John A. Olson Jr., MD, PhD
Professor of Surgery, Chair, and Principal Investigator – Parathyroid Research.
A recipient of multiple NIH grants, Dr. Olson achieved recognition for his groundbreaking basic science and clinical research on endocrine tumor formation. His work has led to a greater understanding of how excessive hormone and calcium levels can contribute to hyperparathyroidism. His research team reported the first isolation and functional characterization of parathyroid cell subtypes from parathyroid tumors, findings that have enabled the field to hone in on the disease’s development and trajectory. Further, his clinical research has focused on novel endocrine therapies aimed at shrinking breast cancer tumors and determining biomarkers related to breast cancer outcomes.
Taylor C. Brown, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor of Surgery and Investigator – Thyroid Research
Dr. Brown completed his general surgery residency and endocrine surgery fellowship at Yale New Haven Hospital. He spent two dedicated years working in the laboratory Tobias Carling at Yale University and received his MHS studying endocrine cancer genetics and biology. He first-authored and co-authored multiple papers identifying and characterizing cancer genes associated with thyroid and adrenal tumors. He is now investigating the molecular causes of anaplastic thyroid cancer. He is the recipient of the 2020 ThyCa and the 2022 Paul LoGerfo Research Awards.
Pedram Azimzadeh, BS, MS
Biostatistician and Oncology Investigator
Mr. Azimzadeh is a data analytics and applied biostatistics expert focusing on oncology research. He has authored and co-authored over 60 peer reviewed publications.
Priya Bhardwaj, PhD
Staff Scientist
Dr. Bhardwaj completed her doctorate from University of Rajasthan, India. Her PhD thesis entitled as “Anti-carcinogenic effect of Nerium indicum in vivo skin papillomagenesis model”. She worked as an Assistant Professor in India. She supervised many undergraduate dissertation thesis which were focused on toxicology and cancer biology. Her primary area of interest is cancer research. She is now working on parathyroid and thyroid tumor biology.
Lena Tennant, BSBE
Research Technician II
Lena earned a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering with a concentration in pre-medicine from Purdue University. She plans to attend medical school with interests in endocrinology and primary care.
Shawn Yates
Research Technician II
Ashley Yeager, BS
Researcher
Ms. Yeager graduated from York college majoring in Biology. She was the recipient of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science (PAS) grant for her senior thesis research project investigating the effects of the nootropic anxiolytic, L-theanine, on zebrafish embryos. She is now investigating parathyroid tumor biology and she plans to attend graduate school in the coming years.