Ross Lab

Team

Lab Members:

Sarah Ross

Professor

PROFESSOR

E-MAIL: saross@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-624-9178 EDUCATION:
  • B.S. University of Western Ontario
  • Ph.D. University of Michigan (MacDougald Lab)
  • Post-Doc Harvard Medical School (Greenberg Lab)
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: reviewer #3, creationists, telephone solicitors ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: NYC to see The Colbert Report Live ITCHING TO TRY: scuba diving in the Red Sea
Aihua Su

Aihua Su

Lab Manager

RESEARCH TECHNICIAN

E-MAIL: ais24@pitt.edu   EDUCATION:
  • (previous education)
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: scary snakes, earthworms and other slithery things ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Hawaii ITCHIN' TO TRY: learn to swim
Tayler Sheahan

Tayler Sheahan

Post Doc

POST DOC

E-MAIL: tayler.sheahan@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 WEBSITE: taylersheahan.com  
EDUCATION:
  • B.S. Marquette University
  • Ph.D. Washington University in St. Louis
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Stinky Cheese ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Ireland, Germany (again) ITCHIN' TO TRY: A ragnar relay!
Charles Warwick

Charles Warwick

Research Assistant Professor

RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

E-MAIL: warwickc@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182  
EDUCATION:
  • PhD, Pharmacology, University of Iowa
  • B.S. Biology and Spanish, Iowa State University
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Humidity ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Every national park ITCHIN' TO TRY: Powered paragliding
Maria Fernanda Juarez Anaya

Maria Fernanda Juarez Anaya

PhD Student

PhD STUDENT

E-MAIL: maj167@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   EDUCATION:  B.S. Biology, St. Bonaventure University   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: rainy weekends in the summer ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Machu Picchu & the Amazon rainforest ITCHIN’ TO TRY: Backpacking
Isabel Bleimeister

Isabel Bleimeister

MSTP Student

MSTP STUDENT

E-MAIL: ISB30@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   EDUCATION: B.S. Neuroscience, Carnegie Mellon University THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Spiders ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Alaska ITCHIN’ TO TRY: Camping

Abby Yilin Cui

PhD Student

PhD Student

E-MAIL: YIC135@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   EDUCATION:
  • B.A. Neuroscience, Smith College
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Diarrhetic cat and ginger ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Northeast China and Japan ITCHIN' TO TRY: Flying a helicopter and figure skating

Harrison J. Stratton

Post Doc

POST DOC

E-MAIL: HJS76@pitt.edu; Phone: 412-648-8182   EDUCATION: BA – Physics, Virginia Tech MS – Neuroscience, Arizona State University PhD – Medical Pharmacology, University of Arizona
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Sitting in traffic ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Yellowstone National Park and anywhere in Switzerland! ITCHIN' TO TRY: Snowboarding

Part Time:

Madeline Fontana

Research Assistant

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: maf315@pitt.edu   EDUCATION:
  • (previous education)
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Pollen allergies ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Amalfi Coast, Italy ITCHIN' TO TRY: Running a marathon

Former Trainees:

Adam Kardon

Adam Kardon

Current Neurologist @ University of Maryland Medical Center

Research Assistant

E-MAIL: adkardon@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   EDUCATION:
  • B.S. Vassar College
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Excessive online chat lingo, The New York Yankees, romantic comedies ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: The Himalayans, to hike Mt. Everest ITCHIN' TO TRY: Kite surfing, durian (a husky southeast Asian fruit, known for its large size, thorns, and unpleasant smell)   SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Adam is currently studying medicine in Philadelphia  
Lindsey Snyder

Lindsey Snyder

Current VP of Research & Development @ Farmaceuticalrx

Ph. D Student

E-MAIL: mccleml@gmail.com PHONE: 412-624-8182   EDUCATION:
  • B.S. Allegheny College
  • Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: baking, traffic, and how much my dog sheds ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: the pacific northwest, including Yellowstone national park ITCHIN' TO TRY: cage diving with great white sharks
Junichi Hachisuka

Junichi Hachisuka

Current Senior Neuroscience Lecturer @ University of Glasgow Scotland UK

Research Assitant Professor

  EDUCATION:
  • B.S. Nagoya University, Japan
  • M.D. Nagoya University, Japan
  • Ph.D. Kyushu University, Japan
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: candy sticking between the teeth ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: three-star restaurants all over the world ITCHIN' TO TRY: fish yellowtail
Huizhen Huang

Huizhen Huang

Current Anesthesiologist @ Peking Union Medical College Hospital China

Tsinghua MD/PhD Scholar

E-MAIL: huh12@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-624-8182   EDUCATION:
  • BS/MD, Tsinghua University, China
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: I want to be taller but I hate high heels ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: France and Japan! and everywhere that has tasty food ITCHING TO TRY: bungee jumping!!!
Marissa Kuzirian

Marissa Kuzirian

Current Patent Agent @ DAL Piper

Post Doc

E-MAIL: mkuzirian@plsg.com PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Slow technology ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Italy ITCHIN' TO TRY: Synsepalum dulcificum (miracle berry)   SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Marissa is now the Investment Manager at the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse
Yu Omori

Yu Omori

Current Senior Scientist @ Toray Japan

VISITING SCHOLAR

E-MAIL: yuomori@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   EDUCATION:
  • B.S. Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University
  • Ph.D. University of Toyama (Kuraishi Lab)
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: itch of back (i'm stiff) ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: the world's largest salt flat, Salar De Uyuni ITCHING TO TRY: a world cruise by ASUKA II/Queen Elizabeth
Michael Chiang

Michael Chiang

Current Resident @ Harvard Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

MSTP Student

E-MAIL: MichaelCChiang@gmail.com PHONE: 412-624-8182   EDUCATION:
  • B.S. University of California, Berkeley
  • MD/PhD University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: poor sleep ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Scandinavia ITCHIN' TO TRY: new eats!
Eileen Nguyen

Eileen Nguyen

Current Resident @UCLA Medical Center

MSTP Student

E-MAIL: ekn11@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   EDUCATION:
  • B.S. Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles
  • NIH Postbaccalaureate Research Fellow
  • MD/Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: snowstorms, cinnamon, walking barefoot on crumbs ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Serengeti National Park ITCHIN' TO TRY: cross-country skiing
Catherine Ruff

Catherine Ruff

Current Senior Scientist @ Genentech

PhD STUDENT

E-MAIL: car147@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   EDUCATION:
  • B.S. University of Iowa
  • M.S. Cornell University
  • D.V.M. Purdue University
  • Anatomic Pathology Residency Purdue University
  • Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: wet socks ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Madagascar (to see the wild lemurs!) ITCHIN' TO TRY: fly fishing
Haichao Chen

Haichao Chen

Current Resident @ Perking Union Medical College Hospital China

Tsinghua MD/PhD Scholar

E-MAIL: haichaoc@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-684-8182 EDUCATION: Tsinghua University Medical School  
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Gaining weight but still want to eat and no exercise ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Korean food??I guess ITCHIN' TO TRY: Baking and traveling
Kelly Smith

Kelly Smith

Current Electrophysiologist @ BioHaven Pharmaceuticals

Research Scientist

E-MAIL: ksmith5@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182  
EDUCATION:
  • B.Biomed Sci - University of Newcastle
  • PhD - University of Newcastle
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Pistachios that won’t open! ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: India ITCHIN' TO TRY: Diving with whale sharks
Ruby Holland

Ruby Holland

MSTP Student

MSTP STUDENT

E-MAIL: rah143@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182  
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who chew with their mouth open ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Brazil ITCHIN' TO TRY: Playing the guitar

Vijay James Perry

Current EHS Safety Specialist @ University of Pittsburgh

Research Technician

E-MAIL: VJP15@pitt.edu Education: B. A. Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry University of Pittsburgh   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Dirty snow slush in the winter ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Pyramids in Egypt ITCHIN' TO TRY: Ice fishing

Former Staff:

Xiaoyun Cai

Xiaoyun Cai

Former Staff

FORMER STAFF

E-MAIL: ificcy@gmail.com PHONE: 412-648-8182   EDUCATION:
  • B.S. Nankai University, China
  • Ph.D. Fudan University, China
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Things that itch me should be that it is so difficult to settle down.  However, someone said that "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're fonna gert", which means you can get a surprise to make your life more colorful. ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: There are so many itchy-foot destinations.  The itchiest one should be Japan: sakura, kimono and tons of Japanese cuisine.  If I will have chance to travel around Europe, it would be another fantastic highlight for my life. ITCHIN' TO TRY: to learn how to cook all kinds of fine food for my beloved family and friends
Monica Domaracki

Monica Domaracki

Former Staff

FORMER STAFF

PHONE: 412-648-8182   EDUCATION:
  • B.S. University of Adelaide, Australia
  THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Egotistical people and cold weather ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: To revisit the most beautiful place on Earth, the Cook Islands ITCHIN' TO TRY: Sand boarding on Kangaroo Island, South Australia.  Zorbing in New Zealand.  Deep sea fishing in the South Pacific   SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Monica is currently in Aukland, New Zealand

Former Undergrad Students:

Thomas Smith

Thomas Smith

Former Lab Manager and Webmaster

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT, LAB MANAGER, AND WEBMASTER

E-MAIL: tjs99@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-684-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: slow internet and slow drivers ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Australia ITCHIN' TO TRY: adopting a baby kangaroo and caribou hunting
Sofina Shekhar

Sofina Shekhar

Former Undergrad Student

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: sks95@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-684-8182  
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Disorganization and bugs ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Bali, Indonesia ITCHIN' TO TRY: Meditation silent retreat
Angelique Hale

Angelique Hale

Former Undergrad Student

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: anh161@pitt.edu PHONE: 216-551-6721  
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who move slow, Humble bragging, People who are rude, People in general (sometimes) ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Madagascar ITCHIN' TO TRY: To climb Mount Everest
Lauren Bruckstein

Lauren Bruckstein

Former Undergrad Student

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: leb127@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-684-8182  
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who skip the line ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Iceland ITCHIN' TO TRY: Snowboarding a black diamond
Louis Fanien

Louis Fanien

Former Undergrad Student

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: LGF8@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-468-8182  
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Close talkers ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Alaska, Japan ITCHIN' TO TRY: Attend the World Cup one day
Allison Manalo

Allison Manalo

Current Post-baccalaureate@NIH

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

 

E-MAIL: @pitt.edu PHONE: 412-468-8182  

 

THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Slow walkers when I'm trying to get to class ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Anywhere in Asia ITCHIN' TO TRY: Surfing

 

Carlisle Turner

Carlisle Turner

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: crt43@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Slow walkers and American cheese ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands ITCHIN' TO TRY: Sky diving SCRATCHIN’ AN ITCH: Carlisle is a current senior studying civil engineer with a concentration in transportation engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Expected graduation is 2020.
Nathan Schuerman

Nathan Schuerman

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: njs59@pitt.edu PHONE: 724-396-2399   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who don't know the difference between irony and coincidence ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Spain ITCHIN' TO TRY: Scuba Diving   SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Nathan is currently working as an electrical engineer at JNE CONSULTING
Precious Jackson

Precious Jackson

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-Mail: pnj4@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Spiders ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Maldives ITCHIN' TO TRY: Skydiving
Brittany Humensky

Brittany Humensky

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: beh52@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: When bicyclists riding on the road don't obey stop signs or red lights ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: There are so many rich cultures! Greece and Japan are my top choices ITCHIN' TO TRY: Sailing
Stephanie Buerk

Stephanie Buerk

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: smb202@pitt.edu PHONE: 814-594-6561   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who chew obnoxiously and loud phone conversations in public places ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Australia and New Zealand ITCHIN' TO TRY: Zip lining in a tropical rainforest
Stephanie Fulton

Stephanie Fulton

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: saf78@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: reality television, The Heartbreak Kid, mints ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Italy, Greece, and Egypt for the ancient history ITCHIN' TO TRY: Whale watching in Alaska
Zeyu Hu

Zeyu Hu

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: zeyuh@andrew.cmu.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: why there are never enough hours in the day and fully immersive virtual reality ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Japan. I have never been there, but I always wanted to ITCHIN' TO TRY: Going camping with friends
Michael Lee

Michael Lee

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: rosslab@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: how much time I have to spend sleeping each day.  People who don't get into the right lane ahead of time and merge at the last second. ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Hong Kong, China and Athens, Greece ITCHIN' TO TRY: skydiving, paragliding, and water-skiing
Luiza Arieta Frota de Souza

Luiza Arieta Frota de Souza

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: lua5@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: annoying childish pop stars and their completely meaningless songs; obnoxiously loud gum-chewers and food-eaters ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: I would love to spend at least a month in Europe and tour as many different countries as possible, particularly Italy, Germany, Austria, England, Ireland, Holland, and Greece ITCHIN' TO TRY: Scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.   SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH:  Luiza is attending the University of Pittsburgh's School of Dentistry
Dylan Burbee

Dylan Burbee

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: dlb77@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who run or bike on busy sidewalks ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Norway to see the Fjords ITCHIN' TO TRY: Skydiving
Erica Kundrick

Erica Kundrick

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: erk40@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People walking down the street talking on their Bluetooth, you never know if they are talking to you or not ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: I want to see the world, I've never left the country, so I just want to go somewhere and experience a new and different culture ITCHIN' TO TRY: Taking a week to go backpacking or camping in the mountains
Chris Fan

Chris Fan

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

E-MAIL: chrisfan52@gmail.com PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Street preachers who attack you on the street with flyers and pictures that are not hanging straight ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Japan, I spent one night there and I would love to have been able to explore the area more ITCHIN' TO TRY: I love cars and driving at an auto cross or track event would be extremely fun   SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Chris is currently in the Master of Biology Sciences program at The Commonwealth Medical College
Eric Burrage

Eric Burrage

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Bad drivers and traffic ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Scandinavia ITCHIN' TO TRY: Golfing   SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Chris had worked as a web development intern for the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Gregory Hemenway

Gregory Hemenway

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: City parking and chicken/egg salad ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: I want to ski the world, Whistler, the Alps, so everywhere there is snow ITCHIN' TO TRY: Riding an ATV and fly fishing   CONTRIBUTION TO TEAM ITCH: I did undergraduate research for credit in the Ross Lab.  Damian and I worked together to design experiments and test whether mice lacking Bhlhb5 respond normally to cold SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Gregory had applied to medical school
Damian DiCostanzo

Damian DiCostanzo

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Loud headphones in the library and groups of 3 or 4 people across walking (blocking) the sidewalk ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: World Cup-Brazil 2014 ITCHIN' TO TRY: Skydiving and backpacking through Europe   CONTRIBUTION TO TEAM ITCH: I did undergraduate research for credit in the Ross Lab.  Greg and I worked together to design experiments and test whether mice lacking Bhlhb5 respond normally to cold SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Damian was planning on going to dental school
Andrzej Dubiel

Andrzej Dubiel

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: egocentrism ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Fiji ITCHIN' TO TRY: Skydiving   CONTRIBUTION TO TEAM ITCH: I designed the original Ross Lab website as well as making some of the figures that you can see in some of the Ross Lab publications SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Andrzej works for Yellow Bridge Interactive now
Cassie Nelson

Cassie Nelson

Former Undergrad Student

FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

PHONE: 412-648-8182   THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Smelly people in small rooms and the Philadelphia Flyers ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: New Zealand to do things like rafting and bungee jumping ITCHIN' TO TRY: Skydiving and traveling to new places   SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Cassie is currently studying medicine at LECOM in Bradenton, FL