The External Advisory Committee (EAC) provides PD/PI Bohach, the Steering Committee, and Executive Committee, advice on administrative matters, and monitors the effectiveness of the Idaho Network to increase research competitiveness in Idaho. The members were selected for their outstanding scientific expertise, experience with mentoring, grantsmanship, familiarity in building sustainable research programs, and knowledge of the research/workforce climate of Idaho. The EAC reviews the performance of each INBRE component on a semi-annual basis and submits annual reports with formal recommendations to the Steering Committee.
Regents’ Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
New Mexico State University
jarterbu@nmsu.edu
Jeffrey Arterburn, Ph.D. is a Regents Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at New Mexico State University (NMSU). His research expertise focuses on synthetic medicinal chemistry and chemical biology with three decades of experience in designing small molecule probes and imaging agents, synthesizing drug-like molecules and analogues for identifying structure-activity relationships and cancer drug discovery programs. His lab conducted the synthetic chemistry for hit-to-lead optimization studies resulting in the development of agonists (G-1) and antagonists (G15, G36) of the G Protein-coupled Estrogen Receptor (GPER) that are validated molecular probes for the modulation of GPER activity in vitro and in vivo and used extensively by the biomedical research community. Dr. Arterburn initiated the New Mexico Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (NM-BRIN) in 2001 and served as Program Director/Principal Investigator of New Mexico IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (NM-INBRE) until 2016. He has extensive experience with NIH-funded multiple PI, multi-disciplinary, and multi-site research collaborations. Dr. Arterburn received the B.A. degree in Chemistry summa cum laude from the University of Colorado, Denver, the Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Arizona, and he completed an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellowship at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the University of Washington.
Idaho INBRE EAC Chair
Chair, Herbert L. and Margaret W. Distinguished Professor
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
University of Texas Medical School
President, American Society for Microbiology
theresa.m.koehler@uth.tmc.edu
Theresa M. Koehler, Ph.D. is Chair emerita of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas – Houston McGovern Medical School. She is President-elect of the American Society for Microbiology, one of the largest professional life science organizations in the world. She is an internationally recognized anthrax expert, and her NIH-funded research program on Bacillus anthracis spanned more than 30 years. Dr. Koehler’s NIH service includes chairing the Bacterial Pathogenesis study section, and membership and chair positions on several Special Emphasis grant review panels. She has chaired numerous national/international scientific conferences, served on multiple journal editorial boards, and has been on several advisory boards for state and federal science committees, including the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity. As President of the Association of Medical School Microbiology and Immunology Chairs, Dr. Koehler led professional development conferences that connected over 100 medical schools in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Throughout her career, Dr. Koehler has been a dedicated mentor to graduate students, medical students, and postdoctoral fellows. She was the Director of an NIH T32 training grant and won the Paul E. Darlington Award for outstanding mentoring of graduate students from the M.D. Anderson UT Health Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Koehler is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. She earned a B.S. at Virginia Tech in Biology, M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and did a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School.
Sr. Associate Vice President
Office of Research and Graduate Education, and
Vice Dean of Research, School of Medicine
West Virginia University
Contact Dr. Lei
Ming Lei, Ph.D. is Sr. Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Education, West Virginia University (WVU) Health Sciences Center (WVUHSC) and Vice Dean for Research, WVU School of Medicine. He oversees WVUHSC’s strategic initiatives to enhance research and graduate education programs. With a distinguished career spanning academia and government, Dr. Lei brings invaluable expertise to his role. Prior to his current position, Ming Lei was the Director of the Division for Research Capacity Building at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). He was responsible for the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) among other NIH funding mechanisms. Dr. Lei played a pivotal role in fostering biomedical research excellence and capacity building in states with historically low levels of NIH funding. His visionary leadership and strategic direction were instrumental in advancing the IDeA program’s mission to support underrepresented institutions, nurture emerging researchers, and promote scientific innovation. He also held leadership positions at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Prior to his government service, Ming Lei was a professor and an R01-funded principal investigator at the Medical College of Wisconsin studying the regulation of DNA replication. He earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Professor & Vice Chair of Research
Department of Anesthesiology
University of Kansas Medical Center
dwright@kumc.edu
Douglas Wright, Ph.D., is a Professor and Vice Chair of Research at the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Wright’s current research addresses diseases and conditions that affect peripheral sensation and pain. His laboratory uses mouse genetic models to explore the pathogenesis of nerve dysfunction and pain and testing interventions through translational research in human patients suffering from peripheral nerve disease and pain. Dr. Wright’s research is funded by R01 grants from the NIH. His work in diabetes complications has been recognized through receiving a KUMC Faculty Research Investigator Award and a Cure Award from the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Wright has received numerous teaching and mentoring awards, including the prestigious William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence and the KUMC Excellence in Mentoring Award. Since 2010, Dr. Wright has led the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE), which supports research training and infrastructure at 10 Universities in Kansas and Oklahoma. Dr. Wright served as Co-PI on the SHARPHub Accelerator Hub to stimulate innovation and commercialization in the Central Region IDeA states and served as the President of the National Association of IDeA Principal Investigators (NAIPI). Dr. Wright is the Chair of the International Diabetic Neuropathy Consortium (IDNC), a special interest group within the Peripheral Nerve Society. Dr. Wright has served as Director of several graduate programs at KUMC and has been a dedicated mentor to graduate students, medical and MD/PhD, and postdoctoral fellows. He is the Co-Director of an NIH T32 training grant to support graduate training in obesity complications. Dr. Wright completed his Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky and his postdoctoral training at Washington University.
