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. Gábor Csányi
Dr. Vijay Ganta
| Date | Speaker |
| Aug 15 | Hunter Sellers, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: David Fulton, PhD Title: “Imidazole propionate is a driver and therapeutic target in atherosclerosis”. Nat (2025) |
| Aug 22 | Candee Barris, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Eric Bellin de Chantemèle, PhD Title: “Paracrine Smooth Muscle-to-Endothelial Signaling via TNF Elevates Blood Pressure in Obesity”. Circ Res (2025) |
| Aug 29 | Doug Sloan, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title:“Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains”. Mat Med (2025) |
| Sept 5 | Josue Zambrano-Carrasco, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Huabo Su, PhD Title: “Rewiring of 3D Chromatin Topology Orchestrates Transcriptional Reprogramming and the Development of Human Dilated Cardiomyopathy”. Circ (2022) |
| Sept 12 | Cody Bridgewater, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: David Stepp, PhD Title: “Characterizing primary and secondary senescence in vivo”. Nat Aging (2025) |
| Sept 19 | Chang Min Lee, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Jie Li, PhD Title: “Tunneling nanotube–like structures regulate distant cellular interactions during heart formation”. Science (2025) |
| Sept 26 | Julia (Emily) Steinbeck, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Immunology Center of Georgia Advisor: Adil Rasheed, PhD Title: “Immune checkpoint landscape of human atherosclerosis and influence of cardiometabolic factors”. Nat Cardiovasc Res (2024) |
| Oct 3 | Khalia Cummings, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Immunology Center of Georgia Advisor: Marco Orecchioni, PhD Title: “HCC-1 Accelerates Atherosclerosis by Inducing Endothelial Cell and Macrophage Pyroptosis and Serves as an Early Diagnostic Biomarker”. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol (2024). |
| Oct 10 | Drew Speese, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: David Stepp, PhD Title: “Macrophage DNases Limit Neutrophil Extracellular Trap–Mediated Defective Efferocytosis in Atherosclerosis”. 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: “Endothelial AGGF1 Promotes Retinal Angiogenesis by Coordinating TNFSF12/FN14 Signaling”. Nat Comm (2025) |
| Oct 24 | Obaalologhi (Wilfred) Wilfred, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Huabo Su, PhD Title: “CEMIP Maintains Vascular Contractility by Controlling PP1c-MLC20 Cascade in SMCs”. Circ Res. (2025). |
| Oct 31 | Jaser Doja, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Joseph Miano, PhD Title: “Genomic Editing of a Pathogenic Mutation in ACTA2 Rescues Multisystemic Smooth Muscle Dysfunction Syndrome in Mice”. Circ. (2025) |
| Nov 7 | No meeting |
| Nov 14 | Elizabeth Aboagye, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Benard Ogola, PhD Title: “Role of the Renin-Angiotensin System in Blood Pressure Regulation in Smooth Muscle-Specific Cullin-3 Deficient Mice”. Hypertension (2025). |
| Nov 21 | Tamasi Roy, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title: “Portal hypertension contributes to ascites formation via the Piezo1−nuclear factor kappa-B−aquaporin1 pathway in liver cirrhosis”. Nature (2025). |
| Nov 28 | No meeting |
| Dec 5 | Stephen Addo, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title: “Hypertriglyceridemia as a Key Contributor to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Development and Rupture: Insights From Genetic and Experimental Models”. Circ (2025). |
| Dec 12 | Amritha Sreekumar, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title: “SM22α-Lineage Perivascular Stromal Cells Contribute to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm”. Circ Res (2025). |
| Dec 19 | Delphine Okoye, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Benard Ogola, PhD Title: “Calcium Oscillations Within Juxtaglomerular Cell Clusters Control Renin Release”. 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: “TBA” |
| Jan 16 | Kamarajan Rajagopal, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentors: Masuko Ushio-Fukai, PhD, and Tohru Fukai, MD, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| Jan 23 | Mitch Shivers, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: David Fulton, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| Jan 30 | Elizabeth Aboagye, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Benard Ogola, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| Feb 6 | Ishara M.G. Menik, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Benard Ogola, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| Feb 13 | Tamasi Roy, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Gabor Csanyi, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| Feb 20 | Beryl Khakina PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Eric Belin de Chantemèle, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| Feb 27 | Zach Brown, PhD Candidate in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: David Fulton, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| Mar 6 | Adam Salon, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Eric Belin de Chantemèle, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| Mar 13 | TBA |
| Mar 20 | Peter Biggs, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Alexander Verin, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| 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: “TBA” |
| Apr 10 | No Meeting |
| Apr 17 | Julia (Emily) Steinbeck, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Immunology Center of Georgia Advisor: Marco Orecchioni, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| Apr 24 | No Meeting |
| Apr 29 | Obaalologhi (Wilfred) Wilfred, PhD Student in Vascular Biology Vascular Biology Center Advisor: Huabo Su, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| May 1 | Latika Jaiswal, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentor: Alexander Verin, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| May 8 | Xiaoliang Wu, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentor: Xiaochun Long, PhD Title: “TBA” |
| 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: “TBA” |
| Jun 5 | Abdelhakim Morsy, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentor: Brian Stansfield Title: “TBA” |
| Jun 12 | Steve Haigh, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Vascular Biology Center Mentor: David Fulton, PhD Title: “TBA” |