Alejandro Roldán-Alzate, PhD
Dr. Roldán transitioned out of the K12 program upon receipt of an NIH R01 award in August 2021.
During his time as a K12 scholar, his mentors were Will Ricke, PhD, UWMF Professor in the Department of Urology and Dr. Wade Bushman, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Urology.
Dr. Roldán is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Radiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, and Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. His current research focuses on the use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to better characterize the size and location of the prostate, as well as to non-invasively measure urine flow and fluid dynamics in the lower urinary tract.
Petra Popovics, PhD
Dr. Popovics left the program upon receipt of an independent K01 effective May 1, 2021, under the mentorship of Will Ricke, PhD, UWMF Professor in the Department of Urology.
Dr. Popovics is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. Dr. Popovics’ research focuses on the role of osteopontin in prostatic inflammation and fibrosis. Dr. Popovics recently observed that OPN expression was highly elevated in a rat model of inflammation-induced stroll expansion and prostatic fibrosis, as well as in human prostatic hyperplasia, indicating that OPN may be a valuable molecular target for treatment or presentation of prostatic fibrosis.
Teresa Te-Ying Liu, PhD
Dr. Liu left the program upon receipt of an independent K01 effective July 1, 2020, under the mentorship of Will Ricke, PhD, UWMF Professor in the Department of Urology, School of Medicine and Public Health.
Dr. Liu’s research focuses on the role of estrogen receptors on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) development and progression. She is further combining this work with investigations of the effects of aging on the prostate and lower urinary tract function.
Heidi Wendell Brown, MD, MAS, FACOG, FPMRS
Dr. Brown completed the K12 program September 30, 2019, under the direction of Dr. Jane Mahoney.
Dr. Brown is an Associate Professor with appointments in Urology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Population Health Sciences, and is key faculty for the Institute for Clinical and Translation Research (ICTR) Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) Launchpad program. She received an R01 from NIDDK in April 2021 and is the contact PI for a U18 funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in February 2022.
UW Obstetrics and Gynecology – Brown Research Team
Diego Hernando, PhD
Dr. Hernando participated in the K12 program March 31, 2017 through April 1, 2018, under the direction of Dr. Scott Reeder and Dr. Will Ricke.
Dr. Hernando left the program upon receipt of an NIH R01 award. Dr. Hernando is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology in the School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Hernado’s primary research focus is development of more detailed and precise use of MRI to non-invasively assess the relationship between amount and distribution of intra-abdominal fat with metabolic syndrome, liver disease, and lower urinary tract disease.
Ashleigh Brooks Theberge, PhD
Dr. Theberge completed the K12 program December 31, 2015, under the direction of Will Ricke, PhD.
Her research focused on microenvironmental regulation of angiogenesis in benign prostatic hyperplasia. Dr. Theberge completed four refereed publications during her K12 training. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Washington, Seattle.