NARLA
LAB
ABOUT THE NARLA LAB
Dr. Goutham Narla, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Goutham Narla, M.D., Ph.D., is the Principal Investigator of the lab as well as a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Rogel Scholar, and Assistant Director of Training and Education in the Rogel Cancer Center at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Goutham Narla earned his BS in Biology and Economics from Santa Clara University in California and his MD and Ph.D. from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He also completed his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Medical Genetics at Mount Sinai. After finishing his fellowship, he moved to Ohio in 2012 to work at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), where he later became an Associate Professor with tenure. In July 2018, he joined the faculty at Michigan Medicine to become the seventh Chief of the Division of Genetic Medicine since the division’s inception in 1977.
Dr. Narla has held several leadership positions, particularly focusing on education and training, both at Mount Sinai and CWRU. At Mount Sinai, he served as the Director of the Physician-Scientist Training Residency Program, Assistant Program Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), and was a member of the Medical School Admissions Committee. At CWRU, Dr. Narla sat on the MSTP Steering Committee and the Pharmacology Steering Committee. In 2012, he was named the first Harrington Distinguished Scholar (Early Career Award). He is currently the President of The Young Scientist Foundation, and a member of the American Association for Cancer Research and the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Currently, he serves as an associate director for the MSTP program at the University of Michigan.
Linda Howell, Administrative Specialist
Linda Howell, Administrative Specialist, joined the Division of Genetic Medicine in May 2018. Linda began her career at Michigan Medicine in May of 2001 as an Administrative Assistant Senior in the Division of Hematology/Oncology. When Dr. Narla joined the University of Michigan as the Chief of Genetic Medicine in May 2018, Linda became a valuable part of his team. Linda coordinates activity of the division and academically supports Dr. Narla.
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Dr. Caitlin O’Connor, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor
Caitlin O’Connor is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Genetic
Medicine and an affiliate member of the Rogel Cancer Center. She received her
PhD in the Department of Pharmacology at Case Western Reserve University and
her BA in Biochemistry and Biophysics at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Caitlin is passionate about her research in how PP2A mutations contribute to the
pathogenesis of gynecological malignancies and other gynecological diseases, like
endometriosis. As a junior faculty member, she has been working with Dr. Narla
to develop novel mouse models of high-grade uterine cancer that more closely
represent the human disease.
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Dr. Jiang Hu, Ph.D., Lab Technician
Jiang Hu, Ph.D., is a Lab Technician in Dr. Goutham Narla’s laboratory. Jiang earned his doctoral degree from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with a multi-disciplinary training both in Biomedical Science and Biomedical Engineering. Jiang finished his postdoctoral training at the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, University of Michigan Dental School. Jiang has extensive research experience in Regenerative Medicine and Drug Development.
Dr. Irene Peris Martínez, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Irene previously joined the Narla Lab in 2021 from her lab at the Universidad de Navarra, in her hometown of Pamplona, Spain as a visiting scholar. Irene has experience in biomedical research, mainly focused on the study of acute myeloid leukemias (AML). She considers herself a proactive person with great observation and collaboration skills. She is interested in contributing to the expansion of knowledge in AML in order to provide new information that could improve the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with this disease.
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Dr. Brynne Raines, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Brynne is a Research Fellow in the Department of Genetic Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Michigan. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan earning a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology with a minor in Biological Anthropology. Following graduation, Brynne worked as a Lab Manager and Research Technician in Dr. Natalie Tronson's lab studying learning and memory. Brynne joined Dr. Narla's lab in January 2020. In the lab, she is focused on identifying mechanisms by which inactivation of protein phosphatase 2A (PPA) influences resistance to anti-cancer drugs, specifically those targeting the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways in KRAS-mutant cancers.
Dr. Brian Tran, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Brian Tran is a Research Fellow in the Department of Genetic Medicine at the University of Michigan. He earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology at the University of Michigan, focusing on the mechanisms by which PP2A can modulate MYCN expression in neuroblastoma. He is currently investigating the potential of pharmacologically targeting PP2A to modulate differentiation in neuroblastoma.
Kaitlin P. Zawacki, B.S., Research Lab Specialist
Kaitlin received her BS in Biomedical Science from Grand Valley State University. Since then she gained six years of experience as a Technical Service Specialist in ULAM as well as an additional six years of experience designing and running animal research studies for labs. For the Narla Lab, Kaitlin leads in-vivo studies.
Kelsey Barrie, B.S., Research Lab Specialist
Kelsey earned her undergraduate degree in Zoology from Michigan State University. After working for almost ten years in companion animal veterinary medicine, Kelsey spent four years working with the UofM Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine including a year in the ULAM Breeding Colony. Her current roles include managing the transgenic mouse colony and assisting in in-vivo studies.
Alexis Harold, Graduate Research Assistant
Alexis Harold is a second-year Ph.D. Student in the Cancer Biology Program. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh earning a B.S. in Biological Sciences with minors in Chemistry and Mediterranean Art and Archaeology. In her undergraduate career, Alexis worked in labs researching Merkel cell polyomavirus-associated human Merkel cell carcinoma and breast cancer. She joined Dr. Narla’s lab in the Spring of 2021 and is currently researching the role of PP2A in hormone receptor positive breast cancer in response to SMAP treatment.
Charles Nino, Graduate Research Assistant
Charles Nino is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Cellular and Molecular Biology Program at the University of Michigan. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan in Biochemistry. In his undergraduate career, Charles worked on the optimization and modeling of novel chemotherapeutic strategies in the lab of Dr. Brian Ross. After graduation Charles began his graduate studies in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Michigan in 2018 and joined Dr. Narla's lab in August 2022. In the lab, Charles is focused on understanding the underlying biology behind recurrent and non-recurrent PP2A A mutations and their implications in human disease.
Ethan Wurman, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Ethan is a senior at the University of Michigan majoring in Microbiology. He joined the Narla Lab as a sophomore and currently works with Brian to study the role of PP2A in neuroblastoma, with a focus on N-Myc regulation and cellular differentiation. Outside of the lab, Ethan works as a patient care technician at Michigan Medicine and enjoys powerlifting, golfing, and playing soccer. He plans to attend medical school after graduation.