UIC DRTP Training/Mentoring Faculty
Basic/Mechanistic Research
Brian T. Layden, MD, PhD – Program Co-Director
Email: blayde1@uic.edu
Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Associate Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics
Research interests: microbiome, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) receptors in metabolic regulation and islet biology, genetics of diabetes, hexokinase DC1 in diabetes and physiology.
Chong Wee Liew, PhD –
Email: cwliew@uic.edu
Associate Professor in Physiology and Biophysics (Adjunct member, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism).
Research interests: identification of novel factors, molecular mechanisms and pathways regulating adipose tissue biology and metabolism.
Jalees Rehman, MD –
Email: jalees@uic.edu
Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), Pharmacology and Bioengineering.
Research interests: molecular, cellular and bioinformatic approaches to studying cellular and mitochondrial metabolism, hypoxic signaling, obesity; vascular biology; regenerative medicine.
Jose Cordoba-Chacon, PhD
Email: jcordoba@uic.edu
Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Research interests: molecular mechanisms involved in the progression and reversion of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis. Regulation of hepatic lipid and glucose metabolism in mouse models.
Natalia Nieto, PhD –
Email: nnieto@uic.edu
Professor, Departments of Medicine and Pathology
Research interests: molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of liver diseases, including alcohol and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis; identification of druggable targets.
Pingwen Xu, PhD – Program Assistant Director
Email: pingwenx@uic.edu
Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, and Department of Physiology and Biophysics.
Research interests: neural pathways for energy balance, glucose homeostasis, binge eating/drinking, and other behaviors. We use chemogenetics/optogenetics, electrophysiology and neurotracing methods to establish physiological relevance of neural networks in the regulation of energy homeostasis, glucose balance and behaviors.
Pradeep Dudeja, PhD –
Email: pkdudeja@uic.edu
Professor of Physiology in Medicine, Senior VA Research Career Scientist.
Research interests: GI physiology and metabolism, including the microbiome, short chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolism and SCFA receptors in regulating gut hormone secretion, metabolism and islet biology.
P.V. Subbaiah, PhD –
Email: psubbaia@uic.edu
Professor in Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (Adjunct member, Department of Physiology and Biophysics).
Research interests: Lipid and lipoprotein metabolism; Role of dietary omega 3 fatty acids in prevention of insulin resistance, neuroinflammation, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetic retinopathy.
Rhonda Kineman, PhD –
Email: kineman@uic.edu
Professor in Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (Adjunct Member, Depts Physiology/Biophysics, Kinesiology/Nutrition).
Research interests: regulation and metabolic effects of growth hormone (GH) and its downstream effector, STAT5B; effects of GH/STAT5B on hepatic de novo lipogenesis (NIH R01) and the development of NAFLD and NASH.
Robert M. Sargis, MD, PhD -
Email: rsargis@uic.edu
Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Director, Physician-Scientist Development Program, Department of Medicine, Group Leader, ChicAgo Center for Health and Environment (CACHET)
Research interests: endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), environmental drivers of metabolic disease risk, insulin signaling, insulin secretion and islet biology, diabetes, obesity, lipid metabolism, environmental justice, health disparities
Salman Khetani, PhD -
Email: skhetani@uic.edu
Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering
Research interests: The Microfabricated Tissue Models laboratory (mtm.uic.edu) fabricates in vitro models of the liver (animal and human) for studying the role of dietary and inflammatory triggers on the development and progression of non-alcoholic and alcoholic fatty liver diseases and how they affect diabetes outcomes. The lab develops state-of-the-art 3D culture techniques to maintain the phenotype of multiple types of liver cell types in vitro for prolonged culture to investigate disease mechanisms in collaboration with physician scientists.
Terry G. Unterman, MD – Program Director
Email: unterman@uic.edu
Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics
Research interests: gene regulation, insulin signaling, FoxO transcription factors, regulation of hepatic carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.
Timothy Koh, PhD –
Email: tjkoh@uic.edu
Professor, Departmentt of Kinesiology and Nutrition
Research interests: Role of inflammation in both normal wound healing and impaired wound healing associated with diabetes. Regulation of macrophage heterogeneity over the course of normal healing and its dysregulation in chronic diabetic wounds.
Yuwei Jiang, PhD –
Email: yuweij@uic.edu
Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics (Adjunct member, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism).
Research interests: mechanisms of metabolic disorders including obesity and type-2 diabetes, development and control adipose tissues. Key words: adipose stem cells; white, brown and beige adipocytes; adipogenesis; metabolic flexibility.
Clinical/Translational Research Heading link
Abeer Mohamed, MD, PhD –
Email: amamoh4@uic.edu
Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism.
Research interests: molecular and epigenetic mechanisms linking obesity with chronic morbidities such as metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease and cancer progression; clinical studies and trials (dietary, physical activity, and surgical (bariatric surgery)); animal models; in vitro and ex vivo cell and tissue culture models.
Ali Cinar, PhD –
Email: cinar@iit.edu
Professor, Hyosung S.R. Cho Endowed Chair in Engineering and Director, Center for Diabetes Research and Education, Illinois Institute of Technology.
Research interests: (1) Development of multivariable artificial pancreas systems for people with diabetes; (2) Simulation systems for glucose, insulin and physiological variable dynamics in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and assessment of medication and lifestyle changes in regulating blood glucose levels.
Frank González, MD –
Email: frgz12@uic.edu
Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Research interests: nutrition, inflammation, insulin resistance, ovarian dysfunction, hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovary syndrome.
Kirstie Danielson, PhD –
Email: kdaniel@uic.edu
Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism.
Research interests: epidemiology of type 1 diabetes; islet transplantation; role of osteocalcin, sex steroids, and vascular health in impacting islet survival and function.
Krista Varady, PhD –
Email: varady@uic.edu
Professor of Nutrition, Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, College of Affiliated Health Sciences.
Research interests: efficacy of intermittent fasting and timed feeding for weight loss and metabolic disease risk reduction in adults with obesity.
Lauretta Quinn, PhD, BSN –
Email: lquinn1@uic.edu
Minnich Professor and Director, Center for Sleep and Health Research, Clinical Professor of Nursing, Department of Biobehavioral Research, College of Nursing
Research interests: psychological (e.g., quality of life), behavioral (e.g., diabetes self-management) and physiological (e.g., substrate response to exercise) aspects of diabetes; development and application of open- and closed-loop artificial pancreas systems in people with type 1 diabetes (with Dr. Ali Cinar).
Sirimon Reutrakul, MD –
Email: sreutrak@uic.edu
Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism.
Research interests: Relationships between sleep and circadian regulation and glucose metabolism, utilizing cross-sectional and interventional designs.
Behavioral/Community-Based Research Heading link
Jun Ma, MD, PhD –
Email: maj2015@uic.edu
Professor of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Associate Head of Research, Department of Medicine, Director, Center for Health Behavior Research, Institute for Health Research Policy.
Research interests: preventive medicine, translational behavioral medicine, and experimental and implementation studies of lifestyle interventions for the prevention and control of chronic conditions, including obesity and diabetes; patient and system outcomes; neurobiophysiological mechanisms.
Martha L. Daviglus, MD, PhD –
Email: daviglus@uic.edu
Edmund F. Foley Professor of Medicine, Director, Institute for Minority Health Research
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, PI of the Chicago Field Center for the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)
Research interests: minority health, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular risk, especially in Hispanic and underserved communities.
Pamela Martyn-Nemeth, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN –
Email: pmartyn@uic.edu
Associate Professor, Department of Biobehavioral Health Science, College of Nursing.
Research interests: cardiovascular risk reduction and improving self-management behavior and quality of life in persons with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Victoria Persky, MD, MPH –
Email: vwpersky@uic.edu
Professor, Epidemiology-Biostatistics.
Research interests: endocrine effects of persistent organic pollutants, cardiovascular effects of environmental exposures and risk factors for asthma, obesity and diabetes.