Students
The MD/PhD Program at SUNY Upstate Medical University has approximately 36 students who are in various stages of their training. You can learn about these individual students and their research interest by selecting the link to current students on this page.
Our students receive individual attention from the director of the MD/PhD Program, our Program Coordinator and other faculty members. SUNY Upstate works diligently to be sure each student receives assistance whether it be academic advising, help with scheduling, selecting a laboratory, or figuring out finances. Visiting applicants cited the friendliness of students and staff as one of our most appealing features.
Nick Brennan
Department: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Advisor: Xin Jie Chen, PhD
Student Profile:
In 2015, I graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a degree in Chemistry. After graduation, I conducted full-time biomedical research at the National Institute on Aging, NIH for two years. My research investigated the clinical manifestations of mitochondrial dysfunction in the aging population. More specifically, I studied the effects of perturbed mitochondrial bioenergetics on aging skeletal muscle. I joined the SUNY Upstate MD/PhD program in 2018. Under the supervision of Dr. Xin Jie Chen, I am completing my dissertation in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Using a mouse model with severe muscle wasting, my thesis work focuses on the investigation of a novel, bioenergetic-independent mechanism of mitochondria-induced muscle atrophy during aging.
Publications
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8626-7686
Fellowship/Awards
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) Medical Student Summer Fellowship Program, NIH Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Trainee Award, NIH Ruth Kirschstein Pre-Doctoral Fellowship (F30)
Membership
American Physician Scientist Association (APSA), American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)