Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch Fellows

Cindy Chang, Ph.D., M.P.H. – Research Fellow

Dr. Chang joined the IIB as a CRTA post-doctoral fellow in October 2008. She received B.A. in biology and anthropology from the University of Virginia, an M.P.H. in epidemiology from Emory University, and a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For her dissertation, she examined risk factors for non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) molecular subtypes defined by common translocations (IGH, t(14;18), t(8;14), and BCL6). For each translocation, she ran and scored fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays on over 150 samples from cases enrolled in a population-based case-control study of NHL and other hemolymphatic cancers. She was also a research assistant for a pilot study on tissue microarrays (TMA) of NHL tumors, running and scoring FISH assays on 1 mm core tumor samples that were arrayed on a single slide.

As a post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Chang plans on pursuing her interests in molecular epidemiology, EBV-associated tumors, and lymphomas. Currently, she is working with her mentor Dr. Allan Hildesheim, Dr. Sam Mbulaiteye, and Dr. Kishor Bhatia on an EBV genetic diversity study and Dr. Eric Engels examining the association between blood transfusions and NHL risk. She plans on working with Drs. Sophia Wang and Lindsay Morton examining risk factors for NHL molecular subtypes defined by clinical markers. She also plans to work with Dr. Martha Linet on a feasibility study for a birth cohort study in China.

Sarah Coseo, B.S.- Predoctoral Fellow

Sarah Coseo joined the IIB in January 2009 as a CRTA fellow. She graduated from Cornell University (2005) with a B.S. degree in biological sciences. She is currently an epidemiology M.P.H. candidate at the George Washington University, with expected graduation in May 2009. For her thesis, Sarah is working with Dr. Mahboobeh Safaeian on evaluating HPV seroprevalence and determinants of HPV seropositivity among women in the HPV Vaccine Trial in Costa Rica. This work will extend findings from previous reports that have evaluated determinants of HPV seropositivity among women in Costa Rica and elsewhere. In addition, this work will help gain valuable information on young adult women at their peak of exposure to HPV infection. As part of the fellowship, Sarah will also be working under the direction of Dr. Sophia Wang on the Evaluation of Familial Aggregation in Reactogenicity, and Adverse Event Experiences, following vaccination as part of the HPV Vaccine Trial in Costa Rica. This analysis will lay the ground work for understanding whether underlying genetics or shared environmental factors might explain why some women experience reactogenicity and adverse events after receiving either the HPV or HAV vaccination. Sarah is excited to build upon her previous work, research and educational experiences in the fields of epidemiology and women’s health.

Joseph Dauner , Ph.D.- Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Dauner joined the IIB/SAIC-Frederick, Inc. as a post-doctoral fellow in August 2008. His work in the HPV Immunology Laboratory is under the mentorship of Dr. Ligia A. Pinto. He received a B.A. from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN and his Ph.D. from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. His dissertation projects revolved around the analysis of the in situ localization of activated and memory lymphocytes in animal models of infection and immunization.

Dr. Dauner’s current research focus is to better understand the antibody response raised by a HPV L1 VLP vaccine used in clinical trials. Previous work in the lab has analyzed the quantity and neutralizing capacity of circulating antibodies following vaccination. Dr. Dauner’s main interest is to further characterize the humoral response to HPV VLP vaccination by assessing the frequency of HPV-specific memory B cells. Other ongoing studies include measuring the relative affinities of the detected antibodies and phenotyping the bulk B cell population following vaccination. The overall goal of these projects is to identify markers of long-term protection against HPV infection mediated by the vaccine regiment.

Troy Kemp, Ph.D. - Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Kemp joined the IIB/HPV Immunology Laboratory with SAIC-Frederick in 2005 under the mentorship of Dr. Ligia A. Pinto. His research focuses on examining immune parameters such as functional antibody responses as well as cytokines from various sources (cervical secretions, serum, and saliva) in women vaccinated with the HPV16/HPV18 L1 VLP vaccine. The goal is to have a better understanding of the immunological determinants of a robust, enduring, and protective immune response. Secondly, he is also interested in defining the mechanism(s) of dysregulation in older women with a persistent HPV infection

Dr. Kemp holds a B.S. in clinical laboratory sciences (2000) and a Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Iowa (2005). His thesis work explored the expression patterns of TRAIL and examined the mechanisms of anti-tumor effects induced by certain immunostimulatory agents, such as CpG ODN and BCG. His thesis was titled “TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL/Apo-2L): A Novel Mechanism for CpG ODN and BCG-Induced Anti-Tumor Activity”.

Jill Koshiol, Ph.D.- Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Koshiol began at the National Cancer Institute in June 2005 as a Cancer Prevention Fellow under the direction of Dr. Philip Taylor in the Genetic Epidemiology Branch and is now a Research Fellow under the direction of Dr. Allan Hildesheim in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch. Her research focuses on three main areas: 1) human papillomavirus (HPV) and non-cervical cancer, 2) infections and lung cancer, and 3) infections and hematopoietic malignancies. Although HPV is associated with other cancers, such as anal and oropharyngeal cancer, there are still many cancers for which the role of HPV is unclear. For that reason, Dr. Koshiol is evaluating the extent to which HPV causes cancer in other anatomic sites (e.g., esophagus, gastric cardiac, lung, skin). These projects build upon Dr. Koshiol’s doctoral work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her dissertation focused on the effect of smoking and HPV type on the duration of HPV infection. In addition to evaluating HPV in lung cancer, Dr. Koshiol has examined self-reported previous lung disease and lung cancer in a population-based case control study, which may lead to additional genetic/molecular analyses. For hematopoietic malignancies, Dr. Koshiol has evaluated chronic immune stimulation and Waldenström macroglobulinemia using both the Veterans’ Administration cohort and Swedish nested case control data. She plans to continue to examine chronic immune stimulation and lymphoma. Dr. Koshiol has received numerous awards for excellence in her work (e.g., FARE, NIH Group Merit Award, AACR Scholar-in-Training Award) and has successfully competed for research funds (e.g., IRAs, NCI Director’s Innovation Award) for her scientific projects. By clarifying the role of infections in carcinogenesis, Dr. Koshiol hopes to aid cancer prevention through the targeting of infections.

Gwen Murphy, Ph.D., M.P.H.- Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Murphy is a Cancer Prevention Fellow in the IIB under the mentorship of Dr. Charles Rabkin. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical medicine from Trinity College, Dublin (2005) and her M.P.H. from University College, Dublin (2006). Prior to joining NCI Dr. Murphy worked as a Research Fellow with Professor Cecily Kelleher in the School of Public Health and Population Sciences in University College, Dublin where she contributed to the Women’s Health Council report: “Women and Cancer in Ireland” using data from the national Survey of Lifestyles, Attitudes and Nutrition (SLÁN).

Mercy Guech-Ongey, Ph.D. - Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Guech-Ongey joined the IIB as a post-doctoral visiting fellow in January 2007. She earned a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Heidelberg in Germany in December 2005. At Heidelberg, her dissertation work focused on the role of chronic infections in the development of cardiovascular diseases with special interest in people with diabetes type 2.

Dr. Guech-Ongey is working primarily with Dr. Sam Mbulaiteye on several projects. She investigated risk factors associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva in persons with AIDS in the United States using a large US HIV/AIDS cancer matched registry. She is currently working on understanding the influence of HLA allele polymorphisms on detection of Human Herpes Virus 8 (HHV8) and Epstein-Bar Virus (EBV) in saliva and peripheral blood. These herpes viruses have been shown to be associated with several malignancies. Dr. Guech-Ongey will also like to pursue her main interest in further understanding the viral and antibody markers in the pathogenesis of endemic Burkitt Lymphoma (eBL). Precisely, she will be investigating the association between serum EBV load and a novel anti-malaria neutralizing antibody (anti-SE36) with eBL using samples collected by NCI investigators in the Ghana Burkitt Lymphoma Project. Finally, she is also working closely with other senior investigators in the Branch, Dr. Allan Hildesheim and Dr. Ligia Pinto, to further understand and characterize immunological factors associated with persistent Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection in older women.

Colleen Pelser, B.S.- -Predoctoral Fellow

Colleen Pelser joined the IIB as a Cancer Research Training Award pre-doctoral fellow in April 2007 and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in epidemiology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine. She has a B.S. in Medical and Research Technology, also from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She has over 5 years experience as a laboratory researcher in immunology and HIV research at the Institute of Human Virology, with a focus on the effects of HIV-1 proteins on immune cells with a possible link to lymophomagenesis. For her dissertation, Ms. Pelser is working work with Dr. James J. Goedert exploring environmental and immunologic cofactors for classic Kaposi sarcoma in a case-control study in Sicily.

Fatma Shebl, M.D., Ph.D., M.S., M.P.H.- Research Fellow

Dr. Shebl joined IIB branch in September 2008 as research fellow. In 1994, she received her M.D. from Alexandria University, Egypt. Her interest in immunology started during her internal medicine residency, where her master thesis was focused on study of interleukin-8 in lupus nephritis and diabetic nephropathy. After completion of her residency she joined the public health branch in the National Liver Institute, Menoufia Egypt, and obtained her M.P.H. degree, while she pursued her interest in infectious diseases, especially viral hepatitis transmission, and its complications. In 2002, as a Fogarty fellow, she joined the Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Division, University of Maryland, Baltimore where she obtained her M.S. in epidemiology and preventive medicine in 2005, and in 2008, received her PhD in epidemiology. During her studies her prime focus was on the development of new statistical methods. Since 2005, she worked as an epidemiologist in University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore where she focused on Maryland Cancer Surveys, and growth and nutrition in children. .

Under Dr. Allan Hildesheim mentorship she is studying gene expressions in response to HPV vaccine, while she works on diverse topics with Dr. James Goedert, Dr. Eric Engels, and Dr. Ann Hsing to study lung, salivary/nasopharyngeal and biliary tract cancers. During her stay in NCI Dr. Shebl would like to deepen her skills in understanding cancer’s molecular bases, and identifying biomarkers for early cancer detection, also establishing new statistical analytic methods, as well as advancing her knowledge in the role of infections in various cancers, particularly pertaining to liver cancer.

Edgar Simard, M.P.H. – Predoctoral Fellow

Edgar Simard joined the IIB as a Cancer Research Training Award pre-doctoral fellow in August 2008 and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in epidemiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Public Health. He has a B.S. in public and environmental health from Southern Connecticut State University (1999) and a M.P.H. in epidemiology from Emory University (2004). He previously worked as an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 6 years, conducting surveillance and epidemiologic research on viral hepatitis infections in domestic and international settings.

For his dissertation, Mr. Simard is working with Dr. Eric A. Engels to conduct population-based registry studies of cancer risk among persons with AIDS. Using data from the U.S. HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study, his research focuses on a) quantifying cancer risk in the period late after AIDS onset and b) describing trends in caner-attributable mortality among persons with AIDS. As part of his fellowship, Mr. Simard will also collaborate with Dr. Ruth M. Pfeiffer (Biostatistics Branch).

Scott Quinlan, M.S.- Predoctoral Fellow

Scott Quinlan joined the IIB as a pre-doctoral fellow in January 2009. He completed his B.S. in biochemistry at the University of Delaware (2000) and his M.S. in epidemiology at The George Washington University (2004). He worked previously at The George Washington University Biostatistics Center as a research associate on a network of clinical trials in type 1 diabetes. During his fellowship he will be working with Dr. Eric Engels on his dissertation project titled “The Risk and Timing of Hematopoietic Malignancy Following Solid Organ Transplant”.

Kelly Yu, Ph.D., M.P.H. - Postdoctoral Fellow

Kelly Yu received her doctoral degree in 2008 from the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Yu was awarded her Cancer Research Training Award in May 2005 and has since transitioned from the pre-doctoral position with the Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology Branch to a post-doctoral position with the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch under the tutelage of Dr. Allan Hildesheim. She received her undergraduate training in Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park and graduated with high honors for her research on the role of mammalian GADD45 in DNA damaging response. In 2000, Dr. Yu obtained her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology (Chronic Disease Epidemiology) from Yale University and was awarded the Dean’s Prize for her thesis entitled "Patterns of comorbidity and familial aggregation of cocaine abusers."

Since joining NCI/DCEG, Dr. Yu has worked with Allan Hildesheim and colleagues to launch a follow-up effort for the Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) Multiplex Family Study, a study that recruited about 300 families with at least 2 members diagnosed with NPC. From this effort, she completed her PhD dissertation examining possible biomarkers for early screening modalities in high-risk individuals for which she won a SER Student Workshop Award and an AACR Scholarship-in-Training Award. She plans to continue her research by evaluating the association between NPC and both environmental and genetic determinants in both high-risk and general populations in Taiwan.