Institutional Lung Biology & Pathobiology Training Program
Our Mission
The Training Program in Lung Biology and Pathobiology (TPBLP) is designed to provide comprehensive training for the next generation of lung researchers at both predoctoral and postdoctoral levels. Now in its 31st year, this NIH-sponsored program is supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and demonstrates our commitment to nurturing independent investigators and aspiring researchers in a competitive scientific landscape.
We prioritize career development by fostering essential skills such as problem-solving, resilience, and perseverance. Our training program includes research opportunities, lectures, seminars, graduate courses, and networking events, all designed to empower trainees to become leaders in both academia and industry. Since 2005, among our T32-supported predoctoral trainees, 59% have reached top positions in industry, 27% in academia, 7% as clinicians, and 7% in alternative careers such as medical writing. Among our T32-supported postdoctoral trainees, 42% have pursued careers in industry, 38% in academia, 7% as NIH staff, 7% in alternative careers, and 6% as clinicians.
Our program encompasses five thematic areas covering topics such as Lung Vascular Homeostasis and Injury, Microbiome, Genomics and Data Science, and Therapeutics for Lung Vessel Regeneration and is led by over 40 distinguished faculty members recognized for their research and funding achievements. We encourage an interdisciplinary approach to lung biology and pathobiology, promoting independent thinking to shape the future of lung research.
Our Directors Heading link
Dr Dolly Mehta
Dr Dolly Mehta, PhD
Program Director
Dr Kishore Wary
Dr. Kishore Wary, PhD
Associate Director
Program Eligibility Heading link
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TPLBP thematic
TPLBP Thematic Areas
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PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
- Citizenship: Individuals eligible for the training program must be either US citizens or permanent residents at the time of appointment due to NIH regulations.
- NRSA Support: No individual trainee may receive more than 5 years of total Kirschstein-NRSA support at the predoctoral level and 3 years of total Kirschstein-NRSA support at the postdoctoral level. This includes any combination of support from Kirschstein-NRSA institutional research training grants and individual fellowships.
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APPLICATION PROCESS
The University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago invites applications for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship positions in regenerative medicine, stem cell biology, novel approaches to treating inflammatory diseases, drug discovery, nanotechnology, cell mechanics, genetic models of disease, and COVID-19 therapy on our T32 Postdoctoral Training Program.
Predoctoral Applicants
- Qualifications: Trainees must be currently pursuing a PhD, MD, or MD/PhD and be associated with a current training faculty mentor.
- To Apply: Application Form
Postdoctoral Applicants
- Qualifications: A PhD, MD, PharmD, or MD/PhD degree is required. Experience with biomedical research is also highly desirable. Competitive candidates will have a publication record and excellent communication skills.
- To Apply: Application Form
The University of Illinois at Chicago is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The University of Illinois may conduct background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
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Program Expectations And Payback Details
Each trainee is expected to:
- Have their research results accepted for first-author publication.
- Attend all Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine seminars.
- Present their research at our Annual Retreat.
- Submit an abstract to and attend a national or international conference related to their research.
- Complete the PCOL 550: Biology and Pharmacology of the Lung course and the GC 501 ethics course.
- Create an Individual Development Plan with their mentor, which will be reviewed annually.
The training grant offers the following benefits:
- Competitive stipend support for predoctoral and postdoctoral research scientists, aligned with NIH-level salaries.
- A system of co-mentorship provided by senior investigators.
- Travel expenses of $1,400 for each trainee.
- A laboratory environment that includes training and supervision essential for the development of independent researchers.
- Access to educational resources such as didactic courses, guest speakers, and opportunities for collaborative interactions that will help cultivate the skills needed for a successful research career.
- An administrative structure designed to help trainees secure dedicated time for research activities, free from unrelated obligations.
Payback obligation
Postdoctoral NRSA trainees and fellows incur a payback obligation during their first year of support, while predoctoral trainees do not. Payback entails performing qualified research or teaching activities equivalent to the duration of NRSA support received. For example, if you receive 12 months of postdoctoral support, you owe 12 months of payback activities. The payback obligation is only for the first year. If you spend a second year on training, it satisfies the first year’s obligation. Completing two full years of NRSA training fulfills your payback requirement.Generally, payback activities must involve at least 20 hours per week over 12 consecutive months, though exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.
Additional resources on payback obligations can be found on the NIH website, along with separate payback FAQs.
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TRAINEE RESOURCES
Beyond the comprehensive in-person training in responsible conduct of research (RCR) provided through the UIC-Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research https://research.uic.edu/compliance/ori/rcr/rcrworkshop/
Training and Other Resources for Rigor and Reproducibility
https://grants.nih.gov/policy-and-compliance/policy-topics/reproducibility/training
Guidance: Rigor and Reproducibility in Grant Applications
https://grants.nih.gov/policy-and-compliance/policy-topics/reproducibility/guidance
NIMH Clinical Research Education, Support, and Training (CREST) Program
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Predoctoral Trainees Alumni
Name Training Period Research Description Mentor Current Position Phuoc Vuong Years 1-2 PKCB Regulation of Endothelial Barrier Lam Private Practice Chad Ellis, PhD Years 1-3 Signaling and PAR-1 Expression in Endothelial Cells Tiruppathi Associate Director, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, U North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC Andrea True Kelly, PhD Years 1-4 H2O2 Signaling of ICAM-1 Expression via NF-xB Malik / Minshall Consultant and President, ATK Clinical Consulting, Charleston, NC Richard Bodnar, PhD Years 3-6 Regulation of Platelet-Endothelial Interaction Du Senior Research Consultant, Reace Consulting, Pittsburgh, PA Joseph Schober, PhD Years 5-6 CCN Protein-Integrin αmβ2 Interactions Lam Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Illinois U, Edwardsville, IL Larry Shepard, PhD Years 4-7 Signal Transduction Activated by KSHV G-Protein Coupled Receptor Ye Associate Director, Genentech, Atlanta, GA Michael Holinstat, PhD Years 7-9 RhoA Regulation of Endothelial Barrier Integrity Mehta Associate Professor of Pharmacology, U Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI Barry Kreutz, PhD Years 7-9 Structure and Function of Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Activation by Ga13 Kozasa Principal Research Scientist, Abbott Labs David Jho, MD/PhD Years 7-9 Angiopoietin-1 and VEGF Interaction in Endothelial Cells Malik / Mehta Assistant Professor of Surgery, Allegheny General Hospital / U Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA Michael Broman, MD/PhD Years 7-9 Cdc42 Regulation of Endothelial Adherens Junctions Malik Assistant Professor of Medicine, U Chicago Medical Center Douglas Yau, PhD Years 8-10 Characterization of Gq12 Structure and Signaling Pathways Kozasa Director of Oncology Medical Affairs, Sanofi Genzyme, Cambridge, MA Angela Kwiatek, PhD Years 9-10 TRPC1 Binding of Caveolin-1 Scaffolding Domain Regulates Store-Operated Ca2+ Channels Tiruppathi Manager of Medical Writing Program, Astellas Pharma, Northbrook, IL Kelly Barrett, PhD Years 10-12 Interaction between P-Selection Glycoprotein Ligand-1 and Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin Colamonici / Snapp Scientist, EMD Millipore, Billerica, MA Emily Welch, PhD Years 10-12 Lyso-Platelet Activating Factor Regulation of cAMP in Neutrophils Ye Scientist, Tasso, Inc., Seattle, WA Irene (Klein) Louh, MD/PhD Years 10-12, 14 Regulation of Caveolae-Mediated Endocytosis Malik Assistant Professor of Medicine, Columbia U Medical Center, New York, NY Panagiotis Flevaris, MD/PhD Years 11-12 Signaling of Platelet Aggregation and Interaction with Endothelials Du Research Fellow, Physician-Scientist Track, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern U Marija Milenkovic Years 11-12 PSGL-1 and F-Actin Reorganization in Neutrophils Snapp Unknown Erica (Southgate) Troksa, PhD Years 12-13 Identification of Agonists for Formyl Peptide Receptors in Neutrophils and Inflammation Mechanisms Ye Staff Scientist, Covance, Inc., Greenfield, IN Aaron Place, PhD Years 13-14 Src Regulation of Caveolin-1 Phosphorylation and Caveolae Internalization Minshall Medical Science Liaison, Collegium Pharmaceutical, Chicago, IL Tracy (Thennes) Schmidt, PhD Years 13-14 FAK Regulation of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate-1 Receptor Signaling Mehta Senior Medical Writer, Abbott Labs, Abbott Park, IL Masooma Razvi, PharmD Years 13-14 Role of PTP1B in ROS Generalization and VEGF Signaling Ushio-Fukai GlaxoSmithKline Global Regulatory Affairs Fellow, U North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC Jessica Lowry, PhD Years 13-14 ERK-Dependent eNOS Activation of Bradykinin and Endothelial Activation Skidgel Postdoctoral Fellow, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern U Emily Vanderbroucke, PhD Years 14-15 PKCα Regulation of Lung Vascular Endothelial Barrier Function Malik Assistant Medical Director of Cardiology, GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL Alejandra Chavez, PhD Years 14-15 Regulation of Function by PTEN and SPHK in Lung Endothelial Cells Mehta Postdoctoral Trainee, Northwestern U Alexander Garcia, MD Year 15 Role of IQGAP1 Signaling in Regulating Lung Vascular Barrier Function Malik Resident, Radiation Oncology, U Arizona, Tucson, AZ Farnaz Bakhshi, PhD Years 15-16 S-Nitrosylation of Caveolin-1 Regulation of Oligomerization and Endothelial Integrity Minshall Licensing Manager, Partners HealthCare, Cambridge, MA Kelly O'Brien, PhD Years 16-17 Role of Akt Isoforms in Platelet Activation and Lung Vascular Thrombosis Du Data Manager, The EMMES Corporation, Rockville, MD Maulik Patel, PhD Years 16-17 Role of PDZ-RhoGEF Signaling in Cell Proliferation Kozasa Pfizer Research Postdoctoral Fellowship, Clinical Pharmacology-Oncology, U California - San Diego Nazila Daneshjou, PhD Years 17-18 Role of Rac1 in Regulating Endothelial Adherens Junctions Malik / Komarova Medical Science Liaison, Agendia, Inc., San Diego, CA Melissa Geyer, PhD Years 17-18 Role of EB3 on Microtubule Dynamics and Ca2+ Signaling Komarova Medical Science Liaison, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Chicago, IL Megan Rexius Years 17-18 Role of Hypoxia in Expression of Stem Cell Markers in Endothelial Cells Using Microfluidic System Rehman / Yuan Still in Training Ruby Fernandez, PhD Years 18-19 Transition of Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells from Contractile to Proliferative Phenotype Yuan Bioscience Specialist, Nikon Instruments, Melville, NY Kevin Kruse Years 18-19 Role of VE- and N-Cadherin Signaling in Regulating Endothelial Integrity Komarova Still in Training Andrew Barazia, PhD Years 18-19 Identification of a Novel Peptide with Anti-thrombotic and Anti-ARDS Effects Cho Applications Scientist, Intelligent Imaging Innovations, Denver, CO David Ebenezer Year 19 Regulation of Histone Acetylation in Lung Inflammation by SIP Natarajan Still in Training Jennifer Klomp Years 19-20 Phosphorylation-Mediated Src Regulation Endothelial Integrity Karginov Still in Training Elizabeth LeMaster, PhD Years 19-20 Role of Flow in Regulating oxLDL Uptake in Endothelial and Epithelial Cells of Lungs Levitan Postdoctoral Research Associate, Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep & Allergy, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Brian Shy, MD, PhD Years 19-20 Mechanisms Underlying Wnt Signaling in Stem Cells and Tissue Repair Merrill Pathology Resident, U California - San Francisco Alan Tseng Year 21 Role of TNR-α Signaling in Mediating Neutrophil Recruitment in Inflammation Cho Still in Training Vanessa Juettner Years 21-23 Relationships of VE-PTP with VE-cadherin in Lung Endothelial Cells Malik / Komarova Still in Training Mark Shaaya Years 21-22 Role of Phospholipase D in Vesicular Trafficking of VE-Cadherin at Adherens Junction; Role of ALI Natarajan Still in Training Sarah Krantz Years 21-23 Role of Mitophagy and Mitochondrial Homeostasis in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and Endothelial Cells Rehman Still in Training James Hyun Years 22-23 Role of Hypoxia in Differentiation to Endothelial Cell Fate Malik / Pajcini Still in Training Ian Rochford Years 22-23 Macrophages Polarization During Inflammatory Signaling in Lungs Mehta Still in Training Victoria Mastej Years 22-23 Role of KLF4 in Lymphatic Endothelial Signaling Wary Still in Training Killian Sottoriva Year 23 Novel Targets for Notch Signaling Pajcini Still in Training Cassandre Coles Year 23 Caveolae Transport of oxLDL Minshall Still in Training Postdoctoral Alumni Trainees
Name Training Period Research Description Advisor Current Position David Beno, PhD Year 1 Oxidant-Induced Signaling in Endothelial and Epithelial Cells Roebuck / Costa Senior Scientist, Abbott Labs, North Chicago, IL Karen Buchkovich-Sass, PhD Years 1-2 Vascular Smooth Cell Proliferation Malik Senior Scientist, Cephalon, Philadelphia, PA Walter Niles, PhD Years 1-3 Albumin Transcytosis in Endothelial Cells Malik Principal Investigator, Aurora Biosciences Corporation, San Diego, CA Annette Gilchrist, PhD Years 2-5 G Protein Interactions with PAR-1 in Pulmonary Vascular Endothelial Cells Hamm Senior Online Editor, British Pharmacological Society, London, UK Richard Minshall, PhD Years 2-6 Bradykinin Receptor Activation Mechanisms in Lungs Erdos / Malik Professor, Depts of Anesthesiology & Pharmacology, Director of Research Resources Center, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Dolly Mehta, PhD Years 4-7 Rho Activation and Signaling Malik Professor of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Arshad Rahman, PhD Years 5-7 TNFα Activation in ICAM-1 and E-Selectin Gene Expression Malik Associate Professor, Dept of Pediatrics, U Rochester, Rochester, NY Sandra Predescu, PhD Years 7-8 Signaling of Endocytosis via Caveolae Malik Associate Professor, Rush-Presbyterian St Luke's Medical College, Chicago, IL Evan Ong, MD/MS Years 7-8 P13 Kinase Activation in PMNs and Role in Host-Defense Espat / Malik Associate Professor, Dept of Surgery, U Washington, Seattle, WA Randall Frey, PhD Years 7-9 Role of NADPH Oxidase in TNFα-Induced NF-κβ Activation Malik Assistant Professor, Messiah College, Mechanicsburg, PA Scott Allen, PhD Years 8-9 Regulation of Endothelial NO Production in Caveolae Minshall Unknown Dan Predescu, MD Year 9 Albumin Binding Protein gp60 and Its Role in Albumin Transport in Sepsis Malik Assistant Professor of Medicine, Rush-Presbyterian St Luke's/Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL Viktor Brovkovych, PhD Year 9 Carboxypeptidase and Kinin-Receptor-Mediated High Output NO Production Skidgel Research Assistant Professor, Physiology & Biophysics, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Janie Orrington-Myers, DO Years 9-10 Role of VE-Cadherin in Lung Neutrophil Migration Malik Private Practice, Beaver Dam, WI Raudel Sandoval, PhD Years 9-11 Regulation of p53 Activity and Control of Proliferation Colamonici Senior Lab Manager, HappiLabs, Chicago, IL Jennifer Young, PhD Year 10 TNFα and Lung Injury Signaling Lau Assistant Professor, Dept of Pediatrics, U Rochester, Rochester, NY Jian Fu, PhD Year 10 Mechanisms of Lung Inflammation and Injury via Exocytosis of P-selection Malik Professor of Cancer Biology, U Kentucky Ghias Ahmmed, PhD Years 10-11 Regulation of Trp Receptor Channels by Phosphorylation Tiruppathi Professor of Physiology, U Medina Medical School, Saudi Arabia Michael Burleigh, PhD Years 10-11 Aquaporin Function in Lung Endothelial Minshall Private Practice Youyang Zhao, PhD Years 10-12 Mechanisms of Lung Injury and Repair Regulation by FoxM1 Malik Endowed Professor, Dept of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Joseph McLaughlin, PhD Years 11-12 PAR-1 Signaling in Endothelial Cells Malik / Voyno-Yasenetskaya Assistant Professor, Dept of Radiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center Sean Garrean, MD Years 11-12 Caveolin-1 Regulation by LPS Espat / Malik Private Practice, Indiana Anke Di, MD, PhD Year 12 CFTR Channel Regulation in Endothelial Cell Ye / Christman Assistant Research Professor of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Claudie Hecquet, PhD Years 12-13 TRPM2 Channels and Oxidant Activated Ion Currents Malik / Skidgel Senior Scientist, AbbVie Inc., Chicago, IL Thomas Triantafillou, MD Years 12-13 Role of Cblb in Regulation of TLR4 Signaling Christman Clinical Assistant Professor, Northwestern University/NorthShore HealthSystem, Glenview, IL Myla Patterson, PhD Years 12-14 PAR-1 Receptor Activation in Endothelial Cells Snapp Marketing Manager, Leica Biosystems, Wetzlar, Germany Yuru Liu, PhD Years 13-14 Lung Epithelial Repair after Injury by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Raj Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Xiao Su, PhD Years 13-14 Activation of α7 nAChR Channel in Acute Lung Injury Malik Senior Scientist, Pasteur Institute/Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, PPC Ben Gantner, PhD Year 14 Phagocyte Activation Mechanisms Regulated by TLR4 Signaling Ye / Christman Research Assistant Professor, Dept of Microbiology & Immunology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Nihal Kaplan, PhD Year 14 VEGF Signaling in Lung Vessel Ushio-Fukai Research Assistant Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL Tracey Dugan, PhD Years 15-16 Vascular Endothelial Barrier Regulation by HIF-2α-dependent VE-cadherin Expression Wary Sick Leave Sophie Toya, MD Years 16-17 Differentiation of ESCs to Endothelial Progenitors: Repair of Lung Injury Malik / Christman Private Practice Cynthia Mann-Rohde, PhD Year 16 Engineering Novel Matrices for Assessing PECAM1-Mediated PMN Motility Malik Senior Biomedical Engineer, Caterpillar, Inc., Mossville, IL Micaela Vargas, PhD Year 16 Hypoxia Regulation of Vascular ESC Differentiation of Endothelial Cells Malik Laboratory Director, Advanced Genomics, San Antonio, TX Jasmine Proifrovic, PhD Year 17 Tracing Endothelial Lineage Post-Lung Vascular Injury Voyno-Yasenetskaya Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, St. Louis College of Pharmacy Khiem Tran, PhD Years 16-17 Role of β-catenin Signaling in Regulating Endothelial Barrier Function Zhao Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Inst for Regenerative Cures, U California - Davis Nathan Sieracki, PhD Years 17-18 Homophilic PECAM-1 Interaction in Neutrophilia Malik / Bonini Principal Scientist, Neo Therapeutics, Grand Prairie, TX Colt Melton, MD Years 17-18 Mitochondrial ROS Signaling Mediated Lung Injury Vanden Hoek Private Practice, Houston, TX Kaori Yamada, PhD Years 17-18 Signaling Pathways Regulating Polarity and VEGR2 Expression in Endothelial Cells Malik Research Assistant Professor, Dept of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Nicole Pohl, PhD Years 17-19 Post-transcriptional Regulation of Kv Channels by microRNAs in Pulmonary Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Yuan Pharmacist, Janssen-Cilag, Berlin, Germany Bhushan Desai, PhD Year 18 ADAM-11 Regulation of S1P1 Signaling in Lung Macrophages Mehta Associate Director, Therapeutic Proteins International, LLC, Chicago, IL Danielle Glick, PhD Years 18-19 Mitochondrial Metabolism in Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Applications to Vascular Repair Rehman Senior Scientist & Software Developer II, Bio-Rad Laboratories, San Francisco, CA Nicole Jones, PhD Years 18-19 Shear Stress Regulation of Lung Vascular Regeneration Rehman Research Specialist, Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep & Allergy, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Zahra Mamdouh, PhD Years 18-19 Therapeutic Stem Cells for Treatment of Lung Microvasculature Injury Minshall Medical School Liangtang Wu, PhD Years 18-19 Characterization of Histone Demethylase-Mediated Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation to Endothelial Cells: Role in Lung Vascular Repair Malik / Rehman Deceased Ermelinda Ceco, PhD Year 19 Mechanisms of PBEF-mediated NF-κβ Activation and Apoptosis Regulation in Acute Lung Injury Garcia Medical Affairs, CORY/PAETH, Chicago, IL Lianghui 'Lucy' Zhang, PhD Years 19-20 Autophagy in Stem Cells and Role in Lung Repair Rehman / Park Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dept of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Hojin Kang, PhD Years 21-23 Role of Shear Stress and Piezo1 in Angiogenesis and Vascular Repair Malik Instructor, Dept of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Jeffrey Klomp, PhD Years 21-24 Transcriptional Modeling of the Endothelial Cell Hypoxic Response Malik / Rehman Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dept of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Shejuan An, PhD Years 22-23 Macrophage Reprogramming and Endothelial Repair Tiruppathi Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dept of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Reyhaan Chaudhuri, PhD Years 22-23 Jagged1 Function in the Context of Endothelial Barrier Integrity Kitajewski Director of Clinical Research, Vertera, Atlanta, GA Andrew Stuart, PhD Years 22-23 Using Nanoparticles to Prevent ALI Malik / Kanteti Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dept of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Shiqin Xiong, PhD Years 22-23 Pyroptosis of Endothelial Cells: Role in ALI Malik Research Assistant Professor, Dept of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL Xiaoyan Yang, PhD Years 23-24 Role of End Binding Protein3 in Angiogenesis and Lung Biology Komarova Instructor of Pharmacology, U Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL -
Contact
For questions, please contact the Training program coordinator, Dr. Muriel Blin, at mblin@uic.edu.