Allison M. Dubner

EDUCATION

September 2018 – Present | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (Aurora, CO)

• PhD candidate enrolled in the Integrated Physiology program; member of the lab of Mary Weiser-Evans, PhD.
• Accepted to candidacy in July Program completion anticipated in 2023.

September 2010 – January 2013 | Medical College of Georgia/Augusta University (Augusta, GA)

• Successfully completed the first 2 years of the D. program before voluntarily withdrawing to pursue other career options.
• Awarded the Medicine Faculty Sponsored Scholarship in my first year.

B.A. | September 2005 – May 2009 | Pomona College (Claremont, CA)

• 3.77 graduating GPA
• Major: Biology; Minor: Spanish (Sigma Delta Pi: National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society)
• Semester at the University of Córdoba, Spain

EMPLOYMENT

Professional Research Assistant—Gastroenterology | University of Colorado—Anschutz Medical Campus | May 2016 – July 2018

• Collaborated with Principal Investigator and other team members to enroll patients into clinical research
• Oversaw various study related tasks, including identification and recruitment of potential subjects, conducting study visits, and evaluation of adverse events.

• Incorporated and maintained documents in the Trial Master File for multiple Gained experience with the regulatory requirements for pharmaceutical trials. Implemented annual debarment review of employees, contractors, and affiliated site personnel. Collaborated on multiple SOPs and Work Instructions.

Temporary Clinical Research Assistant| Colorado Prevention Center| January 2015 – May 2015

• Worked on site selection for a global Phase III cardiovascular clinical trial. Communicated with potential sites to obtain feasibility questionnaires, confidentiality agreements, and other required dociumentation.

Biology/Basic Sciences Teacher | Strisrinan school (Nan, Thailand) | May 2013 – April 2014

• Taught EIS (English Integrated Studies) classes in a government school in northern Thailand. Classes conducted in English. Created curriculum, lesson plans, experiments, group projects, and exams to facilitate learning goals.
• Responsible for instruction of >400 students, ranging from 7^th-11^th Topics were primarily biology, but also included geology, meteorology, and chemistry.

Research Assistant | Medical College of Georgia | April 2011 – April 2012

• Worked under William Paulson investigating the Evaluation of Vascular Function in Hemodialysis Patients.
• Identified/recruited study candidates, performed small artery elasticity measurements (SAE), data entry and analysis, literature searches, and technical writing (grant proposals, abstracts, etc.)
• Honors: Awarded 1^st place (tie) for oral presentation at the American Medical Association Research Symposium.

Research Assistant | Pomona College | March – August 2006, September – December 2007, September 2008 – May 2009

• Worked under André Cavalcanti on several bioinformatics projects utilizing Perl.

1. Origins of Amino Acids and the Genetic Code (looking at differences in codon frequencies in organisms with non-standard genetic codes).
2. Thesis project – Ciliates as a Model for Studying Anti-malarial Drugs (identification of similarities in key metabolic pathways shared between falciparum and closely related, non-pathogenic ciliates that could be exploited for early stages of drug development).

Class Mentor (Intro Genetics) | Pomona College | January 2009 – May 2009

• Led 2-hour weekly mentoring sessions for students; held informal group and individual review sessions before exams.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

• Translational Science 2020 (April 2020, Washington DC. Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic): Reprogramming of vascular smooth muscle cells to multipotent progenitor cells contributes to progression of atherosclerosis.
• American Medical Association Research Symposium (November 2011, New Orleans): Evaluation of Vascular Function in Hemodialysis Patients: Small Artery Elasticity Index Correlates with Pulse Wave Velocity.
  • Awarded first place for podium presentation
• Thesis Defense (April 2009, Pomona College): Ciliates as a Model System for Studying Anti-malarial Drug Effects.

POSTERS

• Vascular Discovery: From Genes to Medicine Scientific Sessions (May 2022, Seattle): Role of smooth muscle-derived vascular progenitor cells in atherosclerosis
• DOM Research Day (April 2022, University of Colorado)
• 36th Annual Student Research Forum (December 2021, University of Colorado)
• Translational Science 2020 (April 2020, Washington DC. Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic): Reprogramming of vascular smooth muscle cells to multipotent progenitor cells contributes to progression of atherosclerosis.
• Department of Medicine Research Day (April 2019, University of Colorado): Mitochondrial biogenic signaling in the left ventricle of female diet-induced diabetic mice.
• DSRP Poster Presentations (August 2011, Medical College of Georgia): Evaluation of Vascular Function in Hemodialysis Patients: Small Artery Elasticity Index Correlates with Pulse Wave Velocity.
• Biology Department Research Updates (September 2006, Pomona College): Chicken and Egg: Which Came First, Amino Acids or the Genetic Code?
• Dean’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program Poster Presentation (August 2006, Pomona College): Chicken and Egg: Which Came First, Amino Acids or the Genetic Code?

AWARDS

• Outstanding Poster Award from 36th Annual Student Research Forum (December 2021, Anschutz)
• American Medical Association Research Symposium, first place for oral presentation (November 11, 2011)
• Dean’s Medical Student Research Award (2011)
• Medicine Faculty Sponsored Scholarship (2010-2011)

RESEARCH SUPPORT

• CCTSI TOTTS/TL1 Predoctoral Award (2019-2020)
• NHLBI F31 Predoctoral Fellowship (2021-present)

PUBLICATIONS/CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS

• Dubner AM, Lu S, Jolly A, Strand K, Mutryn M, Tucker R, Moulton K, Nemenoff RA, Weiser-Evans MCM. (2019) 4369 Reprogramming of vascular smooth muscle cells to multipotent progenitor cells contributes to progression of atherosclerosis. Journal of Clinical and Translational 2020 Jun;4(s1):102. [Published national conference abstract]
• Jolly, A. J., Lu, S., Strand, K. A., Dubner, A. M., Mutryn, M. F., Nemenoff, R. A., & Weiser-Evans, M. (2021). Heterogeneous subpopulations of adventitial progenitor cells regulate vascular homeostasis and pathological vascular remodeling. Cardiovascular Research.
• Lu, , Jolly, A. J., Strand, K. A., Dubner, A. M., Mutryn, M. F., Moulton, K. S., ... & Weiser-Evans, M. C. (2020). Smooth muscle–derived progenitor cell myofibroblast differentiation through KLF4 downregulation promotes arterial remodeling and fibrosis. JCI insight, 5(23).
• Strand, A., Lu, S., Mutryn, M. F., Li, L., Zhou, Q., Enyart, B. T., & Koch, K. A. (2020). High Throughput Screen Identifies the DNMT1 (DNA Methyltransferase-1) Inhibitor, 5-Azacytidine, as a Potent Inducer of PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog) Central Role for PTEN in 5-Azacytidine Protection Against Pathological Vascular Remodeling. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, ATVBAHA-120.
• Ackerman, S. J., Kagalwalla, A. F., Hirano, I., Gonsalves, N., Katcher, P. M., Gupta, S., ... & Du, J. (2019). One- Hour Esophageal String Test: A Nonendoscopic Minimally Invasive Test That Accurately Detects Disease Activity in Eosinophilic Esophagitis. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 114(10), 1614-1625.
• Aceves, S. S., King, E., Collins, M. H., Yang, G. Y., Capocelli, K. E., Abonia, J. P., ... & Eby, M. D. (2018). Alignment of parent-and child-reported outcomes and histology in eosinophilic esophagitis across multiple CEGIR sites. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 142(1), 130-138.
• Paulson, W., Dubner, A., White, J., Pollock, D., Pollock, J., & Kapuku, G. (2012, April). Evaluation of Vascular Function in End-stage Renal Disease: Small Artery Elasticity Index Correlates with Pulse Wave Velocity. In American Journal of Kidney Diseases (Vol. 59, 4, pp. A63-A63). 1600 John F Kennedy Boulevard, Ste 1800, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2899 USA: WB Saunders Co-Elsevier Inc. [Published national conference abstract]

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND LEADERSHIP