M
John Mazziotta, MD, PhD
Dr. John C. Mazziotta assumed the position of Vice Chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and Dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA on March 1, 2015. Dr. Mazziotta has been a member of the UCLA faculty since 1983. Before his appointment as Vice Chancellor and Dean, he served as Associate Vice Chancellor for health sciences and Executive Vice Dean of the school of medicine. Dr. Mazziotta also has been chair Department of Neurology and director of the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, of which he was the founder.
Dr. Mazziotta earned his MD and PhD in neuroanatomy and computer science from Georgetown University. Following an internship at Georgetown, he completed neurology and nuclear medicine training at UCLA.
Dr. Mazziotta has published more than 260 research papers and eight texts. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Oldendorf Award from the American Society of Neuroimaging, the S. Weir Mitchell Award and the Wartenberg Prize of the American Academy of Neurology, and the Von Hevesy Prize from the International Society of Nuclear Medicine. Dr. Mazziotta also has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and he is a member of the Royal College of Physicians.
Practice Location 300 UCLA Medical Plaza, Suite B200 Los Angeles CA 90095
John McDonald, MD
Dr. John McDonald received his M.D. from the University of Iowa in 1964. He completed internship at the University of Oregon in 1965. He completed an Ob/Gyn residency at the University of Iowa in 1968. He completed his second residency in Anesthesiology at the University of Washington in 1970.
His first academic position was at LAC/USC from 1970-1977 as Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology. He co-founded the first neonatal intensive care unit at LAC/USC and was also director of anesthesiology and Respiratory Therapy at Women’s Hospital.
His second academic position was the University of Colorado as Professor and Vice Chairman of Anesthesiology and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology 1977-1978.
His third academic appointment was at The Ohio State University as Professor and Chairman of Anesthesiology and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology 1978-1998. He was also appointed as faculty at the Ohio Super-Computer Center 1988.
His fourth academic appointment is at Los Angeles where he is Professor and Chairman of Anesthesiology and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology both at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Dr. McDonald was recruited by founder of the Ohio Supercomputer Center, Dr. Charlie Bender; who believed his presence as faculty would stimulate ideas from the medical viewpoint that would be fresh projects for research and development of new viewpoints of model formulation. This became reality within the next few years with the development of the model of “Virtual Reality Lumbar Epidural”. This provided Dr. McDonald and colleague Don Stredney’s development of an end product that later precipitated their receiving a Smithsonian Award at the 1966 annual Washington D.C. ceremony.
Recent research efforts have focused on development of a unique research group composed of a total of five M.D.s and Ph.D.s. Our work continues to be centered about the confocal scope with the academic focus on pain messaging systems of the rat pelvis bladder, uterus, and colon. Our group has published 4 peer review papers in the past five year period.
Our current focus is development of unraveling of the mystery of pain as it concerns the “intracellular mechanisms”. We believe some of the quandary of inconsistent relief of pelvic pain lies in this medium and we plan to continue our search for some means of understanding this enigmatic major pain problem.
Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, Department of Anesthesiology 1000 West Carson Street Torrance CA 90502
James McRoberts, PhD
Dr. McRoberts’ research focuses on the mechanisms involved in visceral pain, particularly that associated with the GI tract. He uses in vitro biological approaches to examine neurons and neurotransmission at the cellular and molecular level. He also examines behavioral responses to various visceral pain paradigms with an emphasis on stress modulation of pain perception. The specific goal of Dr. McRoberts’ project is to determine the role of peripheral N-methyl-D-aspartate-type glutamate receptors (NMDARs) expressed on extrinsic primary afferent nerves in visceral and somatic pain transmission and in the development of peripheral and central sensitization. Using various molecular techniques and whole cell patch clamp methodology, he has identified the NMDAR subunits expressed by different subtypes of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons, characterized the functional and pharmacological properties of these receptors, identified their role in modulating afferent sensitivity to mechanical distension of the colon, demonstrated that NMDARs in DRG neurons regulate voltage-dependent calcium channels through PKC activation, and shown that colonic inflammation leads to persistent up-regulation in NMDAR channels with altered pharmacological properties . He has also developed mice with tissue specific knock out of NMDARs in DRG neurons and shown that these mice have diminished nociceptive responses during phase 2 of the formalin test, thus demonstrating that these receptors participate in the process of central sensitization. The long-term goal of this research is find better means to control pain of visceral origin in order to help patients with functional bowel diseases such as IBS.
Paul Micevych, PhD
The reproductive hormones estradiol and progesterone bathe our internal organs. They have profound influence over the central and peripheral nervous system. While these steroids have been studied for many years, recent advances indicate that many actions of estradiol in the nervous system are mediated by receptors located on the cell membrane, suggesting more of a neurotransmitter than a hormonal role. My lab is working to understand the multiple mechanisms and circuits through which estrogen and progesterone affect cell types in different systems to affect reproduction, behavior, pain transmission and neuroprotection.
Research efforts in the Micevych laboratory involve understanding the cellular and molecular events underlying estrogen action on neurons and glial cells. Estrogen has profound effects on cognitive function and neuroprotection, as well as, reproductive functions. Estrogen affects the expression and activity of various neuropeptides and sex steroids. In particular they have focused on regulation mu-opioid and nociceptin receptors in the CNS regulation of sexual behavior. Recent experiments have demonstrated the synthesis of progesterone in the brain, its regulation by estrogen and physiologic functions of neuroprogesterone. RT-PCR and calcium imaging experiments in neurons and astrocytes have been used to elucidate the mechanisms of estrogen rapid signaling in both glial cells and neurons. The Micevych laboratory has demonstrated that estrogen can modulate nociceptive signaling through rapid actions on primary sensory neurons demonstrating a novel mechanism of estrogen modulation of pain. Additionally, the Micevych Laboratory has been studying the neuroprotective action of estrogen in the nigrostriatal dopamine system. Estrogen activates the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to ameliorate a hallmark of ParkinsonA?s disease A? the neurodegeneration of dopamine neurons. Significantly, estrogen or IGF-1 is efficacious after either central or peripheral administration. Together these experiments underscore the broad range of estrogen signaling influencing both physiology and pathology.
Holly Middlekauff, MD
My research is focused on the derangements of the autonomic nervous system, especially the sympathetic nervous system, in humans with heart failure. I am currently studying the abnormal reflex responses to exercise in heart failure patients, and how these contribute to the overall exercise limitation in heart failure. We are testing the hypothesis that exaggerated sympatho-excitatory responses to exercise in heart failure are mediated by muscle mechanoreceptor sensory nerves, which have been sensitized by ischemic metabolites. A secondary focus of my research is on the effects of acupuncture on the autonomic nervous system.
200 UCLA Medical Plaza Suite C365 Los Angeles CA 90095
Million Mulugeta, DVM, PhD
Dr. Mulugeta focuses on the role of CRF2 receptors (CRF2R) in stress-related alteration of colonic function and visceral pain. His research program tests the hypothesis that CRFR2 activation modulates stress-related neuroenteric physiology, lower gut motor function alterations and stress-related visceral pain of colonic origin. Short term goals are 1) identification of enteric neuron, neuroendocrine and spinal cells expressing the CRF2R and its ligand/s and 2) understanding of the interaction of CRF2R and CRF1R activation during stress. Long-term goals include defining the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the coping response, homeostasis, of the gastrointestinal tract during stress.
Dr Mulugeta has published several papers on the brain-gut interaction and stress related gastrointestinal motility, pain and inflammatory responses. He serves as a peer-reviewer for numerous medical journals, and is on the editorial boards for the Digestive Diseases & Science and the World Journal of Gastroenterology. Dr Mulugeta is recipient of several awards including the 2011 International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders award in basic sciences. Dr Mulugeta’s research is supported by NIH and industry grants.
N
Bruce Naliboff, PhD
My research has focused on psychological and psychophysiological mechanisms of stress and pain, including sex differences, utilizing a variety of methodologies and with particular emphasis on visceral pain disorders such as IBS. The development and assessment of nonpharmacological treatments targeted at chronic pain has also been a significant focus of my research. These include cognitive behavioral therapies as well as alternative medicine treatments of yoga and meditation. An important theme of this research is the use of both psychological and physiological measures (including autonomic assessment and brain imaging) to better understand the mechanism of change from non-pharmacological interventions and use of this information to guide better targeting of treatments to specific problems and individual phenotypes. My role Project Co-Leader for Project 3 in the current application involves working on the overall design, assessment protocols and application of the CBT treatment to interventional phenotyping. I have a long and close collaboration with Dr. Mayer, Dr. Chang and the other Investigators who will have my extensive background in behavioral, perceptual, psychophysiological and intervention research applied to chronic pain at their disposal throughout the study.
Publications
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/bruce.naliboff.1/bibliograpahy/44607532/public/
10833 Le Conte Avenue Center for Health Sciences 42-210 Los Angeles CA 90095 United States
P
Jeanette Papp, PhD
Dr. Papp is the Director of the UCLA Genotyping and Sequencing Core (GenoSeq ), and a member of the UCLA Bioinformatics Core. She came to UCLA in 2000. Prior to that she worked at genome centers in Paris and Oxford. In addition to overseeing data generation and analysis in the Core, her research interests include developing novel bioinformatic solutions for the management and analysis of all types of genetic data within the Department of Human Genetics.
695 Charles E. Young Drive South Los Angeles CA 90095
Martin Paulus, MD
Dr. Paulus studied Medicine at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz from 1979-1985. He received a postdoctoral fellowship from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) in 1986 to study the effects of calcium antagonists on animal models of mania at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). In 1993, Dr. Paulus left UCSD to resume his medical training and completed his internship at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center / Zucker Hillside Hospital on Long Island, NY. In 1994, he rejoined the Department of Psychiatry at UCSD as a psychiatric resident. Dr. Paulus completed his residency in psychiatry in 1997. At that time, he joined the Department of Psychiatry at UCSD as an Assistant Professor. He also became a staff psychiatrist at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Health Care System (VASDHS). Dr. Paulus is currently a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCSD and Director of Telemental Health at the VASDHS, which focuses on delivering evidence based psychotherapy to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In May 2014, Dr. Paulus joined the Laureate Institute For Brain Research (LIBR) in Tulsa, OK, as the Scientific Director and President.
8939 Villa La Jolla Drive Suite 200 La Jolla CA 92037
Joseph Pisegna, MD
Dr. Joseph Pisegna is Professor of Medicine at UCLA and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. Dr. Pisegna is interested in the molecular pharmacology of hormones and receptors in the gastrointestinal tract, especially the diagnosis and management of islet cell tumors of the pancreas, including the Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome. These research and clinical interests derive from research in the biochemistry and physiology of neuroendocrine tumors. While a fellow at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Pisegna first developed a clinical interest in the Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome (ZES), where he discovered and cloned the receptor for gastrin and named it the cholecystokinin B receptor. More recently, Dr. Pisegna has demonstrated that receptors for gastrin are present in the kidney and mediate food-induced regulation of salt excretion. Dr. Pisegna was recruited to the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Center for Ulcer Research and Education (CURE) in 1996. He is a recipient of the VA Career Development Award at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. His addition to the faculty of the UCLA Center for Pancreatic Diseases provides unsurpassed expertise in the diagnosis and medical management of pancreatic endocrine tumors.
200 UCLA Medical Plaza Los Angeles CA 90095
Charalabos Pothoulakis, MD
Dr. Pothoulakis graduated from the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki Medical School in Greece and he joined the Division of Gastroenterology at Boston University Medical Center as a Research Fellow in Gastroenterology in 1982. After completion of his fellowship he became a faculty member at the Department of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr Pothoulakis joined the Division of Gastroenterology at Beth Israel Medical Center, Harvard Medical School in 1996 as an Assistant Professor and became Professor of Medicine in this institution in 2005. In 2003 he established a “Gastrointestinal Neuropeptide Center” in the Division of Gastroenterology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center that involved a multi-disciplinary approach to study neuropeptide function in the GI tract. During his tenure at Harvard Medical School he has also been a member of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Massachusetts General Hospital and he was the Director of a NIH Program Project grant that examined the barrier function of the GI Tract in health and disease.
Dr. Pothoulakis’ research program is primarily focused on the role of neuropeptides and hormones in several disease states, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Clostridium difficile infection, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. His recent projects also involve the neuropeptide-dependent mechanisms by which communication between the intestinal mucosa and the fat depots affect the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammation. He is an author of over 165 original articles and numerous reviews and book chapters and served in the Editorial Board of several biomedical journals, including Gastroenterology, and American Journal of Physiology. He was recently elected as the Vice Chair of the Hormones, Transmitters, Growth Factors and Receptors Section of the American Gastroenterological Association, and has been a member of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Section of this Association. In 2005 Dr. Pothoulakis received an honorary degree from Harvard University and he is the recipient of the “Janssen Award in Basic Research in Gastrointestinal Motility” by the American Gastroenterological Association for his discoveries and insights into the function of gastrointestinal neuropeptides. Dr. Pothoulakis’ research projects have been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, the Broad Foundation, The Martin Blinder Foundation for Crohn’s Disease, and the Knapp Foundation.
675 Charles E. Young Dr. South MRL RM# 1240, Box 957019 Los Angeles CA 90095
R
Rafael Ramirez, PhD
Andrea Rapkin, MD
I am a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Pelvic Pain Clinic and the Vulvodynia research program and the PMDD research program at the University of California, Los Angeles. As an internationally recognized leader in the study of chronic pelvic and vulvar pain and hormonally mediated mood disorders I have authored or co-authored over a 120 articles, chapters, books, and reviews in this area. I have investigated peripheral and central mechanisms underlying pain and mood related to the reproductive system.
I am thoroughly versed in the literature and have very substantial clinical experience and a well-defined track record in the research and treatment of vulvodynia, pelvic pain, menstrually related mood disorders and menopause. I initiated one of the first multidisciplinary pelvic and vulvar pain clinics in the country. My goals were to offer comprehensive and innovative clinical care and access to current research studies for women suffering from complex chronic pelvic and vulvar pain disorders. Our UCLA site is also one of five research centers participating in the National Vulvodynia Patient Outcomes Registry thus far resulting in 4 publications with 1 under review.
I have collaborated with the investigators at the G Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience at UCLA for many years. If this proposal is funded, I will assist Drs. Chang and Gupta and their co- investigators with the conceptual and methodical aspects of the protocol concerning hormonal assessment and interpretation of menstrual cycle phase and post menopausal status and hormonal effects on GI symptoms, brain-gut microbiome, and gut transit. I will participate in the analysis and interpretation of all data and preparation and presentation of abstracts, manuscripts and reports. Given my clinical investigative experience working with this field, I believe I am well-equipped to be a significant contributor of the proposed research.
Publications
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/1r534_s8lyeQb/bibliography/40455311/public/
UCLA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Box 951740, 27-139 CHS Los Angeles CA 90095-1740 United States
Shlomo Raz, MD
Shlomo Raz, M.D. joined UCLA in 1975 and oversees the Division of Female Urology, Reconstructive Surgery and Urodynamics. Dr. Raz has been a recognized leader in developing new treatments for female urology conditions for over 28 years. Dr. Raz pioneered many of the innovations that today are the standards of care worldwide for such conditions as vaginal and uterine prolapse, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor disorders, voiding dysfunction, and surgical reconstruction after cancer for urethral abnormalities.
During the past 28 years at UCLA, Dr. Raz has been committed to the highest standard of care of patients with urologic conditions affecting the lower urinary tract. He is a definite authority and one of the most prominent physicians in the field of female urology and urologic reconstructive surgery. With his numerous surgical innovations, as well as his involvement in the development of new pharmacological and surgical treatments of urologic conditions, Dr. Raz has helped define the field of female urology and reconstruction for the past two decades. He is author of more than 170 peer reviewed publications, and is author and chief editor of some of the most important texts and surgical atlases used throughout the world to train physicians in female urology and reconstructive surgery.
UCLA Urology BOX 957366 Los Angeles CA 90095
Sang Hoon Rhee, PhD
Dr. Rhee’s research focuses on studying roles of host-microbial interaction in the gastrointestinal tract. Specifically, the lab has been investigating the function of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) which is a family of pattern recognition receptor recognizing microbial products to elicit inflammatory and innate immune responses. Recently, Dr. Rhee demonstrated that TLR5 is associated with the development and progress of inflammatory bowel diseases. Moreover, Dr. Rhee’s studies also showed that TLR5 plays an important role to elicit innate immunity to regulate anti-tumor activity. Studies to be presented will include a role of TLR5 in regulating colon cancer and a potential mechanism to modulate anti-tumor activity against colonic tumor. This research program has a record of continuous support from the NIH/NIDDK, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute at both UCLA and Harvard Medical School.
Larissa Rodriguez, MD
Dr. Rodríguez is an established surgeon-scientist with extensive expertise in the field of female pelvic and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) in urology. Dr. Rodríguez is nationally and internationally recognized for her work in the field of stem cell research and tissue engineering.
An awarded researcher, Dr. Rodríguez has developed patented techniques and innovative surgical strategies to provide treatment in areas such as stress incontinence and reconstruction of the bladder and lower urinary tract. Another focus of her research has been the study of the etiology and treatment of urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse, in which she is active in clinical research and outcomes research as they relate to treatment in these areas.
Melenie Rosales
Melenie Rosales has worked at UCLA for 19 years and been the center administrator for CNSR for the last 5 years. She has a BS in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology from UCLA and an AA in Accounting.
10833 Le Conte Ave CHS 42-210 MC737818 Los Angeles California 90095-7378 United States
Michael Ross, MD, MPH
Dr. Michael Ross, M.D., MPH is a Founder of Cervilenz, Inc. in 2008, and serves as its Medical Director. Dr. Ross serves as the Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California. He has been Member of Clinical Advisory Board for MERIDIAN(TM) Line of Non-Invasive Fetal Heart Rate Monitors at MindChild Medical, Inc. since February 2012. Dr. Ross serves as Vice Chair of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at
1000 West Carson Street Box 3 Torrance CA 90502
S
David Shapiro, PhD
David Shapiro is a psychologist with special interests and research experience in psyhophysiology and health psychology. He directs the Psychophysiology Laboratory in the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. He was appointed Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences in the School of Medicine in 1974 and has also been a member of the Department of Psychology in Arts and Sciences,and he became Professor Emeritus in 1994. From 1953 to 1974 he was on the faculty of Harvard University in the Departments of Psychology and Social Relations and in Psychiatry. His publications include basic research and clinical applications of biofeedback and self-regulation, social and emotional processes affecting cardiovascular regulation and risk for hypertension, psychological factors in smoking. and the psychological benefits of yoga. He has served as Editor of the journal Psychophysiology and on the editoral board of other journals. His research has been honored by the Society for Psychophysiological Research, Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the Society of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeeback.
Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD
Dr. Shivkumar received his medical degree from the University of Madras, India in 1991 and his PhD from UCLA in 2000. He completed his cardiology fellowship training at the University of California, Los Angeles, and upon completion of his training joined the faculty at University of Iowa, where he also served as the Associate Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology.
In 2002, he was recruited back to UCLA to direct the newly created UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. His field of specialization is interventional cardiac electrophysiology and he heads a group at UCLA that is involved in developing innovative techniques for the non-pharmacological management of cardiac arrhythmias.
He is currently Professor of Medicine and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Radiology at UCLA.
Dr. Shivkumar is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in the subspecialties of Cardiovascular Disease and Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology.
He holds memberships in several professional organizations, including the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology and the Heart Rhythm Society.
100 UCLA Medical Plaza, suite 6300 Suite # 690 Los Angeles CA 90095