Current Team Members
Dr. Fouda joined the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in July 2021. A pharmacist and translational scientist, Dr. Fouda received his Ph.D. in 2015 from the University of Georgia, College of Pharmacy. Dr. Fouda’s predoctoral work helped to define the neurovascular protection from stroke provided by the renin-angiotensin system. These studies were recognized by awards from the American Heart Association, International Stroke Conference, and other professional organizations.
As a postdoctoral fellow at MCG’s Vascular Biology Center, his research on neuro-inflammation included models of traumatic optic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, and the role of macrophages in retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury and protection by arginase 1. The latter studies are the focus of a prestigious K99/R00 Career Development Pathway to Independence Award that Dr. Fouda received from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Fouda has published more than 35 original manuscripts and looks forward to collaborating with investigators at the Jones Eye Institute and across campus.
Dr. Shosha is interested in studying neurodegenerative diseases of the retina. Dr. Shosha received her doctoral degree with distinction from the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia. Her predoctoral work was supported by an American Heart Association fellowship. She then worked as postdoctoral fellow for four years before joining UAMS. Dr. Shosha authored several research and review articles in the field of retinopathy.
Mohamed Abdelhamed is a doctoral student in the Pharmacology and Toxicology track. In 2019, Mohamed earned his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Cairo University, Egypt, and ranked first in his class. He also holds a master’s degree in pharmacology and Toxicology. His previous research focused on neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and schizophrenia. Prior to joining UAMS, Mohamed was a Pharmacology Assistant lecturer at Cairo University.
Piyanan Chuesiang holds a doctorate in Food Technology from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Her research background is in developing nano-delivery systems for active compounds encapsulation. Piyanan currently joined Fouda’s lab as a research assistant, and she is studying the role of myeloid cells in the CNS.
Ashlynn Cunningham is from Houston, Texas. She is a research technician with a bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology and Chinese from the University of Rhode Island. Before working at UAMS, she was an undergraduate research assistant genotyping toxic plankton in the bays of Rhode Island. Additionally, she worked as a research assistant at National Yang-Ming University, where she studied Akk bacteria as a potential colon and pancreatic cancer treatment. She likes to garden, travel, and read books in her free time. Ultimately, her goal is to learn new lab techniques and a more comprehensive understanding of biomedical science.
Christian has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in biochemistry and a master’s from Texas A&M University in biomedical science. Her research at UCA primarily focused on methods of expression and purification of an intrinsically disordered protein. Christian’s research at Texas A&M was in comparative immunogenetics and evolutionary immunology studying tissue architecture in sharks as well as antibody sequences and structure in bovine. She also worked for a biopharmaceutical company that was working on creating alternative cancer therapies prior to coming to UAMS. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Dr. Fouda’s lab in the Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Experimental Therapeutics track.
Carol Morris is a graduate student in the neuroscience track of the graduate program for interdisciplinary sciences (GPIBS). She earned her bachelor’s degree in general biology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Carol has a background in translational multiple myeloma research. She is currently focused on immune response in retinal ischemic neurodegeneration.
Dr. Rami Shahror holds a doctorate in Neural Regenerative Medicine from Taipei Medical University, Taiwan, and a Master of Science in Medicine degree and a Master of Science degree in Molecular Medical Biology from Orebro University, Sweden. He is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, in the College of Medicine at UAMS. Prior to this role, he has held positions as Research Fellow at The Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research Organized Research Center (STAR-ORC), School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA. He contributed to a number of neurotrauma projects investigating the development of a genetically modified stem cell therapy for traumatic brain injury. He has authored or co-authored several articles in peer-reviewed journals in the field of neuroscience. Dr. Shahror is a fellow of the Society of Neuroscience (SFN) and National Neurotrauma Society (NNS).
Bushra is a graduate student with an undergraduate degree in pharmacy from Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has previous experience as an undergraduate research assistant in neuropharmacology, specifically synaptic neurodegeneration in aging-associated dementia/movement disorders. Bushra joined the Fouda lab to expand her horizons and include broader aspects of neuropathology-affected disorders. She aspires to gain experience in ocular and neurovascular disorders in the academic field as the years progress. During her spare time, Bushra likes to paint.
Former Lab Team Members
