Past Recipients of the Gina Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program
The Gina Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowships are awarded each year to undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, in order to foster and support interest in lupus through basic, clinical, or psychosocial research supervised by established scientific investigators. Applications are reviewed by members of the LFA Medical-Scientific Advisory Council and other qualified physicians, and are scored according to National Institutes of Health guidelines for research proposals.
This fellowship is a memorial tribute to Gina Finzi, the late daughter of former LFA President Emeritus Sergio Finzi, PhD. Dr. Finzi passed away in October 2003. His legacy will be carried on through the young scientists he has helped to establish their careers in lupus research.
Summer 2012 Fellowship Recpients
Caroline Albert
Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, CT
Can Hydroxychoroquine Prevent Adverse Pregnancy in Women with APS?
Elizabeth Clarke
University of California at Irvine Irvine, CA
Impact of C1q on Macrophage Modulation of T Cell Function in Autoimmunity
Christine Coquery
University of Virginia School of Medicine Charlottesville, VA
The Role of Neutrophils in Controlling the Development of Plasma Cells in Autoimmune-Prone Mice
Thomas J. Covey
State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Buffalo, NY
MRI, Electrophysiology and Working Memory Impairment in SLE
Anne Song
Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, CT
Competition between TLR7 and TLR9 for UNC93B in a Murine Model of Lupus
Summer 2011 Fellowship Recipients
Nashla Barroso
University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
Genetic Association of Bone Mineral Density in SLE Patients on Glucocorticoids
Thomas J. Covey
State University of New York at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
White Matter Integrity and Working Memory Dysfunction in SLE
Lindsey E. Harward
Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC
Ovarian Reserve in Women with Autoimmune Disease Treated with Cyclophosphamide
Taylor Teplitzky
Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, CT
Extrafollicular Helper T Cells in Lupus
William Yuen
Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, Ontario Canada
Target of Autoantibodies in Congenital Heart Block Pregnancies
Summer 2010 Fellowship Recipients
Dana DiRenzo
Temple University School of Medicine
Effect of Mer Tyrosine Kinase on Pristane-Induced SLE
Adam F. Ilowite
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
VCAM-1, TWEAK, and CXCL-16 as Early Biomarkers for Lupus Nephritis
Melanie Khosravi
University of California at Los Angeles
The Role of Complement Factor H Gene Variants in Risk for SLE
Rachael L. Philips
University of California at Los Angeles
Cutaneous Formation of a Tertiary Lymphoid Organ in Lupus Erythematosus
Hang Shi
Toronto Western Research Institute
Steroid-related Damage in an International Inception Cohort of SLE Patients
Summer 2009 Fellowship Recipients
Ian Kroll
University of California, Los Angeles
Accelerated Atherosclerosis and Pro-Inflammatory HDL in SLE-prone Mice
Sean Lavine
New York University School of Medicine
Cyclooxygenase 2 and Injury in Neonatal Lupus
Xi Leon Zhao
Winifred Masterson Burke Medical Research Institute
Putative Mechanism of NP-SLE: Toxicity of Anti-DNA Anti-NMDAR Antibody
Maggie Bromberg
Duke University Medical Center
Psychological and Disease Related Predictors of Sleep in Pediatric SLE
Tarak Trivedi
The University of Chicago
Analysis of SLE Clinical Characteristics Using SLE Susceptibility Genes
Summer 2008 Fellowship Recipients
LaToia Bryant
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Complement C4d on Platelets and Platelet-Derived Microparticles in SLE
Chao Jiang
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
The Role of BCMA for PC Survival in Murine SLE
Erinn Kellner
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Depression and Fatigue in SLE: the Role of Type-I Interferons
Jennifer Woo
University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Aortic Lesion Composition in an Accelerated Atherosclerosis Lupus Model
John Connolly
University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Efficacy of Orally Administered p-Consensus Peptide in SLE Mouse Models
Summer 2007 Fellowship Recipients
James Y. Chen
University of California, Los Angeles; David Geffen School of Medicine; Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
Investigating the Immuno-modulatory Defect of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Lupus
Gopal Chandrasekharan
University of Oklahoma; Health Sciences Center, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology
The Role of TLR9-Signaling in Active Childhood Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Alexandra Cunningham
Emory University
Barriers to Initial Diagnosis and Treatment Among Adult Female African-Americans with SLE in Atlanta
Andrew Hwang
Brown University; Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Evaluation of Internet Information for Persons with Early Symptoms of SLE
Rajkumar Srikrishnan
University of California, San Diego; School of Medicine
Autoantibody Microarray Surveys of SLE Families
Summer 2006 Fellowship Recipients
Melissa Lee
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Characterization of Circulating Endothelial Cells Bearing C4d as a Lupus Biomarker
Mariza Misus
Bennington College
Cytokines as Biomarkers for Disease Progression of Atherosclerosis in SLE
Ilka Netravali
Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital
Sialyl 9-O-Acetyl Transferase: A Key Therapeutic Target for Lupus
Noa Schwartz
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
TWEAK as a Marker for Disease Severity in Human Lupus Nephritis
Robert Van Haren
Michigan State University
Altered Apoptosis in Cutaneous Lupus
David Yao
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Differential Gene Expression Regulation in Monocytes and Macrophages: Correlation with Subclinical Atherosclerosis and Osteoporosis Outcomes in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Summer 2005 Fellowship Recipients
Wiktoria B. Bielska
University of Pittsburgh Lupus Center of Excellence
Psychosocial Influences and Development of Biomarkers for SLE
Tania M. Portillo
University of California-Los Angeles
Role of Dendritic Cells in Murine Lupus
Christopher G. Mayne
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Genetic Dissection of Autoimmunity with Lymphopenia in Baff-R Mutant Mice
Adria N. Armbrister
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York
Black Women's Lupus Life Narratives: A Closer Look at Those Most Affected by the Disease
Nidhi Mehta
University of Pittsburgh Lupus Center of Excellence
Development of Platelet C4d as a Lupus Biomarker for Vascular Disease
Paul Hoffman
University of Pittsburgh Lupus Center of Excellence
Reticulocyte-Bound C4d as an Indicator of Disease Course in SLE Patients
Amy M. Salerno
University of Pittsburgh Lupus Center of Excellence
Cell-bound Complement Activation Products in Urine: Novel Biomarkers of Lupus Nephritis
Summer 2004 Fellowship Recipients
Tamar Aprahamian
Boston University, Boston , Massachusetts
A Novel Mouse Model to Study Accelerated Atherosclerosis in SLE: A Possible Role for Statin Treatment
Alexandra Boske
San Antonio, Texas
Neuropsychiatric Lupus (NPSLE) Syndromes in Predominately Mexican American Lupus Patients
Krista S. Pfaendler
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania
Complement ad Platelets in Cardiovascular Disease Associated with SLE
Lisa Rong
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey , Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick , New Jersey
Attitudes Toward Exercise and the Correlation with Current Fitness Levels in Women with Lupus.
Fei Wang
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
The Acceleration of Murine Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) by Exposure by an Organochlorine Pesticide Chlordecone
Summer 2003 Fellowship Recipients
Chelsea Backer
Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, New York
Relationship Between Polymorphisms of the Cytokines TNF Alpha and TGF Beta and their Secreted Levels in a Culture Model of Congenital Heart Block
Doris Brown
Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutic Agents in SLE by Prevention of Dendritic Cell Maturation
Latisha Heinlen
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Evaluation of the Development of anti-nRNP in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Claire Oshatz
Arizona State University Department of Microbiology, Tempe, Arizona
Immune Response in Lupus Brain
Hilary Weiss
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Boston, Massachusetts
The Effect of CD1-Restricted T Cells on B Cells from Patients with SLE
Summer 2002 Fellowship Recipients
Chelsea Backer
Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, New York
Polymorphisms in the Promoter Region of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha: A potential Role in the Development of Neonatal Lupus
Michele Fields
The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Effect of T Regulatory Cells on Activation of anti-dsDNA B cells
Jeffrey Johnson
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
A Novel Assay for Monitoring Disease Activity in SLE
Emily Lewis
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Role of APC Apoptosis in the Pathogenesis of Lupus
Hedwig Murphy
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Effect of Estrogen on Secondary Lymphoid Chemokine (SLC)
Summer 2001 Fellowship Recipients
Richard Do
Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York
Mechanism of BLyS Action in Antibody Response
Raj Gupta
University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Role of IL-4 Transduced Dendritic Cells in Th1/Th2 Balance
Brian Murphy
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Effect of Estrogen on Spleen Dendritic Cells
Jonathan Schoenecker
Duke University Medical School, Durham, North Carolina
Induction of Systemic Autoimmunity in C57BL/6 Mice by Immunization with Bovine Thrombin, a Hemostatic Agent Used in Humans
Sheng Xiao
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
The Impact of IL-2 Deficiency on lpr lupus
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