Students

Triona

Triona Matheson - University of Portland, B.S. Chemistry
D. Farrens Lab

Triona graduated from the University of Portland in 2018 with a double major in Chemistry: Biochemistry and Spanish. She is currently a PhD Candidate in the PMCB program within the Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry department. In 2020, she joined Dr. David Farrens' lab where she studies the structure and function of the Cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1). In her free time, she enjoys hiking, playing board games, reading, and playing with her cat, Waffles.

Weekie

Weekie Yao - Reed College, B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
D. Farrens Lab

Weekie graduated from Reed College in 2017 majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She joined Dr. David Farrens’ lab in 2017 as a research assistant and later stayed in the Farrens lab as a PhD student. Her broad research interest is understanding protein structure and how it relates to its function and her current research is focused on study structure and functions of visual GPCR.

DB

Daniel Bejan- Washington State University, B.S. Biology
M. Cohen Lab

In April of 2020 Daniel joined the Cohen lab, where his focus is on synthesizing chemical tools to elucidate the roles of specific PARP family members. He hopes to expand his training in chemistry and molecular biology to pursue industry positions in the growing field of chemical biology after graduation.

Jacqueline Emathinger Photo

Jacqueline Emathinger- San Diego State University, B.S. Biology
S. Gurley Lab

Jackie is an MD/PhD student who joined the Gurley lab in summer 2019. She is currently investigating the protective role of ACE2 in acute kidney injury. Outside of the lab, Jackie devotes her time to reading, rowing on the Willamette river, and raising her puppy Willa.

Mason

Mason Handford- University of California- Santa Cruz, B.S. Chemistry
M. Riscoe Lab

After transferring from a community college in the California Sierra Nevada region, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2018. During my time at UCSC, I conducted research in Dr. Scott Lokey's lab, delving into the intricate interplay between lipophilicity and hydrophilicity in hexameric macrocyclic peptides, with a specific focus on their solubility and passive permeability. Following my undergraduate studies, I embarked on practical experiences, including an internship at Genentech in South San Francisco, followed by a research assistant role in Prof. Carsten Schultz's lab at Oregon Health & Science University. In 2019, I was admitted into the Program for Molecular and Cellular Bioscience graduate program. Joining Dr. Michael Riscoe's research group, my focus has been on the discovery and development of novel 4-aminoquinolines for combating multidrug-resistant malaria. During my time at OHSU, I have had the wonderful opportunity to teach chemistry at the local liberal arts college – Lewis and Clark College, for the last three years. While not in the lab, I enjoy partaking in summer bike rides, baking, cooking, playing board games, and spending time with my enchanting wife, Alexandra, and beautiful son, Theodore.

Ryan Hecht Photo

Ryan Hecht- University of Rochester, B.S. Microbiology
C. Morgans Lab

Originally from Maryland, I attended the University of Rochester in upstate New York where I earned my B.S in Microbiology. During that time I studied the ontology of innate-like T cells in the lab of Dr. Jacques Robert. After volunteer teaching in Guatemala for one year, I enrolled in OHSU’s Program in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences where I joined the lab of Dr. Catherine Morgans. My thesis research is dedicated to understanding the etiology of an autoimmune disorder known as Melanoma Associated Retinopathy (MAR) which causes Congenital Stationary Night-blindness (CSNB). Outside of my life as a researcher, I dedicate my time to playing/writing music, cooking, snowboarding, hiking, and spending time with my cats. 

Julia Huey Photo

Julia Huey- Georgia Institute of Technology- Atlanta, BS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, BS Biochemistry
A. Janowsky Lab

My name is Julia Huey, but mostly folks call me Juli. I spent my formative years in Georgia, which can be blamed for my excessive use of the word "y'all" and firm belief that fried okra is the best vegetable. At Georgia Tech, I worked in the M.G. Finn lab in support of projects to characterize and modify virus-like particles for in vivo applications. After college, I worked as an industrial process engineer in various chemical plants and manufacturing facilities. I found my heart was still in the lab, so I decided to pursue a graduate education. At OHSU, I discovered my interest in central nervous system pharmacology and joined the lab of Aaron Janowsky. Here, I am studying the G-protein coupled receptor trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1). I am fascinated by the molecular mechanisms underpinning psychiatric disorders including addiction, and hope to better understand how chronic methamphetamine use affects TAAR1 signaling and trafficking. When I'm not in the lab, I can be found hiking the glorious Northwest with my husband Ike and our dog Cashew, or cozied up on the couch with a good podcast, our cats Blini and George, and a knitting project.

Kaya Keutler

Kaya Keutler- Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, MS in Biochemistry and Biophysics
C. Schultz Lab

Χαίρετε (chaírete, greek for hello),

My name is Kaya Keutler and I was born in the north-west of Germany. However, my parents have left the country for many years to live abroad and therefore I grew up on a small island in Greece, where I spent a great childhood and still feel deeply connected to the sea and the sunshine. However, as a curious nature and after my diagnosis as a diabetic, I early decided to become a scientist - in later stages this idea shaped up and I decided to study biochemistry. My studies took me back to Germany, where I finished my bachelors in the small city of Tübingen, working on the purification and functional characterization of an anti-apoptotic protein in the Garcia-Saéz Lab. However, I realized that even though I enjoyed any research field, I had the desire to focus on diabetic research. That brought me to Freiburg, where I started my master studies in biochemistry and biophysics. Through the university of Freiburg I had the chance to perform an internship followed by my master thesis in the lab of Carsten Schultz in Heidelberg. There I worked on Insulin secretion and the signaling factors regulating that process. After a rather short journey I finally arrived in the research field I was aiming for. During my PhD here at the OHSU Schultz lab, I will continue working on insulin secretion trying to unravel the influence of autocrine signaling and the importance of a particular class of signaling factors called "trace amines".

Ivan

Ivan Rodriguez Siordia- The Center for Biological Research of the Northwest, M.S. Biotechnology
M. Cohen Lab

In April of 2020, Ivan joined both the Cohen Lab and the Zhang Lab under a co-mentorship opportunity. During his graduate formation, his aim is to expand his knowledge in structural biology by studying the structure of proteins involved in the body’s immune response. 

Alix Thomas

Alix Thomas- Paris 7 Diderot University, MS in Biochemistry
C. Schultz Lab

I received my BA in chemistry from Paris 5 Descartes University in 2015 and then started a master in Biochemistry with a focus on the structural biology of proteins. During this master I worked on developing a protein-protein interaction assay based on UAAs incorporation and small chemical probes in the lab of Terrence Strick at the Jacques Monod Institute. I then did my master thesis in the lab of Mario Pende in the Necker Institute where I was mentored by Ganna Panasyuk. There I worked on biliary atresia, focusing on the molecular mechanisms driving autophagy. I then joined the lab of Carsten Schultz in Heidelberg for a small internship followed by a PhD here at the OHSU Schultz Lab. I am currently working on developing a FRET biosensor-based imaging platform to study the effect of combinatorial drugs on the signaling network in human cell.

Recent Graduates

Name Degree Track Program Mentor
Janelle Tobias Ph.D. PHPH James Frank
Name Degree Track Program Mentor(s)
Scotty Farley Ph.D. PHPH Carsten Schultz & Fikadu Tafesse
Daniel Sanderson Ph.D. PHPH Michael Cohen
Rich Posert Ph.D. BMB Isabel Baconguis
Anthony Shumate Ph.D. BMB David Farrens
Name Degree Track Program Mentor
Jonny Flores Ph.D. BMB Steve Reichow
Michael Berry M.D./Ph.D. PHPH Ben Sivyer
Matthew Blake M.D./Ph.D. PHPH Beth Habecker
Gina Calco M.D./Ph.D. PHPH David Jacoby
Alina Krollenbrock Ph.D. PHPH Mike Riscoe
Name Degree Track Program Mentor
Rachel Drake M.D./Ph.D. PHPH Kent Thornburg
Samuel J. Huang M.D./Ph.D. PHPH Hiroyuki Nakai
Sunil Joshi M.D./Ph.D. PHPH Brian Druker
Brennan Olson M.D./Ph.D. PHPH
Erika Riederer Ph.D. PHPH Francis Valiyaveetil
Kelsie Rodriguez Ph.D. PHPH Michael Cohen
Gabriel Romero Ph.D. PHPH Laurence Trussell
Jonathan C. Savage Ph.D. BMB Ujwal Shinde
Name Degree Track Program Mentor
Sigrid Noreng Ph.D. BMB Isabelle Baconguis
Julia Doh Ph.D. PHPH Kimberly Beatty
Veronica Cochrane Ph.D. BMB Show-Ling Shyng
Name Degree Track Program Mentor
Katherine Michaelis M.D./Ph.D. PHPH
Jim Goodman M.D./Ph.D. PHPH Jeffrey Iliff