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Meet the Principle Investigator

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Juan Manuel Povedano Selfa, Ph.D.

Juanma is originally from Almería, a coastal city in the south of Spain. He earned his Bachelor in Biology from Universidad of Alcalá (Alcalá de Henares, Spain) and his Ph.D. from the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid at the Spanish National Cancer Research Institute (CNIO) under the supervision of Dr. María A. Blasco. After his graduate studies, he joined UT Southwestern Medical Center as a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. David G. McFadden.

He then started his independent laboratory at UT Southwestern as an Assistant Professor with appointments in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry.

Juanma is a big soccer fan (member and still a season ticket holder at the Real Madrid stadium), he loves spending time with his family, riding his Cannondale bike around Dallas, and trying hoppy brews from all over the world.

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Current Lab Members

Alexander-Hoi Nguyen

Research Technician I

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Tatara Laboratory, Oct 2024

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Dr. Alexander Tatara

Dr. Tatara is a physician scientist/engineer whose work focuses on the host/pathogen/material interface of device-related infection. He applies engineering tools towards solving infectious problems to create new strategies and improve patient care. He trained at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Rice University, and Baylor College of Medicine. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and Department of Biomedical Engineering. When not performing research, Dr. Tatara sees patients with infections at Parkland Hospital and William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital

Current Lab Members

Lauren Kemp

Position: Research Technician II

Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas

Areas of interest: Microbiology, bacterial pathogenesis, antibiotic resistance

Outside hobbies: In my free time, I enjoy quality time with friends and family, trying new restaurants, and traveling

Abhinay Adlooru

Position: Research Technician II

Hometown: Dallas suburbs

Areas of interest: Surgical applications of biomaterials, novel vaccine platforms, immunotherapy, drug delivery

Outside hobbies: Running, music, spending time with family & friends

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Meet the Suleiman Lab Team

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Meet the Principal Investigator

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Hani Suleiman, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Internal Medicine and Biomedical Engineering
Division of Nephrology

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Lab Members

Ewa Langner, Ph.D.

Instructor

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Shumeng Jiang, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher

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Karla Parra, Ph.D.

Research Scientist/Lab Manager

Karla is a dedicated researcher with a strong focus on in vivo work related to metastatic procedures. Outside the lab, Karla loves traveling and immersing herself in different cultures. She’s also a cooking enthusiast, and if you’re into horror films, she’s your go-to person for a good scary movie recommendation—she loves the thrill of a gripping story.

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If you're interested in joining our team, please reach out to learn more about open positions.

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Current Lab Members

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Kartik Rajagopalan, M.D., Ph.D.

Position: Principal Investigator | Email Dr. Rajagopalan

Dr. Kartik Rajagopalan is a physician-scientist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, and a member of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at UT Southwestern. He specializes in medical critical care.

Dr. Rajagopalan earned his medical and doctoral degrees at UT Southwestern where he studied metabolic fluxes during cell proliferation in the lab of Dr. Ralph DeBerardinis. He then completed his Internal Medicine Residency and Pulmonary and Critical-care Fellowship at Columbia University in New York. He performed post-doctoral work understanding the role of leptin signaling during influenza and COVID infection in the lab of Dr. Jeffrey Friedman at Rockefeller University.

He returned to UT Southwestern to start a faculty position and laboratory in September of 2023.

When not in the laboratory, Kartik continues to practice medicine as an intensivist.

Tadiwanashe Gwatiringa

Position: Research Assistant/Lab Manager | Email Tadiwanashe

With a solid academic foundation and a visionary approach to health and society, Tadiwanashe is on a trajectory towards making a substantial impact in the medical field.

Tadiwanashe holds a bachelor's degree in human biology, health, and society from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

She is on a pre-med academic track to pursue a combined MD/PhD which she intends to use to deepen her knowledge and understanding of health disparities, with the goal of devising strategies that contribute significantly to improving healthcare access and outcomes for underserved communities.

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David Bautista, Ph.D.

Position: Postdoctoral Researcher | Email David

Dr. David Bautista is from San Antonio, Texas and he earned his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University – Kingsville. He discovered his passion for research as an undergraduate student by conducting research on potassium channels in Drosophila Melanogaster. This experience led him to a Post Baccalaureate research program at Brown University where he studied the effects of alcohol on brain lipids. Dr. Bautista earned his PhD in Microbiology from Texas A&M University where he studied the relationship between inhibition of DNA Mismatch Repair and increased antibiotic resistance in gram – negative bacteria.

His genuine curiosity and eagerness to learn led him to a post-doctoral position in the department of internal medicine at UT Southwestern. Dr. Bautista’s research focuses on the role of the hormone Leptin, and the potential it has for therapeutic strategies during chronic infection.

Shang Kui Xie

Position: Research Scientist | Email Shang

Shangkui Xie has worked in UTSW for more than 20 years, involving in the studies of autoimmune diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus), metabolic disorders including diabetes, and cystic fibrosis by using different mouse models carrying genetic related genes or locus/loci in specific chromosomes.

Shangkui loves to work together with colleagues by using expertise knowledge and skills including PCR/qPCR/ sequencing to take care of large cohorts of mice with specific genetic backgrounds and phenotypes. He is good at rodent handling and is familiar with rodent challenging approaches, including intravenous injection / gavage, etc. He has excellent surgical skills to set up cannulation system in mice and rats, by using jugular vein, carotid artery, portal vein, brain ventricles, etc, for survival study.

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Meet Our Lab Members

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Ahmad Anouti, M.D.

Pediatric Resident (PSTP2)

Dr. Ahmad Anouti earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and his medical degree from the American University of Beirut. He is currently a pediatric resident in the Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP) in Pediatrics (PSTP²) at UTSW and was previously a postdoctoral research fellow working with the Cotter Research Group. He aims to become a physician-scientist in pediatric hepatology, focusing on understanding the mechanism and treatment of Biliary Atresia. He is a member of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease

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Elias Rady, M.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Dr. Rady completed his undergraduate studies in biology and went on to obtain his medical degree from the American University of Beirut. Currently, he is engaged in postdoctoral research with the Cotter Research Group, primarily focusing on exploring the impact of alcohol on liver health and function, with the goal of contributing to improved treatments and understanding of liver diseases. Dr. Rady intends to pursue internal medicine residency training, followed by advanced training in gastroenterology, with the goal of specializing in hepatologypecializing in Hepatology.

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Mausam J. Patel, M.D.

Internal Medicine Resident

Dr. Patel is an internal medicine resident at UT Southwestern Medical Center, having completed her undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Miami. She has a strong interest in gastroenterology, hepatology, and liver transplantation. She was the recipient of both the Texas and National American College of Physicians (ACP) awards for her research on disparities in alcohol-associated liver disease liver transplantation. Dr Patel plans to pursue a fellowship in gastroenterology upon completion of her residency.

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Bill Y. Zhang, B.S.

Medical Student

Bill Zhang is a medical student at UT Southwestern. He graduated with a bachelor's de in Biomedical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University. He has experience in both benchtop and computational research and is currently interested in patient outcomes in chronic liver diseases.

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Nizam Ahamed, Ph.D.

Biostatistical Consultant II

Dr. Nizam Ahamed is a Biostatistician and Data Scientist in the Cotter research group, specializing in transforming data into actionable insights to drive innovations in internal medicine. He holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on AI and Data Science from the University of Malaysia Perlis, as well as a BSc and MSc in Computer Science from the University of Madras, India. Dr. Nizam has gained valuable experience at leading research institutions, including the University of Calgary, Canada and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he worked on cutting-edge projects in medical data analysis and healthcare optimization. His expertise lies in developing predictive models for disease outcomes, utilizing machine learning to support clinical decision-making, and applying data-driven approaches to improve patient care. Dr. Nizam has published in top scientific journals, contributing to advancements in biostatistics, data science, and biomedical research. Originally from Bangladesh, he is passionate about turning "Data into Decisions" that address complex challenges in healthcare. Dr. Nizam is particularly interested in leveraging the latest techniques in AI and data science to shape the future of internal medicine and deliver innovative, data-driven solutions.

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The Cotter Research Group is currently seeking a clinical research assistant.

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Meet the Principal Investigator

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Vanessa Nomellini, M.D., Ph.D.

Vanessa Nomellini, M.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Division of Burn, Trauma, Acute and Critical Care Surgery at UT Southwestern. Dr. Nomellini earned her M.D. from Loyola University, where she also earned a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biochemistry. She completed her general surgery residency at the University of Wisconsin and her fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania. She joined the faculty at the University of Cincinnati in 2016, where she developed her research program focused on immune suppression in critically ill trauma and septic patients. She also developed an ICU Recovery Program, where the most complex ICU survivors are followed and managed long term.

Dr. Nomellini was recruited to UT Southwestern in September 2022 to be the director of research for the division, and as part of the leadership for The Center for Organogenesis Research and Trauma (CORT) along with Drs. Levi and Carlson. She currently has an R35 from NIGMS focused on both animal studies of immune suppression, as well as a prospective observational human study characterizing the immune suppression in these patients.

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Nagham Alatrash, Ph.D.

Research Scientist Sr

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Roopa Koduri

Research Associate

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Kevin Mutore, M.D.

Clinical Research Fellow

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Geli Kane

Medical Student

Mecca Islam

Research Associate Sr.

Sonia Chen

Medical Student

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Past Lab Members

2023-2024

Sonakshi Chakrabarty, summer intern 2024
Current position: college student

Renqing Wu, M.D. , clinical research fellow
Current position: 4th year General Surgery resident, UT Southwestern

2020-2022

Dennis Vaysburg, M.D., surgical resident
Current position: surgical resident, University of Cincinnati

2019-2022

Satarupa Sengupta, Ph.D., research associate
Current position: research scientist, University of Cincinnati

2017-2020

Lisa England, lab technician
Current position: lab technician, University of Cincinnati

2016-2017

Joshua Maurmier, B.A., undergraduate student
Current position: unknown

group of 7 researchers outside - 6 women, 1 man

Join Our Lab

If you have an interest in the research that we are conducting and would like to be considered for a position in the lab, please send an email including your CV and a letter of interest to Vanessa Nomellini, M.D., Ph.D.

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Our current research interests include post-translational modifications, immune tolerance, and T cell differentiation in regulation of gastrointestinal inflammation and cancer. The goal of our research is to identify key immune checkpoints of gastrointestinal disorders that could be targeted for therapeutic intervention and drug development.

Meet the Principal Investigator

Venuprasad K. Poojary, Ph.D.

Venuprasad K. Poojary, Ph.D., a faculty member in Internal Medicine and Immunology, studies regulatory mechanisms in immune cells that prevent chronic inflammation. Dr. Poojary got his postdoctoral training at La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in San Diego, CA. His current research interests include post-translational modifications, immune tolerance, and T cell differentiation in regulation of gastrointestinal inflammation and cancer. The goal of his research is to identify key immune checkpoints of gastrointestinal disorders that could be targeted for therapeutic intervention and drug development.

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Email Venuprasad K. Poojary, Ph.D.