Translational Glycomics Center located at Versiti’s Blood Research Institute in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Team:
Karin Hoffmeister, MD
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, VERSITI BLOOD RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Karin was trained in Germany as a cardiologist. She joined the Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital faculty in 2001. She became the Director of the Translational Glycomics Center at the Versiti Blood Research Institute in 2017. The goal of the Center is to determine how glycans and glyco-genetics regulate hematopoiesis during development, under steady state and in disease.
The combination of her skills as a clinician-scientist keeps the Center focused on translational aspects of research and is a prerequisite to the often needed “out of the box” thinking when approaching relatively unknown areas of investigation, such as glycans and regulation of glycol-genetics.
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Versiti Blood Research Institute
8727 W Watertown Plank Road
Milwaukee, WI 53226
(414) 937-6223
khoffmeister@versiti.org
Renee Hill, MBA
SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER
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(414) 937-3844
Renee received her bachelor of art degree in International Studies and Spanish from UW Madison in 2006 and her MBA from UW Milwaukee in 2020. She joined the team in October 2021 and brings extensive experience in program management and grant administration. She coordinates and manages all administrative and programmatic aspects related to the Translational Glycomics Center. In addition to her work with us, Renee teaches yoga at a local studio. In her free time she enjoys kayaking, yoga, gardening, and spending time with her nieces.
Agata Steenackers, PhD
LABORATORY MANAGER
Email
(414) 937-6859
Agata’s research focuses on understanding how certain diseases, like cancer, are associated with dramatic changes in glycan patterns. Additionally, she studied the impact of O-GlcNAc on metabolic syndrome development and determining the full-length structures of the key enzymes responsible for O-GlcNAc modifications using cryo-EM. In her free time, Agata enjoys travelling, hiking, climbing, baking and having fun with her family and friends!
Alejandro Roisman, PhD
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
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Alejandro obtained his PhD in 2017 from the University of Buenos Aires studying how epigenetic changes contribute to leukemia and lymphoma development and progression. He then moved to the United States for a post-doctoral training in hematopoietic stem cell biology, genome editing and epigenetics. He joined Dr. Hoffmeister’s lab as a Research Scientist to understand how glycan changes affect cell fate decisions and genome organization at the stem cell level.
Natalia Weich, PhD
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
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Natalia recently joined as a Research Scientist in Dr. Hoffmeister’s lab to understand how glycan signatures can guide precision therapy in hematologic malignancies. She was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She came to the United States in 2017 to perform her postdoctoral studies working in the field of DNA damage and epigenetics.
In her free time, Natalia enjoys watching movies, cooking and having fun with family and friends.
Kate Rosenbalm, PhD
POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW
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Kate completed her PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center at the University of Georgia. She joined the team in 2022 and brings expertise in glycobiology and mass spectrometry. At the Translational Glycomics Center, Kate studies the glycan niche in bone marrow and downstream hepatic signaling.
Anna Schmidt
SENIOR RESEARCH COORDINATOR
Email
(414) 937-6858
Anna received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology from Loyola University of Chicago. She joined the lab in November 2018 where she focused on Glycosylation patterns of red blood cells. Since having her daughter, Josephine, in 2020, Anna has moved to the role of an external support for the lab and Translational Glycomics Center needs. In her free time she enjoys chasing around a busy toddler, and spending time with family and friends.
Marge Kipp
ANIMAL TECH
Marge received her Certification as Biotechnology Technician in 1996 followed by her BS in Business Management in 2006. She has been with the BRI since 2003. She currently supports 5 labs. When she’s not in the lab she enjoys spending time with her family and their dog Sadie. They enjoy camping, fishing and traveling.
Mark Zogg, BA, BS
SENIOR RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIST
Mark brings with him thirty years of experience working in a variety of research environments. At the bench he has specialized in a range of techniques including molecular cloning of gene expression and targeting vectors, genome editing using CRISPR, bulk and single cell sequencing, and running in-vivo sepsis experiments. Mark was raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm and thus adds almost a lifetime of animal husbandry and management experience to the lab.
Alumni:
Grace Kelly
RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIST
Next Position: Nursing School
Ratnashree Biswas, MD
POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW
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George Steinhardt, PhD
COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGIST
Melissa Lee-Sundlov, PhD
RESEARCH SCIENTIST | K12 GRANT SCHOLAR
Leonardo Rivadeneyra, PhD
POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW
Simon Glabere
RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIST
Waseem Anani, MD
RESEARCH PHYSICIAN | K12 GRANT SCHOLAR