About Us

The Multidisciplinary Postdoctoral Training Program in Basic Diabetes Research Program is led by Ormond MacDougald, PhD, Principal Investigator, and Peter Arvan, MD, PhD, who are supported by a diverse group of mentors who come from a variety of schools, departments, and divisions at Michigan Medicine.

Program Leadership

Ormond MacDougald, PhD

Ormond MacDougald, PhD
Ormond MacDougald, PhD

Ormond MacDougald, PhD, John A. Faulkner Collegiate Professor of Physiology, is a Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Professor of Internal Medicine. Dr. MacDougald received his undergraduate degree from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and his master’s degree and a doctorate from the Department of Physiology at Michigan State University. Dr. MacDougald pursued postdoctoral training from in the Department of Biological Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University, where he began his studies on adipocyte biology with M. Daniel Lane, PhD.

Dr. MacDougald is an internationally recognized investigator for his work on metabolism and adipocyte (fat cell) differentiation - the process by which a less specialized cell becomes a more specialized cell type.

Visit Dr. MacDougald's Lab.

Peter Arvan, MD, PhD 

Peter Arvan, MD, PhD
Peter Arvan, MD, PhD

Peter Arvan, MD, PhD, William K. and Delores S. Brehm Professor of Diabetes Research, is a Professor of Internal Medicine, and Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Dr. Arvan received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University and his medical and PhD degrees from Yale University. Following residency training in internal medicine, Dr. Arvan completed fellowship training in endocrinology at Yale. Dr. Arvan then joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School in 1988. He moved to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York in 1996 and became Division Chief at the Michigan Medicine in 2003.

Dr. Arvan's research work has focused on hormone synthesis, especially in two areas: thyroid hormone synthesis and insulin synthesis. He is specifically interested in understanding how the proteins that are hormone precursors are made and converted into medically-active hormones, and how these steps go wrong in various endocrine diseases.

Visit Dr. Arvan's Lab.

Trainees

Since the program's inception in 2014, 14 trainees have completed the program. Of those 14:

  • 11 have been retained at U-M
  • 100% have stayed in research intensive fields
  • 12 have stayed in academic institutions

2023-2024 Trainees

Marina Bleiler, PhD
Marina Bleiler,
PhD
Rebecca Davidson, PhD
Rebecca Davidson, PhD
Johanna Fleischman, PhD
Johanna Fleischman, PhD
 
Hannah Guak, PhD
Hannah Guak,
PhD
Elizabeth Litkowski, PhD
Elizabeth Litkowski, PhD
 

Past Trainees

2022-2023

Naima Dahir, PhD
Adelaide Tovar, PhD
Jordan Wean, PhD

2021-2022

Naima Dahir, PhD
Julie Finnell, PhD
Adelaide Tovar, PhD
Jordan Wean, PhD
Irina Zhang, PhD

2020-2021

Chenchen He, PhD
Julie Finnell, PhD
Allison Kowalsky, PhD
Phillip Webster, PhD
Irina Zhang, PhD

2019-2020

Diana Elizondo, PhD
Latrice Faulkner, PhD
Chenchen He, PhD
Allison Kowalsky, PhD
Phillip Webster, PhD

2018-2019

Latrice Faulkner, PhD
Diana Elizondo, PhD
Sarah Elzinga, PhD
Rebecca Schill, PhD

2017-2018

Jessica Adams, PhD
Sarah Elzinga, PhD
Chelsea Hutch, PhD
Bailey Peck, PhD

2016-2017

Jessica Adams, PhD
Callie Corsa, PhD
Lisa Guth, PhD
Yasuhiro Kyono, PhD

2015-2016

Tammy Barnes, PhD
Callie Corsa, PhD
Lisa Guth, PhD
Amy Rumora, PhD

2014-2015

Tammy Barnes, PhD
Mark Jimenz Canet, PhD
Lindsey Muir, PhD
Amy Rumora, PhD

Comments From Past Trainees

"My experience on the T32 was very positive. It was a supportive program where I was given the opportunity to explore research I was interested in, and I felt like Dr. MacDougald's door was always open to discuss both triumphs and challenges." - Sarah Elzinga, PhD (2017-2019)
 
"As a trainee with a PhD in Analytical Chemistry, the transition from chemistry to medical research is a big leap for me. The T32 training program provides me the opportunities to embrace diabetic research quickly via seminars and conversations with experts. The financial and academic support from the T32 training program also motivates me to contribute to the society of diabetic research with new ideas and methods." - Chenchen He, PhD (2019-2020)
 
"As a postdoc, the T32 Training Program in Basic Diabetes Research was a wonderful stepping stone in my career. It helped me to establish connections with and learn from PIs and other postdocs working on diabetes. I went on to be awarded an F32 and then a K01 from NIDDK to pursue my interests in this area of research." - Lindsey Muir, PhD (2014-2015)
 
"I joined the T32 in August of 2018, a few months after starting as a Michigan postdoc. By joining this T32, I was able to meet other postdocs and form new friendships with others who were in a similar stage of their career. The annual T32 symposium was a great opportunity to share my research and learn about what others were doing and how our interests overlap. Under this funding, I was able to collaborate both within my lab and with neighboring labs at Michigan, resulting in 2 recent publications. This T32 also helped me to achieve my goal of successfully obtaining a F32 fellowship from the NIH." - Rebecca Schill, PhD (2018-2019)