Meet Our Team... | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health

Mark Kohr, PhD, FAHA, FCVS
Assistant Professor

Mark received his PhD in Integrated Biomedical Science from The Ohio State University in 2009 with a specific focus in cardiovascular physiology. Mark pursued additional training as a NRSA-funded postdoctoral fellow with a joint appointment in the laboratories of Dr. Elizabeth ‘Tish’ Murphy at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Dr. Charles Steenbergen at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. With the support of a Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and a Beginning-Grant-In-Aid Award from the American Heart Association, Mark established the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling, as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2015. When not in the lab, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons, playing golf, and cheering on the Orioles and the Ravens.

Oby Ebenebe, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Oby completed her PhD in Physiology at the University of Otago (New Zealand), training with Dr. Jeff Erickson. Her thesis was focused on the sex-differential and postmenopausal role of CaMKII in atherosclerotic plaque progression. In 2019, Oby joined the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling, which recently discovered a role for S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNO-R) in the cardioprotection of female hearts from ischemic injury, as a postdoctoral research fellow. Currently, Oby is examining the role of GSNOR in the context of pre-clinical models of ischemic heart disease in postmenopausal females.

Haley Garbus, MPH
PhD CANDIDATE

Haley grew up in Connecticut and completed her BS in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Connecticut in 2015 and MPH in Environmental Health Sciences at Yale University in 2019. She joined the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling in 2020 as a PhD student in the Toxicology, Physiology, and Molecular Mechanisms program in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Her work focuses on sex differences in one-carbon metabolism and the role of endogenous formaldehyde in heart disease. When not in lab, Haley enjoys exploring Baltimore and spending time with friends.

Nicole Taube, BS
PhD Candidate

Nicole is originally from Kalamazoo, MI and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2018 with a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Environment, and is currently a PhD student in the Toxicology, Physiology and Molecular Mechanisms graduate program in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Joining the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling in 2019, Nicole's work seeks to examine the epigenetic impact of gestational arsenic exposure on the cardiovascular system. When not in the lab, Nicole enjoys hiking, being outside, and reading books.

Raihan Kabir, ScM
RESEARCH SPECIALIST

Kabir grew up in South Burlington, Vermont and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2018 with a BS in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2020 with a ScM in Human Toxicology and Pathophysiology. Kabir joined the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling as an ScM student in 2018 and transitioned to a Research Specialist position in 2020. His research seeks to examine the mechanistic impact of arsenic exposure on the cardiovascular system and ischemic heart injury. When not in lab, Kabir enjoys venturing anywhere with a good view and eating ice cream.

Michael Fitch, ScM
Research Specialist

Michael is originally from Chicago, Illinois and graduated from John Carroll University in 2019 with a degree in Biology and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2021 with a ScM in Human Toxicology and Pathophysiology from the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Michael joined the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling in 2019. His research is currently focused on characterizing the sex-dependent effects of cadmium exposure on the cardiovascular system.

Former Lab Members

Prithvi Sinha, MHS
Research Technologist (2018-2020)

Prithvi joined the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling in 2018. Prithvi is originally from Mumbai, India and graduated from Vellore Institute of Technology in 2017 with a degree in Biotechnology and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with an MHS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. His research focused on investigating TRIM72 as a cardioprotective agent in response to ischemia-reperfusion injury. Prithvi is currently a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.

Kevin Casin, PHD
PhD GRADUATE

Kevin joined the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling in 2015 as a PhD student. His research investigated the molecular mechanisms and physiology of sex-dependent differences in cardioprotection from ischemia-reperfusion injury. Kevin’s work focused primarily on the importance of S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR), a critical regulator of protein S-nitrosation, in the female myocardium. Kevin is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

Tiffany Bui
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2018-2019)

Tiffany joined the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling as a freshman at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Global Environmental Change and Sustainability (GECS) with an interest in gender and sexuality, public health, and art. Tiffany is now an undergraduate student at the University of Texas.

Emily Illingworth, BS
PhD Student (2018)

Emily joined the Kohr laboratory in 2018 as a rotating PhD student in the Toxicology, Physiology and Molecular Mechanisms graduate program in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Emily is currently a PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Fenna Sille.

Ryne Veenema, ScM
ScM GRADUATE (2016-2018)

Ryne joined the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling in 2016. Ryne is originally from upstate New York and graduated from Cornell University in 2016 with a BS in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with an ScM in Human Toxicology and Pathophysiology. Ryne’s research characterized the sex-dependent effects of arsenic exposure on myocardial ischemic injury. Ryne is currently a medical student at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Nathan Mackowski, MS
Research Technologist (2016-2018)

Nathan joined the Kohr Laboratory of Cardiovascular Redox Signaling in 2016. Nathan is originally from San Francisco and graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 2012 with a BA in Evolutionary Biology and Political Science, and Johns Hopkins University with a MS in Biotechnology in 2018. His research focused on elucidating the role of S-nitrosation in the regulation of TRIM72 stability during cardioprotection. Nathan is currently a PhD student at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France.

Qin Shao, MD, PhD
Visiting Fellow (2013-2015)

Qin joined the Kohr laboratory in 2013 as a Visiting Fellow from China. Qin is currently a Cardiologist at Renji Hospital and an Associate Professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine.

Jonathan Fallica, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow (2015-2016)

Jon received his PhD from the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2015, and joined the Kohr lab as a postdoctoral fellow shortly thereafter. Jon is currently a Toxicologist at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Ashley Chan
Summer Intern (2017)

Ashley was a summer intern in the Kohr lab during the summer of 2017 as a part of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Summer Internship Program. Ashley graduated from Cornell University in 2019, majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. Ashley plans to enroll in medical school in the Fall of 2020.

Amanda St. Paul
Summer Intern (2017)

Amanda was a summer intern in the Kohr lab during the summer of 2017 as a part of the Diversity Summer Internship Program (DSIP). Amanda graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2018, majoring in biology. Amanda is currently a PhD student in the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.