Meet the Staff

Rodney Britt

I am a graduate student at The Ohio State University pursuing a PhD  in Biomedical Science.  Our lab focuses is interested in hyperoxic lung injury, a complication that occurs in premature infants.  My research primarily focuses on evaluating Aspirin as a therapy to reduce inflammation and improve lung development.  My long term goal is to become a research scientist.  I would like to investigate inflammatory pathways and identify novel therapies for chronic inflammatory diseases.

Charlene Cameron

I am the Lead Administrative Assistant in the Center for Perinatal Research with 30+ years of experience, plus, I have a Medical Assistant Degree. I am the point of contact for our visitors and recruits and I handle scheduling for Drs. Nelin, Welty, Rogers, Castile and Jadcherla among other administrative duties.

Chin Yee Chan

I have a BS and MS in Chemistry from Malaysia University of Sciences. I have four years of experience in studying the mechanisms of embryonic development in Zebrafish transgenic model. Currently I am a Research Assistant in the Neonatal Infant Feeding Disorders Program (NIFDP).   My research interest includes studying the mechanisms of feeding failure in infants particularly in neonatal dysphagia, gastro esophageal reflux disease and chronic lung disease. My current responsibilities include biomarker analysis, motility studies using Pneumohydraulic Water Perfusion Micromanometry and Esophageal Multichannel Intraluminal pH-Impedance (MII-pH) methods.

Cynthia Hill, BA, ALAT

Capital University in 2005 with bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Psychology. I work for Dr. Trent Tipple as a Research Assistant mostly doing transgenic mouse breeding and PCR, cell culture, hypoxia/hyperoxia studies in mice and cells, cell transfections and luciferase assays, western blotting, primary cell isolation, and bacterial plasmid prep.

Mathew Krantz

I have a B.S. degree in Neuroscience and Spanish from Furman University. I work as Research Assistant in the lab of W. Josh Frazier, M.D. Our interest lies in inflammatory regulation, particularly as it pertains to pneumonia arising from  Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. We are using mouse models, cell culture techniques and hope to begin to examine actual septic patients to determine how poor inflammatory regulation can lead to adverse clinical outcomes.

Katherine Lintner

I am currently employed as a research assistant in the Center. I perform my work in the Liu lab, which focuses specifically on the signaling pathways which regulate the production of inflammatory cytokines and its implication in human disease. I received my BS in Biology from Walsh University (North Canton, OH), and I plan to pursue my Ph.D in molecular biology in the near future.

Morgan Locy, Research Assistant

I am a recent graduate of Capital University with  a degree in biology and minors in computational science and chemistry.  I am currently working for Trent Tipple in investigating the function the thioredoxin redox system plays on the onset of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).  We are currently working on developing a good in vitro model that has an increased susceptibility to oxidation of thioredoxin 1 (Trx1) by inhibiting/knocking down thioredoxin reductase 1.  Within our hyperoxia mouse model we saw a very early shift in redox state of Trx1, and therefore are trying to elucidate the effects this shift has on growth and development.  I am using this experience as a building block in pursuing a career as a medical physician/researcher.

Angela Lyons

In the Center for Perinatal Research I support Dr. Gail E. Besner; John Bauer, PhD; Dr. Peter Giannone; Dr. Wendy Luce; and Nonie Pegoraro, MA, CIP.  I also support Drs. in two other centers.  I have over 20 years experience in healthcare and higher education.  I received my Paralegal Certification from the State of Ohio in 1993, and am working on a BS in Applied Psychology.

Lyn Miller Wancket, Graduate Student

I have a BA from Brandeis University and a DVM from the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine.  I am currently a Ph.D. candidate and anatomic veterinary pathology resident through The Ohio State University, Department of Veterinary Biosciences and work in Yusen Liu’s lab in the Center for Perinatal Research.  My work in the Liu lab focuses on the role of MAPK phosphatases (MKPs) in mouse models of pulmonary infections.

Carrese Moody

I am a Registered Nurse with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Akron in 2008. I am a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Center for Perinatal Research and I assist in performing Infant Pulmonary Function Tests, assist physicians with their grants, recruit and enroll patients in various studies involving Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia and Prematurity. I am looking forward to learning and growing along with our Center as we look to the future.

Rebecca Moore, RN

Clinical research coordinator
Innovative Feeding Disorders Research Program (Jadcherla Lab)

Mohammad Mofleh, Research Assistant

I have received M.D degree from the University of Damascus, Syria in 2002 and then Master Degree in General Medicine in 2010. I have a big interest in expanding my previous research experience as well as exploring new aspects in the basic research setting.     

I currently enjoy working in Dr. Giannone’ Laboratory, Center for Perinatal Research. Our ongoing Research projects involve understanding the molecular mechanisms of the neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) using animal models as we hopefully aim to discover the effective targeting therapy.

Pamela Moorehead

I received my BS in psychology the University of Utah in 2009.  As an undergraduate student, I participated in research in the areas of human genetics and cognitive/health psychology.  As a Research Assistant for the Center, I am involved tracking the developmental progress of premature infants over time.

Vanessa Parks

I graduated from Capital University with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Biology.  Currently, I am a Research Assistant in the Neonatal Infant Feeding Disorders Program headed by Dr. Jadcherla.  My research interests include basal and adaptive peristalsis during maturation and correlating EEG patterns with esophageal provocation.  My duties are to analyze data collected from our esophageal motility studies as well as assist in preparation of abstracts and manuscripts for publication.

Juan Peng

I received my Master degree in Applied Statistics from The Ohio State University and have a BS in Applied Chemistry from Beijing Technology and Business University, China. I am currently a research assistant for Dr. Jadcherla in the Neonatal Infant Feeding Disorders Program (NIFDP). My interest areas includes design and statistical analysis of clinical trials, repeated measurements modeling, survival analysis, logistic regression modeling and sampling survey analysis. My job in the Jadcherla lab is to design, develop, and administer clinical research database, to perform statistical analysis on clinical trials as well as to prepare grant proposal and manuscripts.

Michael Pizzuti, BS, Research Assistant

I have a BS in Mathematics from the University of Kentucky. I am currently a research assistant for Dr. Jadcherla in the Neonatal Infant Feeding Disorders Program (NIFDP). My interests include utilizing Mathematical Biology to better understand biological functions and developing more efficient methods for evaluating and treating disorders. In the NIFDP I manage the lab equipment, assist with esophageal manometry studies at the bedside, and also analyzing data from research and diagnostic studies.

Jianjing Xue (Shelly), Research Scientist

I obtained a Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and a Medical Doctorate from Harbin Medical University in Heilongjiang, China. I worked for 15 years in cancer research, using gene expression and gene therapy approaches.  I also have over eight years of teaching experience in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry in Shanghai at the Second Medical College before moving to the USA.  Prior to joining the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, I worked at the Ohio State University for 13 years as a Research Associate studying mechanosensitive signaling pathways in Gastroenterology.  Now, I work at Dr. Wendy Luce’s laboratory.