Zahida Khan, PhD
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Program:
Cellular and Molecular Pathology
Graduated:
8/2006
Mentor:
Drs. George K. Michalopoulos and Donna B. Stolz
Thesis:
Subcellular Localization of Hypoxia-Inducible Factors and HIF Regulatory Hydroxylases in Rat Liver
Previous Institutions Attended:
Simmons College, BS in Biochemistry
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I entered the Pitt/CMU Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) in 2000 in order to earn a combined MD/PhD degree. I completed the PhD portion of my training in 2002-2006. After defending my PhD in Cellular & Molecular Pathology, I returned to medical school to finish my last 2 years of MD studies; I am currently a third year medical student. I hope to graduate from the MSTP in May 2008. I'm looking forward to "the Match" and beginning my Pediatric residency in 2008, followed by fellowship training in Pediatric Gastroenterology or Hematology/Oncology.
Fellowships, Awards, Promotions:
Research Funding:
Cellular Approaches to Tissue Engineering and Regeneration (CATER) Program, Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Pre-Doctoral Fellowship (PHS 1 T32 EB001026), awarded from the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 2003-2005.
Graduate Awards:
American Society for Investigational Pathology (ASIP) Young Pathologist Fellowship for Experimental Biology/ASIP Conference, 2006
MT-CAP Student Travel Award for Experimental Biology/ASIP Conference, 2005
MIGS-NET Travel Award for Current Progress in Tissue Engineering Short Course at Harvard Medical School,2004
Positions Held:
Co-Chair, MSTP Alumni Relations Committee, 2006-2007
Peer Mentor for two entering MSTP students, 2004-pres.
Application Screener, MSTP Admissions/Selection Committee, 2005
SURP-MS Research Mentor to minority summer undergraduate student, 2005
Student Interviewer, MSTP Admissions/Interviewing Committee, 2004
Student Rep, McGowan Instituteís MIGS-NET and MT-CAP Boards, 2004-2005
Co-Chair, MSTP Ethics Committee, 2003
Volunteer, Pittsburgh Women's Shelter Free Clinic, 2000-2001
Volunteer, Salvation Army Birmingham Free Clinic, 2001
Honor Council Rep, Pitt Med Class of 2004, 2000-2002
Student Interviewer, Medical School Admissions, 2000-2001
Publications while a graduate student at Pitt:
Z. Khan, D.B. Stolz, and J. M. Crawford. "Ultrastructure of the hepatocyte" in Oxford Textbook of Clinical Hepatology: from Basic Science to Clinical Practice, Third ed. Blackwell. JP Benhamou, A. Blei, J-F Dufour, P. Ginès, S. Friedmann, J. Reichen, J. Rodes, C. Valla, F. Zoulim Editors. [Book chapter] In Press.
Z. Khan, G.K. Michalopoulos, and D.B. Stolz. (2006) "Peroxisomal localization of hypoxia-inducible factors and HIF regulatory hydroxylases in primary rat hepatocytes exposed to hypoxia-reoxygenation." Am. J. Pathol. 169:1251-1269. [Research Article]
Michalopoulos, G.K., and Z. Khan. (2005) "Liver regeneration, growth factors, and amphiregulin." Gastroenterology 128:503-506. [Editorial]
What did you find to be personally rewarding in the work you did while here at Pitt or in the work in which you are currently involved?
As a Graduate Research Assistant in the Pathology Department I gained confidence in performing independent experiments for my PhD Dissertation on the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway in rat liver. I learned to develop my thesis project "from scratch," and to work out all the necessary methods for studying HIF in an unconventional model system (rat liver/hepatocyte culture). For example, I had to perfect hypoxic culture conditions--a challenge since HIF-1a protein has a half-life of 5 minutes in room air! I enjoyed collaborating with HIF researchers in other departments and outside institutions. I also gained valuable insight from Dr. Stolz and the imaging experts at Center for Biologic Imaging (CBI).
I feel that in graduate school I gained the training to work independently on developing, focusing, and completing a novel research proposal. I also had numerous opportunities to present my work at conferences and seminars, plus I was directly responsible for training a summer undergrad researcher in one of the summer research programs for minority students offered through the Med School. I feel that all of this additional graduate training will benefit me in my future career as a physician-scientist and that the skills I have gained will further enhance my clinical interactions with patients and colleagues. What did you enjoy most about your research experiences and graduate studies here at Pitt?
I really enjoyed the research discussions and clinical presentations by the impressive Liver group here at Pitt. I first decided on attending Pitt Med because of its strong focus on Hepatology, ranging from liver transplantation to regeneration to artificial liver devices. This is definitely a place where "translational research" is a reality, not just a buzzword!
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