REACH 2021-2023 Scholars

We would like to welcome and congratulate this year’s 2021-2023 U2M2’s REACH scholars.

Dr. Joel Trinity

Dr. Trinity is from the Division of Geriatrics and his research utilizes an integrative approach to study cardiovascular and musculoskeletal function in health and disease. He is specifically focused on the complex interactions of oxidative stress, vascular function, and mitochondrial function in aging, disuse, and disease. These investigations require a unique combination of experimental approaches including the non-invasive assessment of vascular function, the intra-arterial infusion of vasoactive substances to pharmacologically dissect mechanisms contributing to blood vessel dysfunction with aging and disease, and translational techniques to assess mitochondrial and endothelial cell function in-vitro.

Department Mentor: Russell Richardson, Ph.D.

U2M2 REACH Mentor(s): Matthew Rondina, M.D., M.S., FAHA; Micah Drummond, Ph.D.

Dr. Sarah Franklin

Dr. Franklin is from Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute (CVRTI) and her lab is focused on understanding the epigenetic factors regulating gene expression changes in the heart during the development of pathological hypertrophy and failure. Her lab has utilized quantitative mass spectrometry to identify novel chromatin-binding proteins differentially regulated in a mouse model of pressure-overload hypertrophy and have begun to evaluate the role of these proteins on chromatin structure, gene expression and cardiac physiology using isolated cell and animal models. This includes two members of the Smyd family of histone methyltransferases, Smyd1 and Smyd5. Parallel studies aim to characterize the contribution of histone variants and post-translational modifications on genomic plasticity with the long-term goal of understanding the mechanistic basis for genomic regulation in cardiac development and disease.

Department Mentor: Robin M. Shaw, M.D., Ph.D.

U2M2 REACH Mentor(s): Adrian Rothenfluh, Ph.D., M.S.; Matthew Rondina, M.D., M.S., FAHA