Postdoctoral Fellows in the Vision Research

Jason Miller, MD, PhD
Monica Diaz Coranguez, PhD

Postdoctoral fellows work in a collaborative environment with scientists who are internationally known for their achievements in the visual sciences.  As part of one of the largest research universities in the country, postdocs have opportunities to interact with a large and diverse community of scientists. 

Current Postdoctoral Fellows

Examples of Recent Publications with Postdocs as Lead 

  • Chandrasekaran, N., Harlow, S., Moroi, S., Musch, D., Peng, Q., & Karvonen-Gutierrez, C. (2017). Visual impairment at baseline is associated with future poor physical functioning among middle-aged women: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation, Michigan Site. Maturitas, 96, 33-38. PMID: 28041592
  • Kumar, N., et al., Central Corneal Thickness Increase Due to Stromal Thickening With Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Severity. Cornea, 2018
  • Man, X., Arroyo, E., Dunbar, M., Reed, D. M., Shah, N., Kagemann, L., ... & Argento, A. (2018). Perilimbal sclera mechanical properties: Impact on intraocular pressure in porcine eyes. PloS one, 13(5), e0195882. PMID: 29718942
  • Man, X., Costa, R., Ayres, B. M., & Moroi, S. E. (2016). Acetazolamide-induced bilateral ciliochoroidal effusion syndrome in plateau iris configuration. American journal of ophthalmology case reports, 3, 14-17. PMID: 29226268
  • Pack W, Hill DD, Wong KY: Melatonin modulates M4-type ganglion-cell photoreceptors. Neuroscience 303: 178-88, 2015.
  • Reifler AN, Chervenak AP, Dolikian ME, Benenati BA, Li BY, Wachter RD, Lynch AM, Demertzis ZD, Meyers BS, Abufarha FS, Jaeckel ER, Flannery MP, Wong KY (*co-first authors): All spiking, sustained ON displaced amacrine cells receive gap-junction input from melanopsin ganglion cells. Curr. Biol. 25(21):2763-73, 2015.
  • Reifler AN, Chervenak AP, Dolikian ME, Benenati BA, Meyers BS, Demertzis ZD, Lynch AM, Li BY, Wachter RD, Abufarha FS, Dulka EA, Pack W, Zhao X, Wong KY (*co-first authors): The rat retina has five types of ganglion-cell photoreceptors. Exp. Eye Res. 130: 17-28, 2015.
  • Ruebsam A, Dulle JE, Myers AM, Sakrikar D, Green KM, Khan NW, Schey K, Fort PE. A specific phosphorylation regulates the protective role of αA-crystallin in diabetes.  JCI Insight. 2018;3(4):e97919. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.97919.
  • Saera-Vila A, Louie KW, Sha C, Kelly RM, Kish PE, Kahana A. Extraocular muscle regeneration in zebrafish requires late signals from Insulin-like growth factors. PLoS ONE, 2018:13(2): e0192214. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192214.
  • Saera-Vila, A, Kish, PE, Kahana, A. FGF Regulates Skeletal Muscle Dedifferentiation In Adult Zebrafish. Cellular Signaling. 2016;28(9):1196-1204. PMID 27267062.
  • Saera-Vila, A, Louie, KW, Kish, PE, Grzegosrki, SJ, Klionsky, DJ, Kahana, A. Autophagy Regulates Cytoplasmic Remodeling During Cellular Reprogramming in a Zebrafish Model of Adult Muscle Regeneration. Autophagy, 2016:2;12(10):1864-1875. PMID 27467399.
  • Saera-Vila, A., Kasprick, DS, Chiari, E.F., Grzegorski, S.J., Junttila, T.L., Louie, K.W., Kish, P.E., Kahana, A. Myocyte Dedifferentiation Drives Adult Extraocular Muscle Regeneration in Zebrafish. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences 2015; 56(8):4977-4993. PMID: 26230763. PMCID: PMC4525682.
  • Saera-Vila, A., Kish, P.E., Kahana, A. Automated Scalable Heat-Shock Apparatus For Standard Aquatic Housing Systems. Zebrafish 2015; 12(4):312-4. PMID: 25942613. PMCID: PMC4523100.
  • Tian C, Zhang W, Phuc VP, Wang X, Paulus YM. Novel Photoacoustic Microscopy and Optical Coherence Tomography Dual-modality Chorioretinal Imaging in Living Rabbit Eyes. Journal of Visualized Experiments 2018; 132: e57135. doi:10.3791/57135
  • Tian C, Zhang W, Mordovanakis A, Wang X, Paulus YM. Noninvasive chorioretinal imaging in living rabbits using integrated photoacoustic microscopy and optical coherence tomography. Optics Express 2017 Jul 10; 25(14): 15947-55.
  • Zhao X, Reifler AN, Schroeder MM, Jaeckel ER, Chervenak AP, Wong KY: Mechanisms creating transient and sustained photoresponses in mammalian retinal ganglion cells. J. Gen. Physiol. 149(3): 335-353, 2017.
  • Zhao X, Pack W, Khan NW, Wong KY: Prolonged inner retinal photoreception depends on the visual retinoid cycle. J. Neurosci. 36(15): 4209-17, 2016.

Examples of Recent Conference Presentations with Postdocs as Lead Authors

  • Van Phuc Nguyen (Paulus Lab): Multimodality Imaging Guided Retichoroidal Neovascularization in a Rabbit Model. CLEO, San Jose CA, 2018.
  • Chao Tian (Paulus Lab): Integrated photoacoustic microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescence microscopy for multi-modal chorioretinal imaging. SPIE BiOS  Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing, San Francisco CA, 2018.
  • Xiaofei “Sophie” Man (Moroi Lab): Interplicata distance as part of ciliary body biometry to understand complications of plateau iris configuration. ARVO, Honolulu HI, 2018.
  • Navasuja Kumar (Moroi Lab): Association of vision impairment and depressive symptoms among midlife women: study of woman’s health across the nation. ARVO, Honolulu HI, 2018.
  • Bing Ross (Zacks Lab): Retinal detachment triggers an innate immune response in the retina. Abstract #4964, ARVO, Honolulu HI, 2018.
  • Monica Diaz-Coranguez (Antonetti Lab): Disheveled localizes at tight junction sites and interacts with ZO1 in BREC. ARVO, Honolulu, HI 2018.
  • Andreia Goncalves (Antonetti Lab): Contribution of occludin S490 phosphorylation on blood retinal barrier integrity and visual function. ARVO Honolulu, HI 2018.
  • Ahmed Almazroa (Moroi Lab): An automatic image processing system for optic nerve head screening using fundus images. ARVO, Baltimore MD, 2017.
  • Jingyu Yao (Zacks Lab): Hyperautophagy in response to protein misfolding contributes to photoreceptor cell death in Pro23His-rhodopsin mice. Abstract #2487, ARVO, Baltimore MD, 2017.
  • Chao Tian (Paulus Lab): Integrated photoacoustic microscopy and optical coherence tomography for in vivo imaging of choroidal neovascularization. ARVO, Baltimore MD, 2017.
  • Bing Ross (Zacks Lab): Characterization of the response of microglia in a rodent model of retinal detachment. Abstract #5378, ARVO, Baltimore, MD, 2017.
  • Xiwu Zhao (Wong Lab): Gap-junction networks of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). ARVO, Baltimore, MD, 2017.
  • Xiwu Zhao (Wong Lab): Rod photoreceptors mediate light-voked activity of dopaminergic amacrine cells across a wide range of light intensities. ARVO, Seattle, WA, 2016.
  • Aaron Reifler (Wong Lab): Origin of transient and sustained responses in mammalian ON retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). ARVO, Seattle, WA, 2016.
  • Andrew Chervenak (Wong Lab): Characterization of ipRGC-coupled amacrine cells. ARVO, Seattle, WA, 2016.
  • Aaron Reifler (Wong Lab): Spiking, sustained ON amacrine cells receive input from intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) through gap junctions, ARVO, Denver, CO, 2015.
  • Xiwu Zhao (Wong Lab): Mechanisms underlying the tonic nature of ipRGCs' rod/cone-driven photoresponses. ARVO, Denver, CO, 2015.
  • Jason Miller (Thompson Lab): Evaluating retinal pigment epithelium cultures for establishing automated, live-cell tracking of outer segment degradation. Abstract #4225, ARVO, Denver, CO, 2015.

Examples of Former Postdocs Who Have Become Faculty Members

  • Masayuki Akimoto, MD
  • Rosa Ayala-Lugo, MD
  • Babak Behnam, MD, PhD
  • Brenda Bohnsack, MD, PhD
  • Paul Cook, PhD
  • James Friedman, PhD
  • Ricardo Fujita, PhD
  • Nubuo Fuse, MD, PhD
  • Noor Ghiasvand, PhD
  • Maria Gottfredsdottir, MD
  • Peter Hitchcock, PhD
  • Hemant Khanna, PhD
  • Jenny Lenkowski, PhD
  • Jie Liu, PhD
  • Alan Mears, PhD
  • Jason Meyers, PhD
  • Kenneth Mitton, PhD
  • Mirna Mustapha, PhD
  • Pamela Raymond, PhD
  • Jerome Roger, PhD
  • Anne Ruebsam, MD
  • Anne C. Rusoff, PhD
  • Satoko Shimizu, MD
  • Claudia A. O. Stuermer, PhD
  • Scott Taylor, PhD
  • Chao Tian, PhD
  • Shigeo Yoshida, MD, PhD
  • Amanda Zacharias, PhD
  • Sepideh Zareparsi, PhD

News From Alumni

  • 2018: Anne Ruebsam, MD, postdoc in the Fort Lab, took a faculty position at the Berlin Charite Hospital. Dr. Ruebsam has started her own lab and received research grants from the “Deutsche Forschungesgemeinschaft”.
  • 2018: Amanda Zacharias, who was both a PhD student and postdoc in the Gage Lab started her own lab at the University of Cincinnati
  • 2018: Jie Liu, a former postdoc in the Xu Lab, took a faculty position at Monash University in Australia
  • 2017: Chao Tian, a former postdoc in the Paulus Lab, began as an Assistant professor in the Multimodal Biomedical Imaging and Therapy Laboratory (MBIT) in the Department of Precision Machinery and Instrumentation at School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

Descriptions of Select Postdocs’ Research