program declared a thesis lab in the Department of Cell Biology. We look forward to learning about your research, talent, and ambitions at cell biology journal clubs and work-in-progress meetings. We are confident that you will find the dynamic and interactive community in our department a truly exciting place to pursue your graduate studies. Congratulations to the following students and their research mentors!
| Einstein Graduate Students Concentrating in Cell Biology | |
|---|---|
| Student | Research Mentor |
| Alison Chafitz | Rebeca San Martin, Ph.D. |
| Justin Ferraro | Lindsay M. LaFave, Ph.D. |
| Karthik Ledalla | Kristy R. Stengel, Ph.D. |
| Shane Mitchell | Kira Gritsman, M.D., Ph.D. |
| Victor Morell | Kristy R. Stengel, Ph.D. |
| Lucia Petriz Otano | Julio A. Aguirre-Ghiso, Ph.D. |
| Akiva Rube | Lindsay M. LaFave, Ph.D. |
Cell Biology Ph.D. Students Successfully Complete Qualifying Exam
Completing the qualifying exam marks an important milestone in your graduate training, signaling the advancement of your candidacy for the doctoral degree. We congratulate all our students who worked hard and achieved this significant goal.
| Einstein Graduate Students Advancing Toward Ph.D. Degree | |
|---|---|
| Student | Research Mentor |
| Farzana Begum | Maria Marianovich, Ph.D., & Ulrich G. Steidl, M.D., Ph.D. |
| Amber Buhagiar | Ulrich Steidl, M.D., Ph.D. |
| Lionel Colon | Julio A. Aguirre-Ghiso, Ph.D. |
| Eric Liu | Hilda Ye, Ph.D. |
| Sara Mosavarpour | Roger L. Chang, Ph.D., & Lindsay M. LaFave, Ph.D. |
| Brendan Mullaley | Lindsay M. LaFave, Ph.D. |
| Ariel Raskin | Kristy R. Stengel, Ph.D. |
| Luis Valencia Salazar | Julio A. Aguirre-Ghiso, Ph.D. |
Dr. Julio Aguirre-Ghiso Named Rose C. Falkenstein Chair in Cancer Research
Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, Ph.D., an international leader in cancer cell dormancy and metastasis, has helped lead a major shift in the cancer biology field by investigating how cancer cells hibernate undetected for long periods of time and what causes them to suddenly awaken to seed deadly, treatment-resistant metastases. His work is revealing ways to maintain residual cancer-cell dormancy, kill dormant cancer cells, and identify biomarkers for cancer recurrence. Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso is co-leader of the Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program and founding director of the Cancer Dormancy and Tumor Microenvironment Institute at the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as professor of cell biology, oncology, and medicine.
Dr. Zijie Sun Joins Department of Cell Biology
We are excited to welcome the entire Sun Lab to the Department of Cell Biology! Zijie (ZJ) Sun, M.D., Ph.D., is an internationally renowned prostate cancer investigator. He came to us from City of Hope National Medical Center, where he was a professor in the Department of Cancer Biology and Molecular Medicine. Prior to joining City of Hope, Dr. Sun had been a faculty member for 18 years at Stanford University. Dr. Sun’s research program focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying transcriptional control and cell signaling in development and tumorigenesis. Most recent studies from his lab demonstrate the roles of new stromal niches in prostate development and tumorigenesis. Ongoing projects in his lab are uncovering genomic and epigenetic alterations in controlling development, aging, and tumorigenesis. Dr. Sun joins us as a professor in the Department of Oncology and the Department of Cell Biology and is the director of the Prostate Cancer Program at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Wenjun Guo & Dr. Keisuke Ito Promoted to Full Tenured Professorship
Wenjun Guo, Ph.D., received his Bachelor of Science from Nankai University, followed by a Ph.D. from Weill Cornell Medical School and Sloan Kettering Institute in New York. In 2005, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Robert A. Weinberg at the Whitehead Institute for his postdoctoral training. In 2011, Dr. Guo was recruited by the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research and joined the Department of Cell Biology faculty as an assistant professor. His research interests are in cellular plasticity in cancer progression and metastasis.
After earning both his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Keio University in Japan, Keisuke Ito, M.D., Ph.D., came to the United States in 2006 for his postdoctoral training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In 2012, Dr. Ito was recruited to Einstein from Harvard Medical School, where he was an instructor in medicine, to join the Department of Cell Biology and the newly established Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research as an assistant professor. Dr. Ito’s research program focuses on hematopoietic homeostasis and covers a variety of topics ranging from stem cell fate decisions to myelodysplastic syndrome, leukemia, and sickle cell disease pathogenesis.
Once again, we extend our warmest congratulations to Dr. Guo and Dr. Ito! We truly appreciate your hard work and dedication to the Department of Cell Biology and to the Einstein community.
