AHA@OU
Summer Undergraduate Research Program
May 28th - August 1st, 2025
AHA@OU
Summer Undergraduate Research Program
May 28th - August 1st, 2025
Please check back soon for updates!
Oakland University is pleased to announce that we have obtained support from the American Heart Association for a summer undergraduate research fellowship called AHA@OU. This program is designed to expose students to cutting-edge cardiovascular research. AHA@OU will provide each fellow with a $6,000 summer stipend, with up to $3,000 allowance for conference travel.
AHA fellows will be mentored by two OU faculty members to participate in one of five collaborative projects (outlined below).
To apply, please refer to the Application Materials and Checklist section below. Applications for the 2025 cycle are due on February 28th, 2025. Awardees will be notified by March 15th, 2025.
*The AHA SURE program has a separate deadline of March 22nd, 2025
Project #1
Dr. Westrick is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and he is the Director of the AHA@OU program. His research focus is on the genetics of cardiovascular diseases to understand and prevent the development of pathologic intravascular blood clots (i.e. thrombosis).
Dr. Washington is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. His laboratory studies the TLT-1 platelet receptor and its functional role in hemostasis.
The Fellow will train at the interface of Dr. Washington’s and Dr. Westrick’s expertise, using inbred mouse strains to identify and characterize the genomic loci regulating platelet TLT-1 expression and its cleavage from the platelet surface. The Fellow will learn to use high throughput sequencing, transcriptomics, and biochemical and physiological assays. Computationally, the Fellow will learn to perform genomic mapping, transcriptomic analyses, and use genome databases. Using statistical software such as Graphpad will also be mastered.
Project #2
Prof. Wu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry. Work in his lab is focused on the molecular mechanisms of DNA repair.
Prof. Avery is an Assistant Professor in the Deparment of Chemistry. The Avery Lab is interested in the role of the spectrin cytoskeletal proteins in neurological diseases.
The Fellow will identify G-quadruplex (G4) DNA repair foci in heart muscle cells and correlate the accumulation of DNA damage with myocyte contractile function. The student will generate constructs for expressing mNeonGreen-tagged FANCJ helicase and mCherry-labeled REV1 polymerase; these proteins are responsible for unfolding and repairing G4 DNA structures in human cells. G4 repair foci in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) will be visualized by confocal microscopy and fluorescence lifetime FRET as a function of menadione treatment to induce oxidative stress. The relative extents of single-stranded breaks and double-stranded breaks will be measured by Comet assays, and contractile function of the iPSC-CMs will be evaluated by established video-based methods. Our long-term goal is to delineate the effects of FANCJ and REV1 unclassified variants as well as cardiovascular disease-associated mutations on the recognition of G4s, DNA repair, and myocyte contractile motion.
Project #3
Prof. Villa-Diaz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. His work focuses on the interconnection between human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and the extracellular matrix. His lab is interested in understanding the self-renewal properties of hPSCs.
Prof. Figueiredo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. His lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of ribosome biogenesis and how the cell regulates muscle protein synthesis.
The Fellow working with Drs. Villa-Diaz and Figueiredo will work at the interface of their expertise to address the role of ribosome biogenesis in cardiac development. For this project, the Fellow will use heart organoids derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells investigate the cellular pathways in the development and maturation of cardiomyocytes. Heart organoids derived from hiPSCs will be used as a 3-D experimental model and will be compared to monolayer cultures of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.
Project #4
Dr. Al-Shabrawey is the Director of the Eye Research Institute at OU. His work is focused on the cellular mechanisms of neurovascular injury in diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.
Dr. Tawfik is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences in the Eye Research Institute. She has a joint appointment with the OU William Beaumont School of Medicine. Her work involves understanding the role of homocysteine in blood-brain barrier dysfunction and Alzheimer's disease, as well as retinal diseases.
The Fellow will study the cross-talk between excess homocysteine and bioactive lipids to mediate endothelial dysfunction in ischemic retinopathies (e.g. diabetic retinopathy and AMD). This new ongoing project led to a recent publication that presented significant dysregulation of circulating bioactive lipids in experimental model of excess homocysteine that may underscore a novel mechanism for the cardiovascular complications of excess homocysteine. The Fellow will study endothelial function both in vivo and in vitro by using electric cell substrate impedance sensing to monitor endothelial cell permeability and migration, fluorescein angiogram and optical coherence tomography to monitor retinal vascular leakage and neovascularization in living mice, laser systems to induced choroidal neovascularization.
Congratulations to our AHA 2025 SURP fellows:
Nadia Abdelhady (Tawfik), Abigail Reyes (Villa-Diaz), Emily Rossello (Figueiredo), Arina Rodionova (Westrick), Vanessa Huynh (Wu), Julia Schoen (Wu), Beth Esho (Avery)
And to our AHA 2025 SURE scholars:
Enyimpa Nkrumah (Al-Shabrawey), Gabriela Ferraz (Figueiredo), Elismary Crespo (Washington)
Eligibility: Any undergraduate student (including recent graduates within 8 months) can apply. Applicants are evaluated based on a combination of academic performance, their potential to perform research as evidenced by letters of recommendation, and the importance of the fellowship to the student's career path/decision. Previous research experience is considered but not required. Students from groups underrepresented in science or come from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
Application checklist: To apply, send the following materials to Prof. Wu (colinwu@oakland.edu) by Feb 28th, 2025.
Download and complete the Application Cover Page that describes your 1st and 2nd choices of Projects (see above). Include the names and contact information of two people who will submit your letters of recommendation.
1-page Personal Statement (500 words maximum) that discusses your career goals, research interests, relevant coursed-based or research-based experience, and any challenges/hardships you have faced in your academic training.
A copy of your academic transcript (unofficial copy is fine).
Identify two people who would be able to provide you with an excellent 1-page letter of recommendation. Include the names and email addresses of your references in the cover page. Please instruct them to submit their letters to Prof. Wu by the application deadline.
Selection Process
Applications will be holistically evaluated to select students with the potential for a career in cardiovascular research. Applicants will not be simply ranked by classroom performance or research experience. Personal characteristics such as communication skills, motivation, tenacity, resilience, and intellectual curiosity are essential for research success and will be carefully considered. We expect to notify awardees by mid-March so that the students can plan for their summer housing arrangements.
Additional program activities include: Didactic core curriculum lectures, bi-weekly meetings among participants and mentors, workshops in the appropriate and ethical usage of animals in research, workshops in grant writing, networking opportunities with world leaders in cardiovascular sciences and medicine, opportunities to present in progress research results to colleagues and faculty, participation in weekly laboratory meetings of mentoring faculty. AHA fellows will present their work in a Research Symposium at the end of the program. They will also share their results at the AHA Scientific Sessions meeting in the fall.
For useful tips to make the most out of your research experiences, visit the Undergrad in the Lab website.
AHA@OU Alumni
2025: Nadia Abdelhady, Abigail Reyes, Emily Rossello, Arina Rodionova, Vanessa Huynh, Julia Schoen, Beth Esho, Enyimpa Nkrumah, Gabriela Ferraz, Elismary Crespo
2024: Alyssa Paul, Scott Netter, Arina Rodionova, Prisha Mehta, Isabella Boiani, Angela Raymond, Madison Luxmore, Kailey MacFadyen, Abdul Yakubu, Trystan Ward
2022: Kadijah Thomas, Jessica Sadek, Emma Cismas, Caitlin Schneider, Lucia Sotomayor
2021: Adam Ayoub, Ingrid Petersen, Paul Kozlowski, Rachel Yim, Ian Cleary
2020: N/A
2019: Paige Nightingale, Mikayla McCarthy, Joseph DiPanni, Laura Barbarich, Laura Campbell