Faculty

Mark Burns, PhD, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, GUMC
Dr. Burns’ research is on neuroinflammation (microglia, neuro-chemokines) caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI).  He is studying the mechanisms of cognitive impairment after TBI by characterizing how macrophages migrate from the blood into the injured brain, and the role of amyloid beta in TBI-mediated neuronal injury.  He is developing new therapeutic strategies for TBI.  Given his expertise in neuroinflammation, he is a primary mentor on this T32.

Lee A Campbell, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, GUMC
Dr. Campbell is a junior molecular biologist with expertise in viral vectors.  He was recently recruited to the TPNH for his expertise in neuroHIV. He is using NanoLuciferase-expressing proviruses as models to accurately measure HIV long-terminal repeat mediated transcriptional activity. These models are useful for the T32 program because they allow investigators to interrogate how exogenous stimuli (e.g., pro-inflammatory factors, amyloid-beta, drugs of abuse) ultimately affect the transcriptional activity of integrated HIV proviruses. His role in this T32 is a co-mentor.

John Casey, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, GUMC
Dr. Casey’s research is focused on the molecular mechanisms of hepatitis delta virus replication and pathogenesis. He is currently determining the mechanisms of viral RNA replication, packaging and pathogenesis, and the roles of cellular factors, the viral proteins, and viral RNAs in these processes.  In this T32, he serves as a co-mentor.

Marta Catalfamo, PhD, Associate Professor, Microbiology & Immunology, GUMC
Dr. Catalfamo is a co-director of the program. Her research is dedicated to understanding the immunopathogenesis of HIV, specifically investigating how persistent inflammation alters the activation pathways of both CD4 and CD8 T cell pools. This chronic immune activation leads to immune exhaustion and systemic complications, such as inflammation-driven cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, her lab studies how persistent immune activation may modulate T cell trafficking into the brain, a critical factor for understanding neuroinflammation in people living with HIV.

Katherine Conant, MD, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, GUMC
Dr. Conant’s research is focused on the role that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play in the pathogenesis of HIV-associated dementia and depression.  Her work is focused on the mechanisms by which MMPs, which are induced in HAND, influence neuronal and synaptic structure and function.  She serves as a primary mentor.

Rebekah Evans, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, GUMC. 
Dr. Evans’ research uses electrophysiological techniques (two-photon calcium imaging with simultaneous optogenetics) to study plastic changes that occur during neurodegenerative diseases.  At the cellular level, her laboratory studies how neuroinflammation modulates dendritic spines.  She was recently recruited to TPNH because of her expertise in vivo electrophysiology that helps to explain why HIV induces synaptic simplification. She serves as a co-mentor.

Patrick Forcelli, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, GUMC
Dr. Forcelli’ s group is studying the relationship between seizures, the medications used to treat them, and injury to the developing brain.  Both seizures and anti-seizure medications trigger increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines.  He is also using a non-human primate model of early life SIV infection to determine how early-life viremia and ART impact the structural maturation of the brain.  He is a well-trained mentor and serves as a primary mentor.

Jeffrey Huang, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Georgetown University
Dr. Huang’s research focuses on the immunoregulation of oligodendrocyte proliferation and glia activation in immune-diseases.  He is now working on a new mechanism that may explain the etiology of multiple sclerosis, and how oligodendrocyte abnormality can negatively impact axonal integrity and CNS function.  His research is highly relevant to understanding the mechanisms of neuroinflammation. He serves as a primary mentor.  

Xiong Jiang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, GUMC
Dr. Jiang and his collaborators use advanced multimodality MRI techniques to investigate neuronal dysfunction observed in HAND.  Dr. Jiang has been collaborating with Drs. Turner and Kassaye (MACS/WIHS) to develop non-invasive biomarkers that can be used to help in the diagnosis of HAND.  He serves as a primary mentor.

Priyanka Joshi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, GUMC 
Dr. Joshi’s research investigates how environmental stressors trigger changes in cellular metabolites that subsequently impact protein misfolding. Her laboratory also studies how aging changes the heterogeneity of protein aggregation to promote age-related neurodegeneration.  TPNH recruited her for her expertise in structural proteomics and metabolomics.  This expertise is important for training students at TPNH.  She serves as a co-mentor.

Seble Kassaye, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, GUMC 
Dr. Kassaye is an infectious disease specialist and the director of MACS/Women’s Interagency HIV/AIDS Study at Georgetown University.  She is currently studying HIV resistance to antiretroviral therapy and mental problems in virally suppressed patients.  She serves as a co-mentor.

Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Neuroscience, GUMC
Dr. Maguire-Zeiss is working on glia-neuron interactions and the role that toll-like receptors on microglia play in evoking a proinflammatory response in these cells.  Her group is helping decipher the molecular events important to the pathogenesis of disorders like HAND and Parkinson’s disease to discover novel therapeutic approaches for these debilitating diseases.  She is also working on viral proteins (tat) and perineuronal nets.  She serves as a primary mentor.  

Ludise Malkova, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, GUMC
Dr. Malkova works on the limbic system, neuroinflammation, and the recovery of cognitive function after brain damage in non-human primates. She is currently working on the role of the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex in processing reward, and the role of the hippocampus and perirhinal cortex in cognitive functions.  She serves as a co-mentor.

Stephen Menne, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, GUMC
Dr. Menne’s research focuses on the immunopathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infections, alongside drug development against HBV, utilizing woodchucks as a surrogate animal model. His group is currently characterizing how soluble HBV proteins interfere with the immune response. His laboratory is also developing strategies to improve the woodchuck model by exploring productive HBV infection through viral or host modifications. He was recently recruited to the TPNH for his virology expertise.  He serves as a co-mentor.

Italo Mocchetti, PhD, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, GUMC
Dr. Mocchetti is a co-director of this program.  For the last 20 years, his research has focused on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neuronal simplification and synapse loss observed in HAND.  His laboratory is working on animal models of HAND pathology that result from abnormal chemokine/death receptor expression. He is also collaborating with Dr. Nath (NIH/NINDS) on new biomarkers for HAND.  He serves as a primary mentor.

Alexey Ostroumov, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, GUMC
Dr. Ostroumov’s research focuses on synaptic and neural circuit mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders, such as drug addiction and depression.  His research uses a multi-disciplinary approach, combining electrophysiological and pharmacological techniques with rodent behavior and state-of-the-art molecular and optogenetic tools.  He is currently mentoring one of the TPNH trainees on how viral infection can alter neuronal plasticity after opioid treatment. He serves as a primary mentor.

Daniel Pak, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, GUMC
Dr. Pak’s research goal is to obtain novel information on the molecular mechanisms of dendrite loss in neurological disorders.  His group has identified a key actin regulatory protein, SPAR, which associates with NMDA receptors and promotes dramatic enlargement of dendritic spines.  SPAR may be crucial for memory formation or stabilization.  His research on dendritic spines is relevant to HAND pathology.  He serves as a primary mentor. 

William G. Rebeck, PhD, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, GUMC
Dr. Rebeck is the foremost authority on the role of apolipoprotein E (APOE) in synaptic loss and neurodegeneration observed in aging and Alzheimer’s disease.  The goals of his research are to understand why APOE4 affects the risk of Alzheimer’s disease so strongly, and to define what can be done to lower one’s risk prior to the onset of clinical signs.  He is currently collaborating with TPNH trainees on APOE4 and HAND.  He serves as a primary mentor.

Kathryn Sandberg, PhD, Professor, Department of Medicine, GUMC
Dr. Sandberg’s laboratory focuses on mechanisms underlying the pathological consequences of blood pressure dysregulation in hypertension, aging, and cognitive impairment.  She is also the director of the Translational Biomedical Science training program.  She serves as a co-mentor.

Ming Tang, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics & Biomathematics, GUMC
Dr. Tang is actively involved in cutting edge work in epidemiological studies, as well as in statistical and bioinformatics methods research and development projects.  He serves as a primary statistician and co-mentor for this TPNH.

Scott Turner, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Neurology, GUMC
Dr. Turner is the director of the Memory Disorder Program.  He is developing biomarkers for cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative diseases, including HAND.  He is currently testing a new drug for early dementia.  He serves as a co-mentor.