Pathology | Research Interests

Name	Email	PhD Program
Carmichael, Iain WEBSITE EMAIL PUBLICATIONS	PHD PROGRAM Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, Pathobiology & Translational Science RESEARCH INTEREST Bioinformatics, Cancer Biology, Cancer Genomics, Computational Biology, Medical Imaging, Pathology, Quantitative Biology, Translational Medicine	My lab builds data driven, computational systems to analyze high-resolution histology images of diseased tissue as well as other clinical data sources to improve clinical decision making and advance basic scientific investigation of disease processes. Keywords: Artificial intelligence, computer vision/medical image analysis, natural language processing, deep-learning, open-source software, multi-omic analysis, digital pathology, multiplex immunofluorescence, spatial transcriptomics, cancer
Moore, Trinity EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Cell Signaling, Pathology, Translational Medicine	“I am interested in researching the cellular mechanisms that underly certain diseases, mainly diseases that affect minority populations or are widely understudied. By understanding the cell signaling pathways of certain diseases, and the mechanisms of cell death I hope to find targeted therapeutics to treat these diseases or repurpose current FDA approved drugs to treat the disease.”
Hutchison, Kylie EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Bacteriology, Pathology, Translational Medicine	“I am interested in investigating the gut microbiome and its impact on reproductive health. I have a specific interest in studying the gut microbiome’s impact on reproductive diseases through microbiota-hormonal signaling and the gut-brain axis. I hope to focus on gut reactivated hormones to further study any causal relationships between the two.”
Gillis, Meredith EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Cell Biology, Genetics, Pathology	“I’m interested in investigating the functional impacts of genetic variation of all kinds. My passion lies in understanding the cellular mechanisms that drive human disease and development – those related to cellular trafficking and signaling are of particular interest.”
Eick, Kelly EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Pathogenesis & Infection, Pathology, Virology	“I am interested in viral pathogenesis and the evolution of viruses within the host. I am also interested in the potential for new widely available diagnostic tools designed for use in areas with minimal additional resources for testing.”
Dutton, Josh EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Cardiovascular Biology, Pathology, Translational Medicine	“I am interested in pursuing hematology, the pathology of blood diseases, and how that information can be applied to a clinical setting. Blood provides a very unique intersection of many research focuses, and I hope to research the complex pathways behind specific blood diseases.”
Law, Karissa EMAIL	PHD PROGRAM RESEARCH INTEREST Cell-Based Therapy, Gene Therapy, Molecular Medicine, Pathology, Translational Medicine	“I am interested in the pathology behind genetic disorders as well as the development of new treatment methods such as gene/cell therapies, stem cell therapies, and immunotherapy. I am also interested in researching novel therapeutic delivery systems with a goal of translating discovery into clinical settings.”
Vetreno, Ryan EMAIL PUBLICATIONS	PHD PROGRAM Neuroscience, Pharmacology RESEARCH INTEREST Addiction/Alcohol Research, Aging/Alzheimer's, Behavior, Biochemistry, Brain Development, Developmental Biology, Disease, Epigenetics & Chromatin Biology, Immunology, Microbiome, Molecular Biology, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease, Neurobiology, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Neuropharmacology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Regenerative Medicine	My research interests involve investigation of proinflammatory neuroimmune and epigenetic mechanisms in animal models of developmental neurobiology and neurodegeneration, including (1) alcohol pharmacology, (2) alcohol responsivity and tolerance, (3) adolescent neurodevelopment, (4) cholinergic system and neurocircuitry, (5) microglial function, and (6) Alzheimer’s disease. A major focus of the laboratory is elucidation of neuroimmune and epigenetic mechanisms underlying adolescent binge alcohol-induced disruption of basal forebrain cholinergic neurocircuitry in adulthood. A second major focus of the laboratory is investigation of lasting adolescent binge drinking-induced neuroimmune priming as a novel etiological factor contributing to the onset and progression of basal forebrain neuropathology in Alzheimer’s disease. Our laboratory combines ex vivo and in vivo rodent models of alcohol abuse and Alzheimer’s disease with innovative molecular techniques.
Fedoriw, Yuri WEBSITE EMAIL PUBLICATIONS	PHD PROGRAM Pathobiology & Translational Science RESEARCH INTEREST Cancer Biology, Immunology, Pathology, Translational Medicine	Our research interests focus on the immunologic and genetic mechanisms of lymphomagenesis, particularly in the setting of HIV infection. While hematologic malignancies and lymphoproliferative disorders in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) arise under intrinsic and extrinsic pressures very different from those in the United States, comprehensive analyses of these diseases have not been performed. We use advanced sequencing, immunophenotypic and cellular analyses to address gaps in our understanding of lymphomagenesis and tumor microenvironment in the context of HIV-associated immune dysregulation, with the goal of translation to clinical care and future clinical trials.
Jacox, Laura WEBSITE EMAIL PUBLICATIONS	PHD PROGRAM Oral & Craniofacial Biomedicine, Pathobiology & Translational Science RESEARCH INTEREST Behavior, Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology, Pathology, Translational Medicine	The Jacox Lab aims to improve patient care and outcomes in oral health. This goal takes shape via several tracks of interdisciplinary human studies: -A primary focus of the lab has been on outcomes of jaw surgery patients, who suffer from Dentofacial Disharmonies (DFD). Patients with DFD have severe skeletal disproportions with underbites or open bites, necessitating orthodontics and jaw surgery for full correction. Roughly 80% of our patients with DFD exhibit speech distortions, compared to 5% of the general population, which negatively impact their self-confidence and quality of life. Despite patients pursuing invasive surgery, it is unknown whether jaw surgery is palliative for articulation errors. We are using ultrasound, audio and video imaging to explore the mechanism of articulation errors among patients with DFD. Furthermore, our lab is conducting a longitudinal study of DFD patients to determine if jaw surgery improves speech distortions, in collaboration with oral surgeons, linguistics and speech pathology. -An additional focus of our lab has been studying use of Animal Assisted Therapy for management of anxiety and pain in dentistry. Dental anxiety effects 21-50% of patients and is associated with poor long-term oral health outcomes and need for urgent care due to dental avoidance. Non-pharmacological behavior interventions like dog therapy holds promise for reducing pain and anxiety perception for patients, and therefore improving dental experiences and promoting improved health outcomes. The lab is conducting a randomized controlled trial to evaluate best practices for canine therapy in pediatric dentistry, in collaboration with pediatric dentists, a psychology professor whose expertise is anxiety, and the UNC Biobehavioral Lab. -As part of the COVID-19 research response, we are studying FDA-approved antiseptic mouth rinses for their ability to limit salivary viral infectivity to reduce risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. If an oral rinse is found to be efficacious at inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it could be a valuable preventative measure in settings where masks are removed, such as dental care, social settings, eating out, or work presentations. This study is conducted in collaboration with leading virologists and infectious disease experts at UNC.

Research Interest: Pathology