Meet The Study Team!
NIH/NINR K23 Stroke Research Team Heading link
Dr. Sarah R. Martha received her BSN and PhD from the University of Kentucky, College of Nursing, and holds a BS in Biology from Portland State University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Omics and Symptom Science T32 training program (T32016913) at the University of Washington’s School of Nursing. Dr. Martha is an Assistant Professor on the tenure track at UIC College of Nursing, Biobehavioral Nursing Science Department. Her primary research interest is in advancing our understanding of the pathophysiology of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and the trajectory of recovery in order to improve patient symptoms and outcomes. Her passion for AIS research emerges as a result of her professional and academic background, blending her experiences in neurosurgical intensive care nursing with her training as a basic scientist. In 2018, she was selected to participate in the National Institute of Nursing Research Summer Genetics Institute. Currently, her research focuses on metabolomic/lipidomic mechanisms of symptom development following AIS.
| PI of SMartha Lab
Alice Y. Pen received her BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ms. Pen is a graduate student in the UIC College of Nursing AGMS program and an integral member of the NIH K23 study team. Since joining the lab, she has been responsible for participant screening and recruitment, initial processing of biospecimens, conducting questionnaires, monitoring of laboratory supplies, data analysis, and manuscript preparation.
| Graduate Research Assistant aka Chaos Coordinator
Mariam Rahman will receive her BS in Integrated Health Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago in May of 2023. She is also an Honors student and finishing up her Capstone Project in the Summer of 2023. Not to worry, Ms. Rahman will be a graduate student in the UIC College of Nursing AGMS program in the Fall of 2023! Since joining the lab, she has been responsible for participant screening and recruitment, initial processing of biospecimens, conducting questionnaires, and data management.
| Research Intern
Research Team Heading link
Hilaire J. Thompson, PhD, RN, ARNP, FAAN
Joanne Montgomery Endowed Professor, Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics
Assistant Vice Provost, Office of Academic Personnel
Core Faculty, Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center
University of Washington School of Nursing, Seattle, WA
Primary Mentor
Jeffrey A. Loeb, MD, PhD
John S. Garvin Chair, Professor and Head
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, Chicago, IL
Co-Mentor
Ali Alaraj, MD, FAHA, FACS
Neurosurgeon and Assistant Professor
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
Department of Neurosurgery, Chicago, IL
Co-Mentor
Mark Maienschein-Cline, PhD
Director of Research Informatics Core
University of Illinois at Chicago Research Resources Center, Chicago, IL
Co-Mentor
Sanjib Basu, PhD
Paul Levy and Virginia F. Tomasek Professor
University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health
Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Chicago, IL
Co-Mentor
Laura Stone McGuire, MD
Neurosurgery Fellow
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
Department of Neurosurgery, Chicago, IL
Collaborator