Jarrard Lab
- David F Jarrard, MD
- Bing Yang, MD, PhD
- Marcelo Bigarella, MD
- Tanaya Purohit, MS
- Abigail (Abby) Wiedmer, BS
- Undergraduate Students
David F Jarrard, MD (Principal investigator)
jarrard@urology.wisc.edu
MD, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA.
Junior Residency in General Surgery, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Residency in Urology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Fellow in Urologic Oncology, American Foundation for Urologic Disease, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
Dr. Jarrard a tenured Professor, Vice Chair for the Department of Urology, and Deputy Director at the UW Carbone Cancer Center at the University of Wisconsin. He is a physician-scientist with expertise in clinical urologic cancer management, clinical trials, and translational research. He currently holds the John Livesey Chair in Urologic Oncology and am a member of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery Epigenetics program. Service on several national committees includes prostate cancer guidelines panels for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the American Urological Association (AUA). National leadership roles have included past-President of the AUA North Central Section, the Society for Basic Urologic Research (SBUR), and Society for Academic Urology (SAU) and co-Chair of the Research, Education, and Conferences Committee (RECCC) for the AUA. He has wide-ranging experience serving as a reviewer and chair.
His clinical work concentrates on the surgical treatment of prostate cancer and improving cancer detection and outcomes. He serves as the urology co-PI on the paradigm-shifting CHAARTED trial of docetaxel and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for metastatic HSPC, and on other trials in chemoprevention and advanced prostate cancer management.
Dr. Jarrard is the principle investigator for the University of Wisconsin Prostate Cancer Special Program of Research Excellence (SPORE), a highly competitive grant focused on translating research into new treatments for our patients. Other basic science and translational research interests are supported through the NIH (R01) and the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program examining epigenetic factors underlying prostate cancer progression and novel approaches to treating advanced disease. This work has led to the development of novel epigenetic and imaging biomarkers in normal tissue. Recent innovations include the recognition that androgen removal, a common treatment in advanced prostate cancer, when combined with agents targeting unique epigenetic and metabolic changes can improve cancer outcomes. He has published numerous chapters, articles, and abstracts in the field of prostate cancer. Dr. Jarrard has an extensive and enthusiastic history of mentoring graduate, undergraduate, residents, and faculty.
Bing Yang, MD, PhD (Distinguished Researcher)
yangb@urology.wisc.edu
MD, Jiamusi Medical University (China).
PhD, Nagasaki University (Japan).
Dr. Yang is the co-leader of the Jarrard laboratory and has a long record of excellence in research, mentoring and publications. Her research focuses on examining epigenetic alterations in prostate cancer and investigating epigenetic causes behind hormone treatment failure in prostate cancer.
Awards: WARF Innovation Award for developing a molecular-based method to diagnose prostate cancer.
Marcelo Bigarella, MD (Clinical fellow for Urologic oncology)
bigarella@urology.wisc.edu
MD, University of Sao Paulo (Brazil).
Residency in Urology and Kidney Transplantation, University of Sao Paulo (Brazil).
Dr. Marcelo Bigarella is a specialist in Urology from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He completed his medical studies and residency in Urology and Kidney Transplant at the University of Sao Paulo. After completing his residency, he pursued on an MD Ph.D. track, focusing on the study of prostate cancer biomarkers (urine glycoproteomics) and their potential for early diagnosis. He is an active member of the American Urological Association and a junior member of the Society of Urological Oncology. Since 2022, he has held the position of Clinical Fellow for Urologic Oncology in the Department of Urology at UW-Madison. In the Jarrard lab, his projects revolve around neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy and its potential to improve outcomes in prostate cancer. Additionally, he is involved in investigating the utility of new imaging modalities (PET PSMA MRI, mpMRI) for the detection of prostate cancer and their role in improving patient selection for active surveillance in localized cases. Through his research, he aims to explore innovative treatments and surgical techniques for urologic cancers in order to enhance patient outcomes and quality of life. In addition to his professional pursuits, he derives great enjoyment from endurance activities, including participating in long-distance races and marathons, engaging in trail runs, and undertaking high-altitude mountaineering. He has successfully summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, and Cotopaxi in Ecuador. He believes that resilience and hard work pay off, both in the mountains and in the research world.
Tanaya Purohit, MS (PhD student)
tpurohit2@wisc.edu
BSc, Biotechnology, SP Pune University (India).
Post graduate diploma in Bioinformatics, BVD University (India).
MS, Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship, New York University, New York, NY.
Ms Purohit is a PhD candidate working towards her thesis in the Jarrard lab. She is in the Cancer biology PhD program offered by the McArdle laboratory for Cancer research (Department of Oncology). Her research focuses on understanding the role of histone-modifying enzymes in prostate tumorigenesis after androgen deprivation therapy. She is also interested in exploring the link between genetic and epigenetic alterations that occur in prostate cancer progression. Outside of wet lab research, Tanaya is actively involved in UWCCC Cancer Trainee Network whose mission is to grow the involvement of trainees across the UW cancer research fields and foster a community of service. Additionally, she serves on the SMPH/UW Health Diversity Workforce and Equity Transformation committee as a trainee representative.
Abigail (Abby) Wiedmer, BS (Clinical research coordinator)
wiedmer@urology.wisc.edu
BS, Genetics and Genomics and a certificate in Global health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
Ms Wiedmer obtained her degree in Genetics and has extensive experience in clinical research and global health. Currently, she works as a Clinical Research Coordinator for the Department of Urology, and is coordinating studies that focus on prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, kidney stones, and hypospadias. Her work with Dr. Jarrard focuses on studying patients who have low amounts of prostate cancer (on active surveillance) and comparing the traditional MRI and the new age PSMA 18F-DCFPyL PET scans to see which has a better detection when followed up by prostate biopsy. Outside of work, Abby enjoys spending time with family, doing outdoor activities, and watching sporting events.
Kayla Bahr
kjbahr@wisc.edu
BS, Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI. (2021-2024)
Sean Sardeson
ssardeson@wisc.edu
BS, Neurobiology, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI. (2020-2024)