Personnel Biographies  Gianrico Farrugia, M.D.
Principal Investigator
farrugia.gianrico@mayo.edu
Dr. Gianrico Farrugia received his undergraduate training at St. Aloysius College, B'Kara, Malta, and his M.D. from the University of Malta Medical School in 1987. He is currently a consultant in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. He is a member of the Minnesota Medical Association, the International Motility Society, the American Motility Society, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Dr. Farrugia's current research interests include mechanosensitive ion channels, ion channel regulation in gastrointestinal smooth muscle, the treatment of disorders of gastrointestinal motility, the role of interstitial cells of Cajal in the regulation of gastrointestinal motility in health and in disease states, and the 3-dimensional structure and function of urological tissues.  Simon J. Gibbons, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Physiology,
Associate Consultant in Physiology and Biomedical Engineering
gibbons.simon@mayo.edu
Dr. Simon Gibbons completed his BS.c. in pharmacology at Bristol University, UK, in 1986 and completed a Ph.D. in neuropharmacology at Southampton University, UK, in 1990. His current work at Mayo Clinic involves molecular and cellular studies on plasma membrane signal transduction in the enteric nervous system. Current projects focus on the coupling of the c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase to downstream intracellular signaling pathways, the role of neurally-derived paracrine factors in the development and survival of interstitial cells of Cajal in the small intestine and investigating the fate of interstitial cells of Cajal in motility disorders. He is a member of the American Physiological Society and the American Gastroenterological Association. He is also the co-director of the Imaging Core on the "Pathobiology of Enteric System" program project grant directed by Dr. J. H. Szurszewski and is responsible for the in vitro imaging sub-core.  Cheryl E. Bernard
Research Technologist
bernard.cheryl@mayo.edu  Kyoung M. Choi, Ph.D.
Research Fellow
choi.kyoung@mayo.edu
Dr. Kyoung Choi received his B.S. and M.S. in molecular biology and biochemistry at Freie Universitaet Berlin, in 1995 and completed his Ph.D. at Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics and Freie Universitaet Berlin, in 1998. He is currently a research fellow in Enteric Neuroscience Program and his research interest is focused on diabetic gastroparesis and the role of heme oxygenase-1 in preventing the development of diabetic gastroparesis.  Nirjhar Dutta
Research Technologist
dutta.nirjhar@mayo.edu  Pedro Gomez-Pinilla, Ph.D.
Research Fellow
gomezpinilla.pedro@mayo.edu
Educational Background:
1996-2001 Biology Degree
2000-2002 Biochemistry Degree
2002-2007 PhD in Physiology
2007-Present Posdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Gomez Pinilla's research interests are the ageing process and finding pharmacological treatments to ameliorate age-associated damage. His role in the lab is to study the effect of ageing on the ENS and ICC in the human colon.  Purna Kashyap, M.B.B.S.
Research Fellow
kashyap.purna@mayo.edu  Matthew Lurken
Research Technologist
lurken.matthew@mayo.edu
Matt joined the laboratory in 2004 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. He currently is involved in many projects, focusing on the Gastroparesis Clinical Research Consortium (GpCRC)Study.  Amelia Mazzone, Ph.D.
Research Associate
mazzone.amelia@mayo.edu
Dr. Amelia Mazzone received her undergraduate training and her Ph.D. in biochemistry and physiology of nutrition at the University of Bari, Italy, in 2001. She is currently a research associate in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. Her current research is focused on the interaction of the small protein telethonin with mechanosensitive ion channel Nav1.5 in gastrointestinal smooth muscle and interstitial cells of Cajal. - Jennifer Stanich
Research Technologist
stanich.jennifer@mayo.edu  Gary Stoltz
Research Technologist
stoltz.gary@mayo.edu
Gary Stoltz graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1975 with a B.S. in animal science after serving in the U.S. Navy from 1968-1972. He began working at Mayo in 1988 in the Section of Veterinary Medicine and joined our laboratory in 1990. His primary responsibilities include procurement of lab tissues, supplies and equipment, providing assistance for lab consultants and fellows, and dissociation of many different tissue samples.  Peter Strege
Research Technologist
strege.peter@mayo.edu
Peter earned a B.S. cum laude in genetics and cell biology from the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in 1997. He continued his education at the University of Minnesota in the molecular, cellular, developmental biology, and genetics graduate program, earning an M.S. in 1999. Peter has worked for Dr. Farrugia at Mayo Clinic since 2000. Here, he conducts patch clamp experiments on human jejunum circular smooth muscle cells, interstitial cells of Cajal, and transfected HEK293 cells to study the pharmacology and mechanosensitivity of sodium, calcium, and potassium channels. Peter also assists in single-cell RT-PCR by collecting individual cells from culture or freshly dissociated tissue.  Vivek S. Tharayil, M.B.B.S.
Research Fellow
tharayil.vivek@mayo.edu
Education:
1994-2000 M.B.B.S., Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India
2006-2007 Research Trainee, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
2007-present Research Fellow, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Dr. Tharayil's role in the laboratory and research interests are on 5HT receptors and their effect on ICC survival and proliferation.  Kristy Zodrow
Research Secretary
zodrow.kristy@mayo.edu
Kristy began working at Mayo Clinic in 1988 and joined our laboratory in 1996. She also works for two additional investigators in the Department of Physiology.
Principal Investigators Associated with the Laboratory  David R. Linden, Ph.D.
Associate Consultant in Physiology and Biophysics
linden.david@mayo.edu  Tamas Ordog, M.D.
Senior Associate Consultant
ordog.tamas@mayo.edu  Michael G. Sarr, M.D.
Consultant in General and GI Surgery
sarr.michael@mayo.edu
Dr. Sarr received his undergraduate training at Colgate University and his M.D. from Johns Hoplins School of Medicine, finishing in 1976. He did a research fellowship at Mayo Clinic for two years and a further post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital before joining the staff at Mayo Clinic in 1985. He is currently the chair of the Division of General and Gastroenterologic Surgery. He is a member of the American Motility Society, American Physiology Society, and most of the major surgical societies. Dr. Sarr's current research interests include in vivo and in vitro control of smooth muscle contractile activity with a primary interest in extrinsic neural control. His research projects also investigate the enteric physiology of the transplanted guy using in vivo and in vitro animal models.  Joseph H. Szurszewski, Ph.D.
Consultant
gijoe@mayo.edu
Personnel also Associated with the Laboratory  Janice M. Applequist
Medical Secretary
applequist.janice@mayo.edu
Jan worked at Mayo Clinic as a secretary in the Department of Transfusion Medicine from 1968 to 1970. After returning to Mayo in 1974, she began working for Dr. J. H. Szurszewski and has been associated with the laboratory ever since.  Philip F. Schmalz
Senior Research Technologist III
schmalz@mayo.edu
Phil Schmalz received his undergraduate degree in biology from Valparaiso University in 1963. After working as a laboratory technician at Mayo Clinic with Dr. C. F. Code for four years, he returned to school and completed an M.S. in biological sciences from Northern Illinois University in 1969. He contintued his graduate education at the University of Illinois before joining the laboratory of Dr. J. H. Szurszewski in 1974. He received an associate in physiology appointment and an appointment as instructor in Mayo Medical School in 1980. His research efforts have been in organ bath studies of smooth muscle and currently in computer imaging of cells.  Lei Sha, M.D.
Research Associate
sha.lei@mayo.edu |
