Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Early Career Committee Members
Chair
Sarah M. Schumacher, PhD
Assistant Professor
Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences
Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute
Chair Elect
David Y. Barefield, PhD
Assistant Professor
Cell & Molecular Physiology Stritch School of Medicine
Loyola University Chicago
X handle: @barefieldd
Senior Advisor
Timothy McKinsey, PhD
Professor, Medicine-Cardiology
Director, Consortium for Fibrosis Research & Translation
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Members
Ankit Garg, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Internal Medicine/Cardiology
Johns Hopkins University
Shanna Hamilton, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
University of Arizona
X handle: S_HamiltonLab
Ioannis Karakikes, PhD
Assistant Professor (Research), Cardiothoracic Surgery
Member, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Stanford University
Chi Fung Lee, PhD
Assistant Member, Cardiovascular Biology Research Program
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
X handle: @ChiFungLeePhD
Cat Makarewich, PhD
Assistant Professor, Molecular Cardiovascular Biology
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
X handle: @CatMak23
Diana Martinez, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
X handle: @5FootScientist
Jessica Pfleger, PhD
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
Virginia Tech Carilion
X handle: @Jess4genes
Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology
University of Manitoba
The Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences
St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre
X handle: @RabinovichInna
Priscila Sato, PhD, FAHA
Associate Professor
Heersink School of Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
X handle: @PSatolab
Jun Wang, PhD, FAHA
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
McGovern Medical School
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Yassine Sassi, PhD
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
Virginia Tech Carilion
Mingtao Zhao, PhD, FAHA
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Nationwide Children’s Hospital / The Ohio State University
X handle: @mingtao_zhao
Postdoctoral Liaisons
Arianne Caudal, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Cardiovascular Institute
Stanford University
X handle: @arianneinthelab
Peiheng Gan, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Molecular Biology
UT Southwestern Medical Center
X handle: @peihengg_heart
Eric Aian Pereira da Silva, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Scholar
Department of Pharmacology
University of California, Davis
X handle: @eric_psilva
Sasha Smolgovsky, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Immunology
Tufts University
X handle: @SashaSmolgovsky
Immediate Past Chair
Susmita Sahoo, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Cardiology
Cardiovascular Research Center
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
X Handle: @SusmitaSahooPhD
Past BCVS Early Career Committees
Kevin M. Alexander, MD
Assistant Professor
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine
Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Stanford University
X handle: @KMAlexanderMD
Mohammad Al-Khalaf, PhD
Research Associate
Cardiac Function Laboratory
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
X handle: @MoAlKhalafPhD
David Y. Barefield, PhD
Assistant Professor
Cell & Molecular Physiology Stritch School of Medicine
Loyola University Chicago
X handle: @barefieldd
Ke Cheng, PhD, FAHA
Professor of Regenerative Medicine
UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University
X handle: @KeChengLab
Ronglih Liao, PhD, FAHA
Co-Director, Professor of Medicine
Nola Leishman Professor II in Cardiovascular Diseases
X handle: @RonglihL
Patricia K. Nguyen, MD
Assistant Professor, Medicine
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Stanford University
Sean M. Wu, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine, and, by courtesy, Pediatrics
Dept. of Medicine, Div. of Cardiovascular Medicine
Associate Director, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Stanford University School of Medicine
X Handle: @SeanM_Wu
Chair
Sean M. Wu, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine, and, by courtesy, Pediatrics
Dept. of Medicine, Div. of Cardiovascular Medicine
Associate Director, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Stanford University School of Medicine
X Handle: @SeanM_Wu
Chair Elect
Susmita Sahoo, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Cardiology
Cardiovascular Research Center
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
X Handle: @SusmitaSahooPhD
Members
Federica Accornero, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology
Ohio State University
Kevin M. Alexander, MD
Assistant Professor
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine
Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Stanford University
X handle: @KMAlexanderMD
David Y. Barefield, PhD
Assistant Professor
Cell & Molecular Physiology Stritch School of Medicine
Loyola University Chicago
X handle: @barefieldd
Jean C. Bopassa, MD, PhD, FAHA
Associate Professor
Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology
University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
Ke Cheng, PhD, FAHA
Professor of Regenerative Medicine
UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University
X handle: @KeChengLab
Dominic Del Re, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine
Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School
Chen Gao, PhD
Assistant Researcher
Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology
University of California, Los Angeles
Rebecca Levit, MD
Assistant Professor
Emory University
X handle: @LevitLab
Ronglih Liao, PhD, FAHA
Co-Director, Professor of Medicine
Nola Leishman Professor II in Cardiovascular Diseases
X handle: @RonglihL
Patricia K. Nguyen, MD
Assistant Professor, Medicine
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Stanford University
Sarah M. Schumacher, PhD
Assistant Professor
Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences
Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute
Michael Tranter, PhD
Assistant Professor
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati
Early Career Social Media Liaison
Mohammad Al-Khalaf, PhD
Research Associate
Cardiac Function Laboratory
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
X handle: @MoAlKhalafPhD
Immediate Past Chair
Nicole H. Purcell, PhD
Associate Professor
Cardiovascular Division
Huntington Medical Research Institutes
Clinical Associate Professor (Adjunct)
Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine
Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California
X handle: @nhpetunia
Chair
Nicole H. Purcell, PhD
Associate Professor
Cardiovascular Division
Huntington Medical Research Institutes
Clinical Associate Professor (Adjunct)
Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine
Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California
X handle: @nhpetunia
Chair Elect
Sean M. Wu, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine, and, by courtesy, Pediatrics
Dept. of Medicine, Div. of Cardiovascular Medicine
Associate Director, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Stanford University School of Medicine
X Handle: @SeanM_Wu
Members
Jean C. Bopassa, MD, PhD, FAHA
Associate Professor
Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology
University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
Ke Cheng, PhD, FAHA
Professor of Regenerative Medicine
UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University
X handle: @KeChengLab
Dominic Del Re, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine
Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School
Chen Gao, PhD
Assistant Researcher
Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology
University of California, Los Angeles
Nirmala Hariharan, PhD
Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine University of California, Davis
Evangelia “Litsa” Kranias, PhD, FAHA
Hanna Professor and Director Cardiovascular Biology
Distinguished University Professor
Co-Director, Cardiovascular Center of Excellence
Department of Pharmacology & Cell Biophysics
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Rebecca Levit, MD
Assistant Professor
Emory University
X handle: @LevitLab
Glenn C. Rowe, PhD
Assistant Professor in Medicine
Division of Cardiovascular Disease
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Susmita Sahoo, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Cardiology
Cardiovascular Research Center
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
X Handle: @SusmitaSahooPhD
Sarah M. Schumacher, PhD
Assistant Professor
Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences
Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute
Michael Tranter, PhD
Assistant Professor
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati
Jop Van Berlo, MD
Assistant Professor
Lillehei Endowed Scholar
Lillehei Heart Institute
Division of Cardiology
University of Minnesota
Immediate Past Chair
Sakthivel Sadayappan, PhD, MBA, FAHA
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
University of Cincinnati
