Cardiometabolic Research
The goal of cardiometabolic research at CDU is to foster collaborative solutions for improving minority health and reducing ethnic and geographic disparities in cardiovascular and related diseases. The cluster aims to accelerate research advances by employing innovative, multi-disciplinary and inter-institutional team-science approaches aimed at improving minority health and reducing ethnic and geographic disparities in the incidence and outcomes of cardiometabolic diseases.
Contact: Dr. Theodore Freidman
Phone: 310-668-5197
Email: theodorefriedman@cdrewu.edu
Phone: 310-668-5197
Email: theodorefriedman@cdrewu.edu - See more at:
http://www.cdrewu.edu/res/centers/Cardiometabolic
 Monica Ferrinni |
 Martin L. Lee, PhD, CStat, CSci Dr. Lee is Adjunct Professor of Biostatistics at the UCLA School of Public Health as well as Adjunct Professor of Internal Medicine at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. He is the Senior Biostatistician for the Sepulveda VA Center of Excellence, and has almost 20 years experience in designing studies and analyzing data from VA and non-VA variations studies and multi-site organizational interventions, with special expertise in performance measures relevant to quality improvement activities, in addition to 35 years experience in clinical trial design, conduct, and analysis for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He has authored or coauthored more than 200 scientific papers and is the co-author of two textbooks on medicine and statistics. |
 James Tsao,PhD My research work aims to optimize the novel stem cell therapy of critical limb ischemia disease by studying preclinical in an animal model of type 2 diabetes. |
 Indrani Sinha-Hikim I consider myself as an experienced researcher and a responsible teacher. For last two decades, I have contributed to research in translational and biomedical sciences and to the mentoring of high school, undergraduate and graduate students, PHD or MD Fellows, and junior investigators at Charles R. Drew University. |
 Mayer B. Davidson, MD, Professor of Medicine My research interests are: Clinical diabetes mellitus, Pharmacological treatments of diabetes mellitus, Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and Clinical insulin resistance. |
 Meher Parveen Research Assistant |
 Shehla Parvin, Phd |
 Stanley H. Hsia, MD Associate Professor of Medicine |
 Rajan Singh, Ph.D. The major focus of our research group is to understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for androgen and follistatin action during aging and obesity-related metabolic diseases, and identify novel cellular targets for therapeutic interventions We are also interested in identifying key cell types responsible for breast tumor initiation and progression. |
 Amiya P. Sinha Hikim, Ph.D. Dr. Sinha-Hikim is an experienced researcher and has worked in various medical schools in the United States since 1985. During these years he has advanced from a Rockefeller Foundation post-doctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, through the professorial ranks, to a full Professor at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. In 2010, he joined Charles R. Drew University (CDU) of Medicine and science. Throughout his carrier, including during his recent tenure as the Director of the Molecular Cytology Core, General Clinical Science Research Center, Harbor UCLA Medical center and as the PI of CDU MBRS SCORE Program, Dr. Sinha-Hikim have contributed to research in translational and biomedical sciences and to the mentoring of high school, undergraduate and graduate students, PHD or MD Fellows, and junior faculties. Dr. Sinha-Hikim's research has centered on elucidation of signal transduction pathways leading to differentiation, growth, and apoptosis in a variety of cell types. Current research in his laboratory focuses on three major areas: 1) defining the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulates adipocyte, hepatic and muscle cell apoptosis with a particular emphasis on perturbation of fat-muscle-liver interactions in mouse models of nicotine and diet-induced obesity as well as in aging and 2) characterizing, using in vivo and in vitro models of heterochronic parabiosis, the positive factors in young and the negative factors in aged niche and the testosterone-mediated rejuvenating factors in old systemic environment that affect muscle growth. He has published 120 peer-reviewed articles, 1 book, and 13 book chapters in his field. His works appeared in premiere journals of his discipline, including Apoptosis, Biology of Reproduction, Endocrinology, Molecular Endocrinology, Journal of Clinical Investigation, and Genes & Development. |
 Shen Ruoging performs and established essays to meet the needs of investigator s in CDU. Shen also likes swimming and biking. |
 Winnie Fan, Research Assistant "Research interests include metabolic biochemistry, substance abuse, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Non-research interests are mostly food related." |
 Adaku Ume During my post-baccalaureate career at Charles Drew University, I sought research experience in the Endocrinology Department, under the advisement of Dr. Theodore Friedman. I am investigating ATGL's role in lipolysis as fat is shuttled from adipose tissue to the liver in hepatic steatosis. I isolate mRNA from adipose tissue samples from sacrificed mice and perform RT-PCR and qPCR to quantify the expression of ATGL gene expression. Much still remains to be known about the structure and function of ATGL. Knowledge of the structure and receptors of ATGL, and their role in its enzymatic activity, may aid in possible drug development research as a weapon against obesity. |
 Jorge N. Artaza, MS, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Health & Life Sciences at CDU, and Department of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Artaza was a Fellow at the Methodist Center for Reproduction and Transplantation Immunology, Methodist Hospital of Indiana, where he was trained in Histocompatibility & Immunology. He was a visiting scientist at UCLA in a training program in Histocompatibility, Molecular biology, DNA oligotyping, and PCR at the UCLA/Tissue Typing Laboratory. Dr. Artaza worked independently as a Hematologist / Immunologist at various prestigious institutions in Buenos Aires, Argentina, such as the Israeli Hospital "Ezra", the Italian Hospital, the Otamendi & Miroli Hospital and the UBA Clinicas Hospital. Dr. Artaza was a postdoctoral fellow at the Division of Endocrinology at CDU. His research interests are focused on understanding the process of fibrosis, a leading cause of organ failure and inflammation. He has identified factors or compounds such as Myostatin and Vitamin D that are responsible for promoting or inhibiting fibrosis. He is also interested in the process of skeletal muscle and cardiac cell differentiation mediated by Vitamin D. |
 Yanjun Liu, MD, PhD |
