Cleveland State University/Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland State University/Cleveland Clinic

Director

David Anderson, PhD, DABCC
Department of Chemistry
Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115
Telephone: 216-687-2453
Fax: 216-687-9298
E-mail: d.anderson@csuohio.edu

Affiliated Institutions

Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Akron
MetroHealth Medical Center
Saint Vincent Charity Medical Center
University Hospitals Case Medical Center

Faculty and Research Interests

Cleveland State University:
Department of Chemistry
David Anderson, PhD, DABCCHPLC and mass spectrometry – proteins, proteomics, pharmacokinetic studies, gangliosides in glaucoma; HPLC development and innovation
David Ball, PhDVibrational spectroscopy; computational chemistry; high energy materials; chemical education
Mekki Bayachou, PhD Functional biomaterials; antithrombotic surfaces; electron-transfer; nitric oxide synthases; metalloproteins; metalloenzymes; cyt P450s; bio-electrochemistry; DNA-sensors; DNA-protein interaction; small molecule metabolite sensors; nanotechnology
Anthony Berdis, PhDDNA replication; chemotherapy; mutagenesis; cancer biology; nucleoside analogs; pharmacology; drug discovery; medicinal chemistry
Warren Christopher Boyd, PhDTransition metals; coordination chemistry; organometallic chemistry; iron; cobalt; ruthenium; nitric oxide; nitrosoalkanes; azodioxides; nitrosamines; catalysis; redox-active ligands; photochemistry
Valentin Gogonea, PhDComputational chemistry; enzyme reactivity; nitric oxide synthase; hydrogenase; cholesterol transport; deuterium exchange; quantum mechanical molecular mechanics; molecular dynamics; protein folding
Baochuan Guo, PhDMALDI-TOF based DNA sequencing; mass spectrometric immunoassay; mass spectrometry characterization of synthetic polymers
Sameh HemleyOrganic photochromism; monolithic supported radical catalysts
Michael Kalafatis, PhDThrombosis; haemostasis; coagulation factors; factor V; factor X; prothrombin; prothrombinase; thrombin; platelets; endothelial cells; kinase; phosphorylation; signal transduction; cancer; cell division; apoptosis; kinase; lupus anticoagulant
Yana Sandlers, PhDClinical chemistry; mass spectrometry; inborn errors of metabolism;metabolomics; induced stem cells derived cardiomyocytes (iPSCM); Barth syndrome; cardiomyopathy
Bin Su, PhDDrug development; cancer; african trypanosomiasis; synthetic medicinal chemistry
Xue-Long Sun, PhDPharmaceutical chemistry; chemical biology; biopharmaceutical chemistry; cellular chemistry; glyco-engineering; antithrombtic and antiviral drugs; immunomodulation
John Turner, II, PhDRaman spectroscopy; fluorescence; infrared; IR; near infrared; NIR; visible; chemical imaging; multivariate analysis; chemometrics; mineral; biomineral; bone; teeth; biomaterials; implant materials; bioanalysis; spectral imaging; hyperspectral imaging; multispectral imaging; liquid crystal tunable filter; LCTF; acousto-optic tunable filter; AOTF; CCD; charge coupled device, spectroscopy; gemology; gemstone; mineralogy; geology; Raman database; poly-l-lactide
Yan Xu, PhDClinical and preclinical pharmacokinetics; analytical method development for drugs and metabolites; lipidomic profiling and quantitation of biomarkers of human diseases; metabolic flux analysis of biochemical pathways; metabolomics of multicomponent formulations; mass spectrometry; liquid and gas chromatography; enzyme immunoassay; capillary electrophoresis; electroanalytical techniques
Aimin Zhou, PhDInterferon; RNase L; inflammatory diseases; gene expression
Cleveland Clinic:Robert J. Tomsich Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute
Edmund Z. Reineks, MD/PhD, DABCCPoint of care testing; quality; lab directorship; special topics
Adam McShane, PhD, DABCCAutomated chemistry; cardiovascular disease; blood gases
Marvin Natowicz, MD/PhDBiochemical genetics; metabolic diseases
Xiaochun (Susan) Zhang, MD/PhD, DABCC, DABMLIImmunology; CRO
Tom Daly, MDLaboratory operations and finance
Manjula Gupta, PhDCancer; endocrinology
Jessica Colon-Franco, PhD, DABCCEndocrinology; special chemistry; leadership
Kamran Kadkhoda,
PhD, DABMLI
Immunopathology; serology; allergy; cellular immunology
MetroHealth Medical Center:Pathology Department
Michael Ip,
PhD, DABCC
Clinical chemistry; endocrinology; prenatal diagnosis; infertility; POCT; clinical toxicology; critical care lab; rapid response labs
Akron Children’s Hospital:Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Sihe Wang, PhD, DABCCGeneral clinical chemistry; pediatric testing; chromatography; mass spectrometry; assay development; CLIA regulation; laboratory management; process improvement
Quest Diagnostics Cleveland HeartLab Center of Excellence
Deborah Sun, PhDClinical laboratory operations and management
Cleveland Clinic:Lerner Research Institute/Other
Ashok Agarwal, PhDBiological markers of oxidative stress; proteomic and bioinformatics in DNA damage, apoptosis and preserving fertility in patients with cancer; laboratory and clinical studies assessing efficacy of certain antioxidants in improving male fertility
Alex Almasan, PhDAutophagy; apoptosis; cell cycle; DNA damage; ubiquitin; DNA repair; cancer therapeutics; radiation therapy; leukemia; epithelial tumors; prostate cancer
Suneel Apte M.B.B.S, PhDExtracellular matrix; proteolysis; metalloproteinases; ADAMTS proteases; ADAMTS-like proteins; proteomics; morphogenesis; cardiovascular; musculoskeletal; birth defects; fetal-maternal medicine; eye disorders; neural tube; craniofacial development; smooth muscle; post-translational modification; inherited connective tissue disorders; osteoarthritis; primary cilium
Mark Aronica MDMechanisms by which specific ECM proteins contribute to the onset of asthma
Mark Brown, PhDLipid metabolism; lipoprotein metabolism; atherosclerosis; obesity; diabetes; reverse cholesterol transport; triacylglycerol; nutrition
Tatiana Byzova, PhDAngiogenesis; endothelial cells; integrins; extracellular matrix; cell adhesion; tumor progression; vascular biology; signal transduction in endothelium and platelets; oxidative stress and vasculature; toll-like receptors in angiogenesis.
Kathleen Berkner, PhDVitamin K; vitamin K-dependent protein carboxylation; hemostasis; anticoagulation; calcification; vitamin K-dependent clotting factors deficiency (VKCFD); pseudoxanthoma elasticum; warfarin resistance; gamma-glutamyl carboxylase; vitamin K oxidoreductase (VKOR)
John Crabb, PhDEye; age-related macular degeneration; glaucoma; uveal melanoma; proteomics
Donna Driscoll, PhDRNA biology; mRNA translational control; nutritional regulation of gene expression; selenium
Serpil Erzurum, MDAsthma; pulmonary vascular disease; hypoxia; metabolism
Paul Fox, PhDAngiogenesis; atherosclerosis; cell migration; endothelial cells; iron metabolism; macrophages; translational control
Stanley Hazen, MD, PhDInflammation; atherosclerosis; asthma; myeloperoxidase; cardiovascular diseases; HDL; peroxidases; airway remodeling; intestinal microbiota; gut flora; cardiometabolic disease
Vincent Hascall, PhDHyaluronan in inflammation; asthma; diabetes; autophagy; hyperglycemia; connective tissue biology
Christopher HineDietary restriction; aging; lifespan extension; stress resistance; exercise; hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production and metabolism; sulfur amino acid metabolism; endocrine signaling and longevity
Sadashiva Karnik, PhDGPCRs; angiotensin receptors; ARBs; biased signaling; cardiac hypertrophy; hypertension; heart failure; structure-function of GPCRs; transmembrane signaling; microRNA; gene expression; chromatin protein modifications; STAT3 and U-STAT3 signaling; RGS proteins
Xiaoxia Li, PhDSignal transduction in innate and adaptive immunity
Daniel Lindner, MD, PhDTranslational hematology and oncology research
Thomas McIntyre, PhDLipid mediators; inflammatory signaling; platelet biology; biochemistry; acute kidney injury
Richard Padgett, PhDTranscription; RNA processing; RNA splicing; splicing factors; relation to cancer and developmental diseases; gene structure and function; genomics; evolution of genomes; RNA biochemistry
Edward Plow, PhDIntegrins; plasminogen; kindlins; thrombospondins; atherothrombosis
Eugene Podrez, MD, PhDAtherosclerosis; thrombosis; atherothrombosis; platelets; macrophage; scavenger receptors; LDL; HDL; cholesterol; phospholipids; oxidative stress; lipid peroxidation.
Jun Qin, PhDSignal transduction; integrin; cell adhesion; cell migration; kinase; heart disease; cancer; structural biology; protein NMR; protein crystallography
Sujata Rao, PhDEye; developmental biology; circadian clock; neurovascular development; thyroid hormone signaling; cone photoreceptors; vascular remodeling
Nima Sharifi, MDProstate cancer; androgens; metabolism; steroids; castration-resistant prostate cancer; androgen receptor; hormone therapy; medical oncology; dihydrotestosterone; enzymes; biochemistry
Robert Silverman, PhDInterferon; rnase l; antiviral innate immunity; oncolytic virotherapy, DNA methyltransferase inhibitor
Jonathan Smith, PhDAtherosclerosis; HDL metabolism; atrial fibrillation; genetics; genomics; eQTL; gene expression; reverse cholesterol transport; dysfunctional HDL; RNAseq; allelic expression imbalance; ABCA1; mouse models; zinc finger nuclease
George Stark, PhDInterferons; IL-6; NFkB; STAT3; EGFR; drug resistance; DNA repair; lung cancer; breast cancer; prostate cancer; glioblastoma; septic shock
Dennis Stuehr, PhDInflammation; nitric oxide; heme transport; soluble guanylate cyclase; electron transfer
Wai Hong Wilson Tang, MDHeart failure; cardiomyopathy; nitrative stress; metabolomics; cardio-renal syndrome
Bruce Trapp, PhDMultiple sclerosis; glia; oligodendrocytes; astrocytes; neuroprotection; myelin, autism
Qing Wang, PhDCardiac arrhythmias and sudden death (VT, VF, AF); coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI); pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); vascular biology; genetics; genome-wide association studies (GWAS); next generation sequencing; genome editing; gene therapy
Qingyu Wu, MD, PhDBlood pressure; cardiac function; cardiovascular disease; cell membrane proteases; corin; hormone processing; hypertension; preeclampsia; pregnancy-induced hypertension; proteolytic enzymes; vascular biology
Bin Zhang, PhDMechanism of intracellular trafficking in human disease development; protein secretion; endoplasmic reticulum stress; hemophilia; alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, cardiovascular diseases; cancer
Case Western Reserve University
Romani Andrea MD, PhDRegulation of magnesium homeostasis and transport in mammalian cells
Ge Jin, PhDMechanism of cancer cell-derived cytokines and/or metabolites; immune response and role of HIV-infection in development/progression of non-AIDS-defining cancers
Jeffrey Schelling, MDMechanisms of chronic kidney disease progression; in vitro molecular and cellular methods, animal models and human studies investigating glomerular and tubulointerstitial pathophysiology
Bing-Cheng Wang, PhDRoles of Eph receptor tyrosine kinases in invasive growth and distal metastasis of cancer cells
Wen-Quan Zou, MD, PhDProtein aggregation in the conformational diseases; pathologic prion proteins (PrPC and PrPSc) in prion diseases (PrD); neurotoxic amyloid β (Aβ) in Alzheimer disease (AD); Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

Program Listing

Level(s) of training: PhD
Number of positions available per year: varies
Duration of program: 4-6 years
Approximate annual stipend: $21,000 (pre-candidacy assistantship); $22,500 (post-candidacy assistantship); Assistantship also provides full annual tuition fees.
Source of funding: Cleveland State University (teaching assitantships); Grant funding (research assistantships)
Current number of trainees: 13
Number of past graduates (over last 10 years): 36

Application Procedures

Prerequisites

Students must meet the requirements of the College of Graduate Studies and Department of Chemistry for admission to the chemistry graduate program. Minimum requirements for admission are bachelor’s degree in a basic science, laboratory medical science or related field, with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00. The requirement for obtaining and maintaining a teaching assistantship is a GPA ≥ 3.25, while the requirement for obtaining and maintaining a research assistantship funded by a grant is a GPA ≥ 3.00. Assistantships under normal circumstances are provided for up to 6 years of study in the program, contingent on above GPA requirements, as well as acceptable performance of duties. One year of general, organic, analytical, and physical chemistry; a year of physics; and mathematics through partial derivatives and multiple integrals is required. Applicants lacking any of these course requirements may be admitted, but any deficiency must be made up as soon as possible.

Procedures

Apply to the doctoral program in Clinical Bioanalytical Chemistry (in which the doctoral Clinical Chemistry program resides). Instructions, procedures and how to submit the application are given at:

United States applicants:
http://www.csuohio.edu/graduate-admissions/how-apply

International Applicants:
https://www.csuohio.edu/international-admissions/international-admissions-graduate-students-apply-admission

Materials required for application are official transcripts from undergraduate and graduate institutions attended and two letters of reference. Typically, chemistry applicants are required to submit an official report of their performance on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (verbal and quantitative) to the University by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). However, applicants with outstanding records (grade-point average above 3.0 in addition to other evidence of solid preparation) may request that this requirement be waived by the Graduate Committee of the Chemistry Department. The GRE requirement cannot be waived for international students. International students who do not have a degree from an institution in the United States must also arrange to have the results of their performance on the TOEFL [or other test/ways to demonstrate English proficiency (https://www.csuohio.edu/international-admissions/graduate-admission-requirements)] sent to the University.

Deadline

January 15 for admittance and assistantship awarding for Fall semester of the same year.

Program Description

The ComACC-accredited doctoral program in Clinical Chemistry is a dynamically integrated program merging the fields of biomedicine, clinical diagnosis, and analytical chemistry. The mission of the CSU-CC doctoral program in Clinical Chemistry is to give Ph.D. graduate students intensive didactic instruction in the field of clinical laboratory science, as well as some limited experience in the clinical laboratory, and finally to give significant biomedical research experience in dissertation work, in order to prepare students for one of the following paths upon graduation:

  1. to obtain further practical training in the field through clinical chemistry post-doctoral fellowships, in order to prepare them for careers as directors of clinical laboratories;
  2. to directly assume other scientific positions in clinical laboratories, either at medical institutions or reference laboratories;   
  3. to assume positions in the in-vitro diagnostics, pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries, which are increasingly seeking scientists with knowledge of clinical chemistry.

The program sets high standards of excellence in delivering its curriculum to prepare students for these careers. Knowledge of both clinical aspects and interpretation of test results, as well knowledge of analytical techniques and various aspects of the quality operation in the clinical laboratory, are central to the program’s goals and mission. Additionally the program mentors students to become independent researchers, educating and mentoring the student in cutting-edge analytical methodologies and novel clinical/biomedical research, such that the Ph.D. recipient can make significant scientific contributions to the field of clinical chemistry. A particular analytical strength of the program is the dissertation research utilizing mass spectrometry instrumentation at CSU and the Cleveland Clinic.  Finally the program involves students in the activities of the NEOhio American Association for Clinical Chemistry, fostering their professional development.

The doctoral degree program in Clinical Bioanalytical Chemistry, in which the ComACC-accredited program is a specialized tract, is a joint program of Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Clinic. The ComACC-accredited program is also affiliated with Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Akron, MetroHealth Medical Center, Saint Vincent Charity Medical Center, and University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The Clinical Chemistry program gives rigorous instruction in all aspects of disease processes, with in-depth coverage given for testing strategies and methodologies used in disease diagnosis. The instructional and training components are carried out by clinical chemistry faculty in the Department of Chemistry at Cleveland State University, with active participation of the clinical scientists at Cleveland area medical institutions and reference laboratories.

Doctoral clinical chemistry students take one year of Clinical Chemistry (two 4-credit courses); one year of Advanced Biochemistry (two 4-credit courses); a course in Biotechnology Techniques (4 credits), which is a laboratory course in traditional biomedical research techniques, or  alternatively, a course in Pharmaceutical Analysis Laboratory (3 semester credits), which is a laboratory course in advanced analytical instrumentation techniques; a course in Clinical Laboratory Topics: Instrumentation and Quality Operation (4 credits), four Special Topics in Clinical Chemistry courses, covering various topics in clinical laboratory science (1 credit each), two or more Clinical Chemistry Seminar courses given at the Cleveland Clinic (1 semester credit each) and an Internship in Clinical Chemistry (3 credits) course, involving rotation in a medical center clinical laboratory, where the student learns the principles and practice of clinical laboratory testing. Students may also have the opportunity to work on developmental projects in clinical laboratory.

Dissertation research is an important component of the Clinical Chemistry PhD program. PhD students begin earnest work on their dissertation research at the start of their second year. Students do research at state-of-the-art facilities at Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Clinic. The program includes 64 faculty members who collectively have a broad range of research interests in the fields of disease mechanisms and diagnosis, bioanalytical chemistry, biomedicine, and molecular biology.  CSU chemistry faculty undertake biomedical research in areas pertinent to clinical chemistry, including: mass spectrometry, HPLC, biomedical imaging, biosensors, nanotechnology, computational chemistry, coagulation biochemistry, protein chemistry, microarrays, molecular biology, cancer biochemistry, metabolomics, proteomics and pharmacokinetics. Program faculty at the Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic undertakes basic biomedical research in the areas of molecular biology, cellular and molecular medicine, cancer biology, neurosciences, molecular cardiology, immunology, pathobiology, genomic medicine, stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, ophthalmic research and biomedical engineering.