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Learn more about the past trainees of GHREST.

Past Trainees of the GHREST Program

Previous basic science and translational research trainees


Troy Markel, MD: GHREST contact PI, an associate professor of surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine, mentored by Michael Murphy, MD, and multiple other GHREST mentors, currently funded by NIDDK R01DK133418-01. He has mentored several research resident fellows and postdoctoral fellows at IU School of Medicine and has more than 250 publications.

Kasi McCune, MD: assistant professor and director of transplant surgery, Columbia University. Mentored by C. Max Schmidt, MD, PhD (GHREST mentor). First-author paper in Cancer Research and Oncology Reports during training. T32 fellow during training at IU School of Medicine.

Andrea Bonetto, PhD, MS: assistant professor of surgery at the University of Colorado, currently funded by two NIAMS-R01's and an NCI R21 with a portfolio that focuses on identification of the molecular factors responsible for muscle wasting (i.e., cachexia) by developing new experimental models and investigating novel mediators of muscle wasting resulting from administration of anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Mohamed S. El Masry, MD, PhD: assistant professor of surgery in plastic surgery at University of Pittsburgh. Portfolio of research supported by Department of Defense grants on regenerative medicine and wound healing particularly focused on critical limb ischemia and wound care dressings.

Recent health services and outcomes research trainees


Ravi Rajaram, MD, MS: assistant professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center; became faculty in August 2019 (50% research); research focuses on thoracic oncology and healthcare quality measurement; mentored by Karl Bilimoria, MD, MS; published three first-author publications in JAMA (two original investigations and one influential commentary), 16 additional publications as a trainee.

Ryan Merkow, MD, MS: assistant professor of surgery at University of Chicago; research focus on comparative effectiveness research and healthcare quality measurement; mentored by Karl Bilimoria, MD, MS and Jeanette W. Chung, PhD; has 48 publications (during three years of training) including seminal first-author JAMA study on causes of readmission following surgical oncology procedures, first-author JAMA commentary, and publications in JNCIAnnals of Surgical Oncology; earned multiple research awards from the Society of Surgical Oncology. Currently has had 75% protected time on an AHRQ-funded K12 and funding from the American Cancer Society; and currently co-mentors four trainees.

Mehul Raval, MD, MS: professor of surgery (pediatric) at Lurie Children’s Hospital. Research on enhanced recovery after gastrointestinal surgery, as a trainee, leveraged the ACS programs for his research (e.g., NCDB, NSQIP), published 36 papers and had numerous plenary presentations at major meetings, received the prestigious Judah Folkman Memorial Award from American Pediatric Surgery Association. Now with two R01's, R21, and a large research team at Lurie Children’s/Northwestern in Chicago.

Ryan Ellis, MD, MS: assistant professor at IU School of Medicine. Conducted a novel registry-based randomized clinic trial in pancreatic cancer surgery that was published in JAMA. He also had a co-first author publication in NEJM, as well as several other seminal publications in surgical journals. We recently recruited him from Memorial Sloan Kettering to the faculty at IU School of Medicine and within SOQIC.