MSCR Scholars
Graduates:
Ganga Chandramohan, M.D. (Pediatrics) is an assistant professor who completed a fellowship in pediatric nephrology. Her interests are in laboratory research, studying genetic predisposition, and regulation and control factors on sodium homeostasis for blood pressure control in salt sensitive states. She has received grant support for her research through a grant-in-aid program of the American Heart Association. A master’s degree in clinical research improved her research skills, enabling her to conduct independent clinical research, publish papers and acquire additional grants. She was recently awarded new research funding through the NCRR Comprehensive Center in Health Disparities to study salt sensitive hypertension. The title of her thesis is “The relationship between microalbuminuria and metabolic syndrome in adolescent children: third national health and nutrition examination survey (NHANES III)”.
Suzanne Porszasz-Reisz, M.D. (Medicine) is an associate professor in Drew’s Division of Endocrinology. During the last two years, she successfully generated four transgenic animals, which should become important animal models in the investigation of various diseases associated with muscle wasting. Dr. Porszaz-Reisz plans to expand her skills both in biomedical processes for assessing gene expression and function and the clinical translational of her research. The acquisition of a master’s degree in clinical research helped in the development of attaining these skills, as well as in providing her with opportunities to reinforce her research, grantsmanship and scientific writing skills. The title of her thesis is “Effect of oral acidification on pH of exhaled breath condensate.”
Yanyuan Wu, M.D. (Medicine) is a senior research associate who has conducted cancer research in molecular oncology with special emphasis on the identification of specific cellular and molecular markers for early detection, prevention, and management of breast cancer. The master’s programs provided her with a broad insight into translational opportunities for basic cancer research and reinforce her statistical modeling, grantsmanship and scientific writing skills. The title of her thesis is “Prognostic relevance of HER2/neu overexpression in breast cancer patients treated in King/Drew Medical center”.
Manmeet Padda, M.D. (Internal Medicine) is a research assistant in the Oncology Research Training Program at Charles Drew University. He has a keen interest in the evaluation of the role of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in the development and Metastasis of Colon Carcinoma. The master’s program provides the opportunity to understand the fundamentals of research, statistical designs, and ethics of the research. This will also reinforce and support his interest in completing research in minority populations. The title of his thesis is “Clinical significance of colorectal wall thickening on computed tomography scan in African-American and Hispanic Patients”.
Shobita Rajagopalan, M.D. (Medicine) is an assistant professor of Medicine and Infectious Disease at Charles Drew University and UCLA School of Medicine. She has published extensively in the field of Tuberculosis and Emerging Infections. The master’s program has enabled her to enhance and “fine tune” the essential skills needed to comprehend and systematically design and conduct clinical research in Infectious Diseases as well as to provide mentorship to junior colleagues and trainees. The title of her thesis is “West Nile fever in Los Angeles 2004: A follow up study of physical, functional and cognitive health”.
John Azubike Uyanne, M.D. (Internal Medicine and Geriatrics) is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Drew and UCLA. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. He obtained his MBBS degree in Medicine at the University of Benin, Nigeria. He has been involved in research since his early residency years at Howard University Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. His current areas of interest include Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease, with particular emphasis on the effect of prior lead exposure and other environmental pollutants on the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. The master's program provided him with the necessary epidemiological and statistical modeling tools to conduct this research while also enhancing his grantsmanship and scientific writing skills. The title of his thesis is “Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma in underserved minority population”.
I. Jean Davis, Ph.D., D.C., P.A., M.S., is an associate professor in the department of internal medicine at Drew University. She is the Co-PI/Director/HIV specialist of the National Minority AIDS Education and Training Center at CDU. The title of her thesis is “Perception of Sexual Activity and HIV Risk among Black & Latino Women”.
Sonal patel, M.D.: is an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at Charles Drew Univeristy and a practicing physician at the White Memorial Hospital. The title of her thesis is “Internet use for health information among patients with Asthma in safety net clinics of Los Angeles”.
Sabry Ghaly, M.D., M.P.H.: is an assistant professor in the department of family medicine at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science. His main area of interest is in cardiovascular disease risk factors and health outcomes. The title of his thesis is “Internet Use for Health Information among Minority Patients with Chronic Conditions in Urban Underserved Community Clinics of Los Angeles”.
Lynette
Jackson, D.D.S.
: is an assistant professor of dental pediatrics and the program director for the dental residency at Charles Drew University and Harbor UCLA. She is interested in pursuing a career in clinical research with focus research on evaluation of dental intervention on health among minority children. The title of her thesis is “Racial/Ethnic Differences in Parental Perception of Need for Dental Treatment and Prevention Services and the Prevalence of Childhood Caries”.
Victor
Chaban, Ph.D.
: is an assistant professor in the College of Science and Health at the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The research program of Dr. Chaban’s laboratory focuses on the nociceptive signaling mechanisms in the peripheral nervous system, and how estrogen and other sex steroids modulate encoding of nociceptive stimuli that may contribute to the development of cure for many functional pain syndromes such as irritable bowel syndrome and many other “functional” syndromes (fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, chronic pelvic pain). The title of her thesis is “Suffering Scale- a Novel Way to Assess Pain and Suffering in Patients with Chronic Pelvic Pain
Current Scholars:
Victor
A. Oranusi, M.D.
: holds the rank of Assistant Professor of Medicine at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Oranusi has been affiliated with the Department of Internal Medicine since July 2000, where he currently serves as a Hospitalist and Attending Physician in both General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. He completed his Geriatrics and Gerontology fellowship at Drew University and is Board Certified in both General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Medicine. His reported current benefits from the MSCR program include: an increased ability to interpret data in scientific publications and its application in practice and teaching of evidence based Medicine; and increased skills in research methodology, data collection and analysis. Dr Oranusi’ current research interests are in Male Osteoporosis and Quality of Life Issues in Elderly Diabetics. The title of his thesis is “Dehydration and deep vein thrombosis in neuro-rehabilitation patients”.
Rafael Salas, M.D. (Medicine) is a geriatrician who just finished his clinical training and is beginning an academic career. He is dedicated to improving the health care of the Latino community through research and eventually health care policy. This program would give him broad exposure to research methodologies and a better understanding of the underpinnings in health care that can be translated into cogent arguments to impact policy. Thus, this program will provide him with the requisite skills to perform research in the area he finally chooses and how his work may be translated into effective health policy for the underserved. The title of his thesis is “Nutritional Status and Immune Function in Older Adults: The Effect of Age”.
Atam Bir Singh, M.D. (Medicine) is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology. He has been conducting clinical research for last six years within our Division of Endocrinology with Dr. Shalendar Bhasin. His interest in research has been the role of androgens on muscles in various diseases causing muscle dysfunction and in erectile dysfunction. This deep involvement in clinical studies has given him extensive experience, as well as confidence in how clinical trials are conducted. His ultimate aim is to become an independent investigator and in his field of research: “the mechanisms of erectile dysfunction and the role of androgens in the outcome of this disorder.” He views his current position as an excellent opportunity for him to be a PI and conduct a study under the supervision of a mentor. The preliminary data from his proposal will give him the foundation needed to apply for an RO1 grant. The master’s program is providing him with the experience in writing grants and research papers skillfully and insight into how the research data should be handled and statistically analyzed with most appropriate methods.
Wilbur Troutman, M.D. (OB/GYN) is an assistant professor in the department of OB/GYN with research interest in gynecologic cancer screening and women's (reproductive) health concerns. The master's program provided him with a solid foundation for study design and implementation, as well as, pre and post study data analysis resulting in publications in reputable journals. The title of her thesis is “The Use of Toll-like Receptors in Monitoring Cervical Dysplasia”.
William London, Ed.D., M.P.H.: isan adjunct associate professor of health science at Charles Drew University and professor in the department of health science, in California State University, Los Angeles. His future plans are to carry out systematic reviews of outcome studies of widely promoted health products and services of implausible value. The title of his thesis is: “Study to Estimate the Prevalence of Aberrant Healthcare Providers among Chiropractors in Los Angeles County”.
Te-ie Lee, M.D.: is an assistant professor in the department of internal medicine at CDU and a practiced physician at Kaiser Permanente in California. He is interested in pursuing a career in clinical research and conducting research related to hepatitis C among minority populations. The title of his thesis is “Socio-demographic variation in Hospital length of stay and clinical outcome in patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome”.
Blanca Caro, M.D.: she is an instructor and previous program director of the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program in the College of Science and Health at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science. She is interested in clinical research and evaluation of diagnostic technology and its impact on health outcome of minority populations. The title of her thesis is “Correlates of mammography screening practice among immigrant women in Southern California”.
