Tamara Lotan, MD
Principal Investigator
Thanks for taking an interest in our research program! I am a urologic pathologist with an active translational and basic science research program. We have diverse interests in our group, ranging from basic studies of mTORC1 signaling in epithelial development and tumorigenesis to translational work aimed at developing predictive molecular biomarkers for prostate cancer. In addition to this work, I examine and diagnose genitourinary tumors from biopsy and resection specimens at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. I obtained my M.D. from the University of Chicago in 2003 and completed a residency in Anatomic Pathology there in 2007. I came to Johns Hopkins to complete a fellowship in Urologic Pathology, and joined the faculty in 2008 where I currently am appointed as a Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Oncology. When I’m not working, I spend most of my free time with my (very active!) five children and radiologist husband and also enjoy running and cooking.
Sanaz Nourmohammadi Abadchi, MD
Sanaz earned her MD from the University of Medical Sciences in Isfahan, Iran, where she is from. She came to Baltimore in 2020 and since then has worked as a medical researcher at Johns Hopkins. She first got to know Dr. Lotan while collaborating on a study of certain specific rare prostate cancer subtypes (mismatch repair-deficient and small cell neuroendocrine), which is when she became fascinated with genitourinary pathology. Later she joined Dr. Lotan’s lab and continues her research on various types of prostate and kidney tumors, investigating both their association with predictive biomarkers and their disparities of presentation among different populations. Away from work, she enjoys painting, being in nature, taking care of her pet fish and budgies, and trying to cook Persian food without burning it.
Adrianna Amaral de Aragao Mendes, MD
Adrianna is from Brazil, where she earned her M.D. from Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz. She completed her residency in Anatomic Pathology at the Instituto Nacional de Cancer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She then joined Dr. Tamara Lotan in her lab as a post-doctoral research fellow in 2020, studying the prostate tumor immune microenvironment and its correlation with racial ancestry and biomarkers. Leisurely, Adrianna enjoys puzzles, video chatting with her family, and watching movies with her husband.
Kaushal Asrani, MBBS, PhD
Kaushal is a Research Associate in the Department of Pathology, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his undergraduate studies in medicine and obtained his MBBS at BJ Medical College at the University of Pune, India. He went on to earn his PhD in Cancer Biology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore where he studied the role of the Fn14 receptor as an invasive biomarker in HER2+ breast cancers, NSCLC and melanomas. He subsequently joined the Lotan lab as a postdoctoral fellow. He is broadly interested in the role of oncogenic receptor kinases and the PI3K/AKT-mTOR signaling axis in normal epithelial development and tumorigenesis in the epidermis, prostate and kidney. He received the JHU School of Medicine Young Investigator Award in 2018.
Oluwademilade Dairo, MS
Lade earned her M.S. in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University. Before completing her program, she joined the Lotan lab as a Schuafeld Scholar focusing on prostate cancer research in African American men. Currently, she is researching the expression of specific biomarkers for potential predictive oncologic outcomes in prostate cancer in relation to racial ancestry and other pathophysiological properties. In her spare time, Lade loves traveling, hiking, reading, and trying new restaurants or cuisines.
Eric Erak, MD
Eric earned his M.D. from the University of Medical Science in Costa Rica and completed his residency training in Pathology at the University of Costa Rica. Once Eric completed his training, he gained interest in Genitourinary Pathology, especially prostate cancer, and applied for a one-year post-doctoral genitourinary fellowship with Dr. Jonathan Epstein at Johns Hopkins Hospital. After completion, he joined Dr. Tamara Lotan in her lab to continue Genitourinary Pathology research. When not working, Eric enjoys watching soccer, playing tennis, playing Call of Duty, and traveling with his wife.
Kewen Feng
Kewen is a research histology technologist in the Lotan laboratory. She joined the lab with over 15 years of clinical and research lab experience in specimen sectioning, routine, and immunofluorescence staining. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, and cooking.
Mithila Kasbe
Mithila completed her undergraduate studies at the Fergusson College in Pune, India, where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biotechnology. Throughout her academic journey, Mithila has been drawn to understanding cancer complexities, which has further motivated her to pursue a Master of Science Degree in Biotechnology, with a concentration in Molecular Targets and Drug Discovery. Furthermore, Mithila aspires to complete a PhD in Cancer Biology, focusing on therapeutics. In her free time, Mithila likes to dance, watch movies, learn new recipes, and travel to new places.
Lia Oliveira, MD
Lia earned her M.D. in Brazil from the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. She completed her Pathology residency at the Hospital Universitario Antonio Pedro, where she developed an interest in Genitourinary Pathology. Afterwards, Lia participated in a research group focused on Prostate Cancer prevention at the Instituto Nacional do Cancer in Brazil as a pathologist. She then joined Dr. Lotan’s Lab to extend her knowledge in Genitourinary Pathology research. When not working, Lia enjoys reading and traveling.
Thiago Vidotto, PhD
Thiago earned his BS in Biology from the University of Londrina, Brazil and Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. During his Ph.D., he spent eight months as a research assistant at Queen’s University, Canada, where he investigated the effects of tumor-intrinsic genomic alterations in immunotherapy response of bladder, ovarian, and prostate tumors. Currently, he is a postdoc fellow at Johns Hopkins, investigating the methylome of African-American and European-American prostate cancer patients. He is also interested in understanding the roles of chromosomal aberrations in the anti-tumor immune response.
Juhyung Woo, PhD
Juhyung earned his PhD from Kyungpook University, Taegu South Korea in 2001.He joined as a Post-Doc. Fellow under the guidance of Dr. Edward Gabrielson at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Currently, he is a Sr. Research Specialist in our lab, conducting a combination of basic and translational research. When not working, he spends his time playing basketball with his son.
Alumni
| Year in Lab | Team Members and Current Placements |
|---|---|
| 2018-2020 | Sanjana Murali, MHS, currently a graduate student at Baylor College of Medicine |
| 2018-2020 | Zoya Khan, undergraduate, Johns Hopkins University |
| 2018- 2019 | Farzana Faisal, MD, currently a urology resident at Johns Hopkins JHU School of Medicine Young Investigator Award Recipient |
| 2017-2019 | Harsimar Kaur, MBBS, currently a pathology resident at Johns Hopkins, JHU School of Medicine Young Investigator Award Recipient |
| 2017-2019 | Amanda Laine, undergraduate, Johns Hopkins University |
| 2016-2017 | Benjamin Maughan, MD, PharmD; Instructor in Oncology, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Utah |
| 2016-2017 | Nooshin Mirkheshti, MD, internal medicine resident, MedStar Health, Baltimore |
| 2015-2017 | Alba Torres, PhD, Technical coordinator, Project SANDS, Brazil |
| 2015-2017 | Liana Guedes, MD, graduate school applicant in Brazil |
| 2015-2016 | Fawaz Almutairi, MD, Pathology Resident at George Washington University |
| 2014-2016 | Carlos Morais, MD, pathology attending and PhD candidate, Argos Pathology, Brazil |
| 2013-2016 | Harrison Tsai, PhD, pathology resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA |
| 2012-2015 | Amber Dubin, BA, research technician, GeneDx, UMBC |
| 2012-2015 | Hsueh-Li (Shirley) Tan, patent agent, Cooley LLP |
| 2009-2015 | Susmita Ghosh, PhD, pursuing additional degree in regulatory medicine |
| 2012-2014 | Akshay Sood, MD, urology resident at Henry Ford Hospital |
| 2011-2012 | Loubna Elhelu, BA, high school science teacher, Virginia |
| 2009-2011 | Lidenys Varela, BA, research technician, Johns Hopkins University |