Meet the Lab
Gary C. Chan, PhD
Principal Investigator
Gary is a Professor in the Microbiology & Immunology Department. He is from Alberta, Canada and obtained his PhD from Univeristy of Alberta. He continued his career at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center until coming to SUNY Upstate in 2010. His research focus over the last 20+ years has be on human cytomegalovirus pathogenesis and persistence.
Email: Chang@upstate.edu
Christine Burrer
Research Support Technician
Chris has been a technician for the Microbiology & Immunology department for more than 30yrs. She has helped several labs set-up and get running, including our very own. She hails from Massena, NY and obtained her B.S. at SUNY Plattsburg. In her free time Chris often visits her children, Leah and Alex, or can be found cuddling her cute cats, Manny & Chandler.
Email: burrerc@upstate.edu
Shima obtained her B.Sc. degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Tehran, Iran. Shima’s project investigates the role of Heat Shock Factor 1 in promoting the establishment of HCMV quiescent infection in primary Monocytes. Shima is from Gachsaran which is a small town in the south of Iran. She enjoys hanging out with her cat, May, and her friends.
Email: MoradpoS@upstate.edu
Shima Moradpour
PhD Candidate
PhD Candidate
Juthi Biswas received her B.Sc (Hons.) and M.Sc in Microbiology from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. After her graduation, she joined Jagannath University as a lecturer in the Department of Microbiology. Currently, she is investigating transcriptional regulation of HCMV immediate early gene expression. In her spare time, Juthi loves to paint and listen to folk music.
Email: BiswasJ@upstate.edu
Juthi Biswas
Olivia Laniak
MD/PhD Candidate
Olivia is from Rochester, NY. She graduated with her BA degree in Chemical Biology and Music in 2022 from Case Western Reserve University. In the Chan Lab, Olivia investigates how HCMV reshapes protein expression in HCMV-infected peripheral blood monocytes. In her free time Olivia enjoys knitting.
Email: LaniakO@upstate.edu
Hue Bui
Graduate Candidate
Hue earned her B.Sc. in Biology from the Vietnam National University of Science and her M.Sc. in Biomedical Science from the University of Central Florida, USA. In the Chan lab, she is exploring the role of CRKL in promoting HCMV entry and viral dissemination. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking and traveling.
Email: Buih@upstate.edu
Deanna Chezzarae
Graduate Candidate
Deanna Chezzarae Clemmer was raised in Arizona where her love of science started at her first science fair in second grade. Following this passion, she went to High Point University in North Carolina and majored in biology and psychology. Her current work is centered on exploring the intersection between (HCMV) quiescence and NAD+ metabolism. When not at the bench, she recharges by exploring nature, reading, playing musical instruments, and enjoying video games with her two dogs JD and Tojo.
Email: ClemmerD@upstate.edu
Lab Alumni
Megan Peppenelli, PhD
Senior US Clinical Specialist, Cell & Gene Therapy at Miltenyi Biotec
Nicholas Smith, PhD
Senior Scientist at Taconic Biosciences
Ben Chauder
Post-Baccalaureate Research Intern
Dilruba Akter
Postdoctoral research associate at University of Virginia
Olesea Cojohari, PhD
Postdoctorate in the Kowalik Lab at UMass
Jamil Mahmud, PhD
Instructional Support Specialist at
Upstate Medical University
Jennifer Cheung, MD, PhD
Residency for General Surgery at Mount Sinai
Aaron Altman, MD, PhD
Residency for Pediatric Research Track at UPMC
Michael Miller, PhD
Senior Analytical Scientist at
Regeneron
Brittany Geiler, PhD
Clinical Research Coordinator at St. Lawrence Health
