Membership

Current Primary Members

Name, Title, and Department Areas of Interest Contact Information
William Sonntag, PhD
ROCA Director
Professor and Reynolds Chair of Aging Research
Department of Geriatrics
Growth Hormone IGF-1 and Cognition 405-271-7622
william-sonntag@ouhsc.edu
Anna Csiszar, MD/PhD
Assistant Professor
Geriatric Medicine/ROCA
Oxidative Stress/Cardiovascular Disease 405-271-8000 Ext 47830
Anna-csiszar@ouhsc.edu

Zoltan Ungvari, MD/PhD
Associate Professor
Reynolds Chair of Aging Research
Geriatric Medicine/ROCA

Oxidative Stress/Cardiovascular Disease 405-271-8000 Ext 47809
Zoltan-Ungvari@ouhsc.edu
Mikiei Tanaka, PhD
Assistant Professor
Geriatric Medicine/ROCA
Oxidized mRNA 405-271-8000 Ext 47814
Mikiei-tanaka@ouhsc.edu

Affiliate members of ROCA are a self-selected group of individuals who have an interest in aging-related research. Most members are faculty of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and its partner organizations, such as the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

Become an Affiliate Member of ROCA!

Current Affiliate Members

Name, Title and Department Areas of Interest Contact Information
Muayyad R. Al-Ubaidi, PhD
Professor
Cell Biology
Age-related Macular Degeneration 405-271-2382
muayyad-al-ubaidi@ouhsc.edu
Natarajan Aravindan, PhD
Assistant Professor
Radiation Oncology
Cancer Research 405-271-3825
Natarajan-aravindan@ouhsc.edu
Debra Bemben, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Health and Sport Sciences
Health and Exercise 405-325-2709
dbemben@ou.edu
Michael Bemben, PhD
Professor and Chair
Health and Exercise Science
Vascular Restriction
Exercise in Older Men
405-325-2717
mgbemben@ou.edu
Bruce Carnes, PhD
Professor
Department of Geriatrics
Biodemography of Aging 405-271-8550
bruce-carnes@ouhsc.edu
Junping Chen, MD/PhD
Instructor of Clinical Research
Internal Medicine/Endocrinology
Cardiovascular Complications of Diabetes and Metabolic Syndromes in Older Populations 405-271-5896 Ext 47739
junping-chen@ouhsc.edu
Tarisai Dandajena, DDS/PhD
Assistant Professor
Orthodontics/Cell Biology
Bone Remodeling and Aging 405-271-6087
tarisai-dandajena@ouhsc.edu
Blas Espinoza-Varas, PhD
Associate Professor
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Aging, Cholinergic Hypoactivity, Sensory-motor Inhibition Deficits, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Attention Deficits, Auditory Neuroplasticity, Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Psychoacoustics 405-271-4214 Ext 46073
blas-espinoza-varas@ouhsc.edu
Andrew W. Gardner, PhD
CMRI Hobbs-Recknagel Professor
General Clinical Research Center
Exercise Rehabilitation of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Patients 405-271-4272 Ext 42743
andrew-gardner@ouhsc.edu
Larry P. Gonzalez, PhD
Professor
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Hippocampal Function Using in vivo and in vitro Electrophysiology and Behavioral Methods 405-271-2011 Ext 47722
Larry-Gonzalez@ouhsc.edu
Beverley Greenwood-Van Meerveld, PhD
Professor
Neurosciences
Aging GI Tract 405-270-0501
beverley-greenwood@ouhsc.edu
Eric Howard, PhD
Associate Professor
Cell Biology
Vascular Cell Biology Signal Transduction Gene Expression 405-271-2377
eric-howard@ouhsc.edu

Yih-Kuen Jan, PhD
Assistant Professor
Rehabilitation Sciences
Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Management 405-271-2131 Ext 47128
yjan@ouhsc.edu
Hiroyuki Matsumoto, PhD
Professor
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Proteomics of Aging 405-271-2227 Ext 61219
hiroyuki-matsumoto@ouhsc.edu
Saleem M Qureshi, MD, MHSA
Assistant Professor, Department of Geriatrics
ACOS for Geriatrics and Extended Care, OK VAMC
Transitions in Care, Minimizing Hospital Morbidity of Vulnerable Elders, Palliative Care 405-271-8558
saleem-qureshi@ouhsc.edu
Chinthalapally V. Rao, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Medicine, Hematology/Oncology Section
Anticancer Drug Development 405-271-3224
cv-rao@ouhsc.edu
Astrid Rasmussen, PhD
Assistant Professor of Research
Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
Somatic Instability of DNA Triplet-Repeats in Aging 405-271-6885
astrid-rasmussen@ouhsc.edu
Ricardo Saban, PhD
Professor
Physiology
Alteration of Lymphatic Vessels during Aging 405-271-3700
ricardo-saban@ouhsc.edu
Kevin Short, PhD
Assistant Professor
Pediatrics (Adjunct in Geriatric Medicine)
Energy Metabolism, Skeletal Muscle, Diabetes, Exercise Physiology 405-271-8001 Ext 43094
kevin-short@ouhsc.edu
Kristen Sorocco, PhD
Assistant Professor of Research
Department of Geriatrics
Caregiver Stress
Telemental Health
Program Evaluation
405-270-0501
kristen-sorocco@ouhsc.edu
Zhongjie Sun, MD/PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Physiology
Cardiovascular Aging 405-271-2226 Ext 56237
zhongjie-sun@ouhsc.edu
Thomas Teasdale, DrPH
Professor
Department of Geriatrics
Education Evaluation
Caregiver Support
Geriatrics and Mental Health
405-271-8195
thomas-teasdale@ouhsc.edu
Xiaohe Yang, MD/PhD
Assistant Professor
Pathology
Aging and Cancer 405-271-1524
xiaohe-yang@ouhsc.edu
Xichun Yu, MD
Assistant Professor of Research
Medicine
  405-271-5896
xichun-yu@ouhsc.edu
Zhizhuang J. Zhao, PhD
Professor
Pathology
Sarcopenia and Aging 405-271-9344
joe-zhao@ouhsc.edu