You may have seen some fresh faces around the department over the last several months. We are pleased to formally introduce these faculty, who joined the department between August 2016 and December 31, 2016.
Modar Kassan, PhD
Associate, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Dr. Modar Kassan joins the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine as an Associate. Dr. Kassan joined the University of Iowa in 2014 as a postdoctoral associate in vascular physiology and molecular biology, working in Dr. Kaiko Irani’s laboratory. Before coming to Iowa, Dr. Kumar completed a postdoc at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk and another at Tulane University. Dr. Kassan received his PhD at University of Salamanca in Spain, and a BS in Biochemistry at Lebanese University in Beirut. Dr. Kassan’s work in Dr. Irani’s lab concerns vascular endothelial dysfunction and protein signaling. He enjoys playing soccer and watching movies.
Santosh Kumar, PhD
Associate, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Dr. Santosh Kumar joins the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine as an Associate. Dr. Kumar has been with the University of Iowa since 2013 as a postdoctoral associate, working in Dr. Kaiko Irani’s laboratory. Before coming to Iowa, Dr. Kumar completed a postdoc at the University of Pittsburgh and his PhD at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, where he was also a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology. Dr. Kumar’s work in Dr. Irani’s lab concerns vascular endothelial dysfunction and protein signaling. He enjoys reading about history and mythology.
Htay Phyu, MBBS
Associate, Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Htay Phyu has joined the Division of General Internal Medicine as an Associate. Dr. Phyu recently completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois. Before that, Dr. Phyu held a series of externships and observerships at clinics in Philadelphia and New York. Her internship was completed at Mandalay General Hospital in Myanmar, where she also received her MBBS. While in Philadelphia, Dr. Phyu organized and managed the Women’s Health Section at the Chinatown Clinic. As an Associate in General Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa, Dr. Phyu will work as a Hospitalist. Dr. Phyu also enjoys traveling and reading.
Michael Tomasson, MD
Professor, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BLood & Marrow Transplantation
Dr. Michael H. Tomasson joins the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation as a Tenured Professor, coming from his previous position as Professor of Medicine and Genetics at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he also served as Scientific Director at the Siteman Cancer Center Myeloma Program and a principal investigator on the Genomics of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Program Project Grant. Dr. Tomasson received his M.D. from Stanford University, where he did his residency before moving on to fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He is currently working on three different research projects with the National Cancer Institute relating to molecular pathogenesis of multiple myeloma, and nanotherapies for myeloma.
Steven Bailin, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Dr. Steven Bailin comes to the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine from his previous position as Director of Electrophysiology at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. He received his M.D. from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and was a resident of Internal Medicine at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison. He completed fellowships in cardiology and electrophysiology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Bailin’s recent research focuses on treatment of atrial fibrillation and the application of high density cardiac voltage mapping in treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders. In his free time, Dr. Bailin enjoys spending time with his children, traveling, and taking care of his cats, Levi and Maverick.
Shunguang Wei, PhD
Research Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Dr. Shunguang Wei has recently been promoted in the Department from his previous position as Assistant Research Scientist to Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Wei received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Iowa, and had his postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa and the Laboratory of Signal Transduction at National Institute of Environmental Health Science/National Institutes of Health. Dr. Wei’s research has focused on the central nervous system mechanisms in the regulation of cardiac function, hemodynamic responses, neuroendocrine release and sympathetic nerve activity in heart failure and hypertension, with a particular emphasis on the effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. His research interests also include the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling as a central mediator of neurohumoral excitation in heart failure and hypertension. Dr. Wei and his wife have two boys. One is a medical student and another one is currently in 7th grade.
Svjetlana Dolovcak, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Immunology
Dr. Svjetlana Dolovcak joined the Division of Immunology as a Clinical Assistant Professor in October, having just completed her fellowship at UIHC, where she was the first graduate of the dual Allergy/Immunology & Rheumatology track. She earned her MD from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, followed by post-doctoral research in the Division of Digestive and Liver diseases at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Weiss Memorial Hospital before coming to the University of Iowa for her fellowship. Dr. Dolovcak will be an asset evaluating patients with rheumatologic disease manifestations, especially those who also show signs of immunodeficiency. In her spare time, she and her husband enjoy traveling, dancing, and cooking.
Olha Koval, PhD
Research Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Dr. Olha Koval joins the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine as a Research Assistant Professor, after her previous position as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in that division. Dr. Koval received her Ph.D. in Physiology from the Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology in Kiev, Ukraine. Her primary professional interest has focused on plasma membrane ion channels of neurons and cardiac myocytes. Bit by bit her research priorities have been shifted to mitochondrial ion channels and mitochondria as key integrators of convergent intracellular signaling pathways. Calcium and reactive oxygen species are two important second messengers modulated by mitochondria. To date, these mechanisms describing mitochondrial integration of calcium and oxidative signaling in arterial smooth muscle are incomplete. Present interests address clarifying this hypothesis that mitochondria thus provide the common ground for cross-talk between these regulatory systems that are mutually sensitive to one another in vascular smooth muscle cells. Disruption of mitochondrial ROS/Ca2 +-amplification mechanism changes arterial smooth muscle cells proliferation, migration, reduces apoptosis. Mitochondrial ROS/Ca2+- crosstalk misbalance occur in other cell types and contribute to pathological elevations of intracellular calcium and increased oxidative stress associated with many diseases.
Rachel Butler, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine
Dr. Rachel Butler joined the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor in November, after the completion of a Pulmonary Disease fellowship at UIHC. Dr. Butler received her MD from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, followed by a residency in Internal Medicine from Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Prior to her fellowship, she served as a Hospitalist at UIHC. In her spare time, Dr. Butler enjoys fast cars, hot coffee, and chasing small children.