Vascular Biology Journal Club is a weekly gathering dedicated to exporing recent journal articles that hightlight advances in the field of cardiovascular biology. Each session is led by trainees, who guide the discussion and address questions in relation to the specific background, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusions as well as its broader impact on the field. These discussions are designed to strengthen presentation skills, critical thinking, and the ability to deliver meaningful scientific critiques.
Join us! Attendees play a vital role by pre-reading papers, asking insightful questions, exchanging ideas, and providing constructive feedback.
Papers for discussion are distributed in advance. Contact KMartin@augusta.edu to receive announcements.
Bring your favorite morning beverage and let's talk research!
Jump to: Co-Directors Spring 2025 Past Years
Dr. G谩bor Cs谩nyi
Dr. Vijay Ganta
| Date | Speaker |
| Aug 15 | Hunter Sellers, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: David Fulton, PhD Title: 鈥淚midazole propionate is a driver and therapeutic target in atherosclerosis鈥. Nat (2025) |
| Aug 22 | Candee Barris, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Eric Bellin de Chantem猫le, PhD Title: 鈥淧aracrine Smooth Muscle-to-Endothelial Signaling via TNF Elevates Blood Pressure in Obesity鈥. Circ Res (2025) |
| Aug 29 | Doug Sloan, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title:鈥淏ioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains鈥. Mat Med (2025) |
| Sept 5 | Josue Zambrano-Carrasco, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Huabo Su, PhD Title: 鈥淩ewiring of 3D Chromatin Topology Orchestrates Transcriptional Reprogramming and the Development of Human Dilated Cardiomyopathy鈥. Circ (2022) |
| Sept 12 | Cody Bridgewater, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: David Stepp, PhD Title: 鈥Characterizing primary and secondary senescence in vivo鈥. Nat Aging (2025) |
| Sept 19 | Chang Min Lee, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Jie Li, PhD Title: 鈥Tunneling nanotube鈥搇ike structures regulate distant cellular interactions during heart formation鈥. Science (2025) |
| Sept 26 | Julia (Emily) Steinbeck, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Immunology Center of Georgia Advisor: Adil Rasheed, PhD Title: 鈥Immune checkpoint landscape of human atherosclerosis and influence of cardiometabolic factors鈥. Nat Cardiovasc Res (2024) |
| Oct 3 | Khalia Cummings, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Immunology Center of Georgia Advisor: Marco Orecchioni, PhD Title: 鈥淗CC-1 Accelerates Atherosclerosis by Inducing Endothelial Cell and Macrophage Pyroptosis and Serves as an Early Diagnostic Biomarker鈥. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol (2024). |
| Oct 10 | Drew Speese, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: David Stepp, PhD Title: 鈥淢acrophage DNases Limit Neutrophil Extracellular Trap鈥揗ediated Defective Efferocytosis in Atherosclerosis鈥. Circ Res. (2025). |
| Oct 17 | Kelvin Orji, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisors: Masuko Ushio-Fukai, PhD, and Tohru Fukai, MD, PhD Title: 鈥淓ndothelial AGGF1 Promotes Retinal Angiogenesis by Coordinating TNFSF12/FN14 Signaling鈥. Nat Comm (2025) |
| Oct 24 | Obaalologhi (Wilfred) Wilfred, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Huabo Su, PhD Title: 鈥淐EMIP Maintains Vascular Contractility by Controlling PP1c-MLC20 Cascade in SMCs鈥. Circ Res. (2025). |
| Oct 31 | Jaser Doja, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Joseph Miano, PhD Title: 鈥Genomic Editing of a Pathogenic Mutation in ACTA2 Rescues Multisystemic Smooth Muscle Dysfunction Syndrome in Mice鈥. Circ. (2025) |
| Nov 7 | No meeting |
| Nov 14 | Elizabeth Aboagye, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Benard Ogola, PhD Title: 鈥淩ole of the Renin-Angiotensin System in Blood Pressure Regulation in Smooth Muscle-Specific Cullin-3 Deficient Mice鈥. Hypertension (2025). |
| Nov 21 | Tamasi Roy, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title: 鈥Portal hypertension contributes to ascites formation via the Piezo1鈭抧uclear factor kappa-B鈭抋quaporin1 pathway in liver cirrhosis鈥. Nature (2025). |
| Nov 28 | No meeting |
| Dec 5 | Stephen Addo, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title: 鈥Hypertriglyceridemia as a Key Contributor to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Development and Rupture: Insights From Genetic and Experimental Models鈥. Circ (2025). |
| Dec 12 | Amritha Sreekumar, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title: 鈥SM22伪-Lineage Perivascular Stromal Cells Contribute to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm鈥. Circ Res (2025). |
| Dec 19 | Delphine Okoye, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Benard Ogola, PhD Title: 鈥淐alcium Oscillations Within Juxtaglomerular Cell Clusters Control Renin Release鈥. Circ Res (2025). |
| Dec 26 | No Meeting |
| Happy 2026 | |
| Jan 2 | No Meeting |
| Jan 9 | Doug Sloan, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Jan 16 | Kamarajan Rajagopal, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentors: Masuko Ushio-Fukai, PhD, and Tohru Fukai, MD, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Jan 23 | Mitch Shivers, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: David Fulton, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Jan 30 | Elizabeth Aboagye, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Benard Ogola, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Feb 6 | Ishara M.G. Menik, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Benard Ogola, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Feb 13 | Tamasi Roy, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Feb 20 | Beryl Khakina PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Eric Belin de Chantem猫le, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Feb 27 | Zach Brown, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: David Fulton, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Mar 6 | Adam Salon, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Eric Belin de Chantem猫le, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Mar 13 | TBA |
| Mar 20 | Peter Biggs, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Alexander Verin, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Mar 27 | No Meeting - Graduate Research Day Events |
| Apr 3 | Kelvin Orji, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Tohru Fukai, MD, PhD, and Masuko Ushio-Fukai, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Apr 10 | No Meeting |
| Apr 17 | Julia (Emily) Steinbeck, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Immunology Center of Georgia Advisor: Marco Orecchioni, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Apr 24 | No Meeting |
| Apr 29 | Obaalologhi (Wilfred) Wilfred, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Huabo Su, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| May 1 | Latika Jaiswal, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentor: Alexander Verin, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| May 8 | Xiaoliang Wu, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentor: Xiaochun Long, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| May 15 | No Meeting |
| May 22 | TBA |
| May 29 | Shikha Yadav, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentor: Tohru Fukai, MD, PhD, and Masuko Ushio-Fukai, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Jun 5 | Abdelhakim Morsy, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentor: Brian Stansfield Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |
| Jun 12 | Steve Haigh, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentor: David Fulton, PhD Title: 鈥淭BA鈥 |