Doctor Laboratory Research Team
Director
Allan Doctor, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
410-706-7084
adoctor@som.umaryland.edu
Allan Doctor, MD, directs the Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis (CBOTH), which addresses fundamental, challenging questions related to blood O2 transport and hemostasis, from a systems perspective, with attention to human biology, physiology and therapeutics. Doctor is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) in Baltimore. Prior to coming to Baltimore, he led the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WUSOM) as a Professor of Pediatrics for 10 years prior to stepping down to focus on his expanding research program and ErythroMer development.
Doctor is a Co-Founder and the Chief Scientific Officer of KaloCyte, where he leads the company’s scientific research and development efforts for ErythroMer, a novel bio-inspired artificial red blood cell.
Doctor is internationally recognized for his research on the role of red blood cell-based signaling in the control of regional blood flow, related pathophysiology arising from acquired red cell injuries, blood substitute design, and on novel approaches to clinical decision making and translational transfusion medicine in the setting of critical illness.
Research Team
Stephen Rogers, PhD
Assistant Professor
410-706-7094
Stephen.rogers@som.umaryland.edu
Dr. Rogers is an exercise scientist/physiologist and red blood cell biochemist by training. His work focuses on the role of red blood cells (RBCs) in the modulation of regional blood flow to match oxygen (O2) delivery to metabolic demand. More specifically, how RBCs contribute to O2 delivery homeostasis by controlling NO bioavailability in a fashion that links vascular tone to biochemical cues of perfusion sufficiency. His current focus is on dysregulation to this important RBC based O2 delivery homeostatic mechanism in disease states (i.e. sepsis, diabetes, sickle cell), which appears to play a significant role in disease amplification and related morbidity progression. In addition to his work as a research scientist in Dr. Doctor’s laboratory, Dr. Rogers is the director of the Red Blood Cell Characterization Core at CBOTH.
Qihong Wang, MD, MSc
Research Associate
410-706-6079
Qihong.Wang@som.umaryland.edu
Dr. Qihong Wang has a strong background in animal survival surgery and related procedures, with extensive medical laboratory research experience, especially in cardiac and pediatric studies. Dr. Wang began his training at the Medical Center of Fudan University (formerly Shanghai Medical University) where he earned his MD in 1993. He then received his MSc degree in Pediatric Science, from the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, prior to his post-doctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, Johns Hopkins University.
During his post-doctoral fellowship, Dr. Wang successfully established animal models in: cardiac arrest and resuscitation (rat), sepsis (mouse), heart transplantation (rat), acute liver failure and stem cell transplantation (mouse) and extracorporeal fetal support (sheep). His skills include survival animal surgeries, microsurgery procedures, such as intubation/mechanical ventilation; organ (liver, heart, skin) transplantation, asphyxia cardiac arrest and hemorrhagic shock with resuscitation.
In addition to his small animal surgery skills, Dr. Wang has expertise in pathological laboratory procedures, molecular biology techniques and optimization – including real-time PCR, Elisa, Western Blot, bone marrow stem cell isolation, purify and cell culture. In addition to his work as a research scientist, Dr. Wang is the Director for the Small Animal and Surgery and Physiology Core at CBOTH, where he successfully established polytrauma, hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation rabbit model that promises to be highly relevant for research on battlefield trauma/survival.
Mary Brummet, MS
Lab Manager
410-706-6070
Mbrummet@som.umaryland.edu
Mary Brummet is the laboratory manager for Dr. Allan Doctor’s laboratory at Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis. She received her MS in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University with a concentration in molecular biology and cell signaling. Her current focus is on red cell physiology in disease states as well as implementing laboratory policies and safety procedures. She values a career where her passion for science can give her the opportunity to improve human health such as diabetes, SCD and sepsis. In her free time she likes to cook and spend time with family and friends along with her two Great Danes.
Tobi Rowden, RN
Clinical Research Nurse
410-706-7068
trowden@som.umaryland.edu
Tobi Rowden is the Clinical Research Nurse for Dr. Allan Doctor’s Research Team at the University of Maryland School of Medicine at the Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis (CBOTH).
Tobi completed her nursing education and training in Canada. She moved to Texas shortly thereafter to begin her career in nursing. Tobi has worked for some of the largest children’s healthcare systems in Texas, North Carolina, and California. Her nursing career consists of extensive knowledge and practice in Pediatric Intensive Care, Nurse Management, and Pediatric Research. Tobi brings 23 years of nursing knowledge and experience to the Doctor Team. She has participated and successfully coordinated many Clinical Research Trials with her proficiency in critical thinking, organizational, and communication skills. Most notably, she took part in a successful novel drug clinical trial for pediatric sepsis and hypovolemic shock.
Tobi participates in the coordination and implementation of Dr. Doctor’s Research Studies. She ensures that patients meet protocol goals and compliance, collects clinical data, sample collection, and review of clinical laboratory data. She assists in providing evidence-based research that is essential to safe and quality nursing care. Tobi’s goal has always been focused on successful outcomes for pediatric patients and research participants.
Zohreh Safari, PhD
Post Doc Fellow
443-687-1035
zsafari@som.umaryland.edu
Dr. Zohreh Safari is the post-doctoral fellow for Dr. Allan Doctor's laboratory at the Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis (CBOTH). Her background, education, publication record and experience include cell biology, molecular genetics and bioengineering, angiogenesis with particular focus upon vascular biology of the microcirculation during hypoxia. She received her Bachelor's degree in Biology from Tabriz University. She then received her Master's degree at Tabriz University in 2013 with a concentration in the extensive impacts of hypoxia on the anticancer mechanisms of metformin. She began her training at Tarbiat Modares University, where she earned her PhD in 2019.
The major emphasis of her PhD was on extracellular and vascular niches and investigated their potential in inducing neovascularization as a treatment for infectious diseases. In addition, evaluation of angiogenesis responses based on induction of environmental signals. Furthermore, her research had concentrated upon blood cell include white blood cell (immune cell) and red blood cell their responses into philological stress.
Additionally, Dr. Safari has designed a scaffold. This scaffold causing increased blood vessel growth and angiogenic factor that lead to increase angiogenesis.
Joy O. Okhuevbie, BS
Lab Assistant
Joy Okhuevbie is the Laboratory Assistant for Dr. Allan Doctor's laboratory at the Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis (CBOTH). Joy was born in Nigeria, where she completed her high school degree before moving to Baltimore with her family. She received her BSc in Physiology and Neurobiology from the University of Maryland College Park. Joy was previously involved in research at Towson University that aimed to explore the importance of olfactory cues in crickets using behavioral bioassays, morphological and electrophysiological studies in order to develop a novel biocontrol agent. Her current focus is on whole-body hypoxic preconditioning and building a model to support studies that evaluate pharmacologic approaches at inducing hypoxia tolerance. In addition, Joy is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and Mu Alpha Theta honors society. In her free time, she bakes and jumps rope.