Glen Webster Archives
James Tyler Hagen
PhD Candidate, Biomedical Science
BS, Biochemistry
In 2019, Tyler graduated summa cum laude with his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from ECU. During his last year as an undergraduate student, Tyler worked in the Neufer Lab where he conducted research focusing on mitochondrial bioenergetics.
Following his graduation from ECU, Tyler began working towards his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, with a concentration in Physiology, at the Brody School of Medicine. Currently working in the Fisher-Wellman Lab, Tyler continues to conduct mitochondrial bioenergetics research in the context of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. During his time here as a graduate student, Tyler has co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications.
Prior to his undergraduate studies at ECU, Tyler was well known on YouTube for his pop-punk music published under the artist name “Sounds Like Harmony.” He performed on multiple tours across the United States and Canada until 2016. Following this, he decided to channel his artistic creativity towards a career in science.
Felicia E. Jaimes
BS, Nutrition Science 2020
BA, Chemistry 2020
Graduate Researcher
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
“My time at ECU and BSOM has changed my life completely; I could not have predicted that my scientific curiosity could forge a completely new direction for myself and also that the dreams that seemed so big and unattainable were right there in front of me. My mentors have helped me achieve my goals and grow and flourish as a budding scientist.
Not only was I encouraged to research during my time as an undergraduate, but I was given the freedom to submerge myself wholly into it.”
Currently, Jaimes is studying bacterial signaling systems that result in antibiotic resistance, a global issue that requires urgent addressing. Jaimes’s research goals are to determine the structural properties of the proteins within these regulatory systems and eventually determine drug targets to circumvent growing resistance to last-line antibiotics.
Felicia’s talents also extend beyond science! She enjoys abstracts in acrylic and mixed media painting, paddle boarding, hiking, and volunteering. She has three cats: Sophie, Bean, and Puca.
Dr Huabin Luo, PhD, associate professor of the Department of Public Health has received a bridge grant to study the risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease.
On Sept 15, 2020, Dr. Huabin Luo (Co-PI) and his colleague at NYU (Dr. Bei Wu, Co-PI) received a one-year grant (R56) from NIH/NIA (National Institute on Aging), entitled “Pathway from the co-occurrence of poor oral health and diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia and mortality” 09/15/2020-08/31/2021. This funding from NIA is intended to generate more data for high-priority projects.
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) are irreversible, progressive brain diseases that affect 5.7 million Americans. ADRD is devastating for individuals and families both financially and emotionally. Identifying both individual and combined risk factors of ADRD and evaluating the impact of comorbidities on cognitive impairment is essential to improve the cognitive health of older adults. Both poor oral health and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is common in older adults; both are associated with greater cognitive decline in older adults. This may be due to systemic inflammation.
“The interrelated mechanisms between DM and poor oral health are likely to magnify the risk for ADRD; the pathways from the co-occurrence of these two conditions to ADRD and mortality has not been studied.”
Dr. Luo and his team conduct a longitudinal study to further examine the relationship between oral health and cognitive function, with a focus on how the co-occurrence of both DM and poor oral health affects cognitive function. Their project will develop a new model to improve the predictive modeling of ADRD.
Med Ed Day Faculty Presenters
The Office of Faculty Development is happy to present this month’s Faculty Spotlight. This month we will be highlighting BSOM faculty who presented in this year’s Brody Medical Education Day! Look out for more info in next month’s newsletter.
Sruthipriya Sridhar, MD
“Virtual Pediatrics Course for Visiting 4th Year Medical Students”
David Gilbert, MD
“Growth-Minded Feedback”
Jennifer Bennett, MD
“Comparison of Cricothyrotomy Educational Techniques: Self-Directed Learning Versus In-Person Instruction”
Megan Ferderber, MD
“The Virtual Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Interview: Perspectives from Physician Applicants”