Dr. Joao Pedra completed his Ph.D. in Dr. Pittendrigh's laboratory in the summer of 2004 and is currently a Post-Doctoral Associate in Molecular Pathogenesis of Vector Borne Diseases at Yale University School of Medicine under the direction of Dr. Erol Fikrig in the Department of Internal Medicine - Section of Rheumatology. Dr. Pedra completed his Ph.D. with six peer-reviewed publications out of our laboratory, included first authored papers in PNAS, Proteomics, Insect Molecular Biology, Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. He also received, "The International Congress on Insect Neurochemistry and Neurophysiology (ICINN) Student Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry, Toxicology, and Molecular Biology" award from the Entomological Foundation (2004) for his work on the functional genomics and proteomics of metabolic pesticide resistance in Drosophila.

Education

Purdue University
Department of Entomology
Insect Molecular Biology
West Lafayette IN 47907
Ph.D. Degree
Doctoral Advisor: Dr. Barry Pittendrigh 2000 - 2004

Universidade Federal de Vicosa
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Agricultural Chemistry
MG, Brazil
Masters Degree
1998 - 2000

Universidade Federal de Vicosa
Department of Biology
MG, Brazil
Bachelors Degree
1994 - 1998

Professional Experience

Postdoctoral Associate in Molecular Pathogenesis of Arthropod Borne Diseases (2004 - current)
Yale University School of Medicine
Department of Internal Medicine - Section of Rheumatology
New Haven, CT
Phone (203) 737-5635
Fax (203) 785-7053
Supervisor: Dr. Erol Fikrig

Teaching Experience

Purdue University
Mentored:

• One junior Ph.D. student (Purdue University) 6 months
• Two M.S. students (Purdue University) 3 months each
• One Laboratory Technician (Purdue University) 2 months
• Three Undergraduate students (Purdue University and Universidade Federal de Vicosa) Varied

Lecturer - Universidade Federal de Vicosa. Brazil. Laboratory of Biochemistry I - BQI 101 (August - December 1999)

Guest Lecturer - RNA expression profile in human body lice - Yale University School of Medicine - Department of Internal Medicine - Section of Rheumatology - New Haven, CT - (2003)

Publications

Post-Doctoral Training
(2004 - Present)
Arthropod-Borne Diseases and Microbial Pathogenesis

Pedra, J.H.F., Narasimhan, S., DePonte, K., Marcantonio, N., Kantor, F.S. and Fikrig E. Disruption of the Salivary Protein 14 in Ixodes scapularis and Impact on Pathogen Acquisition. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. In Press.

Pedra, J.H.F ., Sukumaran, B., Carlyon, J.A., Berliner, N. and Fikrig, E. Modulation of NB4 promyelocytic leukemic cell machinery by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Genomics. 2005 Sep;86(3):365-77.

Ph.D. Degree
(2000-2004)
Insect Molecular Biology and Toxicology

Pedra, J.H.F ., Festucci-Buselli, R.A., Sun, W-L, Muir, W.M., Scharf , M.E. and Pittendrigh B.R. Profiling of abundant proteins associated with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)- resistance in Drosophila melanogaster . Proteomics 5 (1): 258 - 269. 2005. (Cover Picture)

Pedra, J.H.F ., McIntyre, L.M., Scharf , M.E. and Pittendrigh B.R. Genome-wide transcription profile of field- and laboratory-selected Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) resistant Drosophila . P Nat Acad Sci USA 101 (18): 7034 - 7039. 2004.

Pedra, J.H.F; Hostetler, A.; Gaffney, P.J.; Reenan, R.A.; Pittendrigh, B.R. Hyper-susceptibility to deltamethrin in para ts-1 DDT resistant Drosophila melanogaster . Pesticide Biochem Phys 78: 58-66. 2004.

Pedra, J.H.F. ; Brandt, A.; Li, H-M; Westerman, R.; Romero-Severson, J.; Pollack, R.J.; Murdock, L.L. and Pittendrigh, B.R. Transcriptome identification of putative genes involved in protein catabolism and innate immune response in human body louse (Pediculicidae: Pediculus humanus ). Insect Biochem Mol Biol 33 (11): 1135-1142. 2003.

Pedra, J.H.F. ; Brandt, A.; Westerman, R.; Lobo, N.; Li, H-M; Romero-Severson, J.; Murdock, L.L. and Pittendrigh, B.R. Transcriptome analysis of the cowpea weevil bruchid: identification of putative proteinases and amylases associated with food breakdown. Insect Mol Biol 12 (4): 405-412. 2003.

Brandt, A., Scharf, M., Pedra. J.H.F ., Holmes, G., Dean, A., Kreitman, M. and Pittendrigh, B.R. Differential expression and induction of two Drosophila P450 cytochrome genes near the Rst(2)DDT locus. Insect Mol Biol 11(4): 337-342. 2002

M.S. Degree
(1998-2000)
Plant Molecular Biology

Pedra, J.H.F.; Delu-Filho, N.; Pirovani, C.P.; Contim, L.A.S.; Dewey, R.E.; Otoni, W.C. and Fontes, E.P.B. Antisense and sense expression of a sucrose binding protein homologue gene from soybean in transgenic tobacco affects plant growth and carbohydrate partitioning in tobacco leaves. Plant Sci , 152 (1): 87-98. 2000.

Delu-Filho, N.; Pirovani, C.P.; Pedra, J.H.F .; Matrangolo, F.S.V.; Macedo, J.N.; Otoni, W.C. and Fontes, E.P.B. A sucrose binding protein homologue from soybean affects sucrose uptake in transgenic tobacco suspension-cultured cells. Plant Phys Biochem , 38 (5): 353-361. 2000.

Awards, Honors and Activities

• Yale Liver Center Grant- NIDDK P30-34989: Hepatopathogenesis of Human Anaplasmosis, 2006-2007.

• Brown-Coxe Fellowship for Medical Sciences (2006-2007) - Yale University School of Medicine

• Member of the U.S. National Post-Doctoral Association (2005- Present)

• Student Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry, Toxicology, and Molecular Biology ( U.S. National Student Competition). Entomological Society of America , Salt Lake City (2004) - UT - USA .

• Member of the New York Academy of Sciences (2004 - present)

• Member of the Entomological Society of America (2004 - present)

• Third Place , Ph.D. Student Competition Category (RNA expression profile in human body lice), Ohio Valley Entomological Society Meeting, Indianapolis (2003) - IN - USA.

• Member of the Gamma Sigma Delta - Honor Society of Agriculture, Consumer and Family Sciences and Veterinary Medicine - Purdue University Chapter (Inducted in 2003)

• Awarded C. C. Alexander Fellowship (2003) Purdue University . USA .

• Entomology Symposium Coordinator at Purdue University (2002)

• Co-Mentor of the Purdue Minority Access to Research Careers Program (Purdue - MARC/AIM) - (Summer 2001)

• Member of the Thomas Say Entomological Society at Purdue University (2001 - 2003)

• Seminar Co-coordinator in the Entomology Department at Purdue University (Summer 2001 - Summer 2002)

• Awarded Purdue Foundation Scholarship (2000-2004) Purdue University . USA .

• Member of the Entomology Graduate Student Association at Purdue University (2000 - 2004)

• Awarded Graduate CAPES Scholarship (1998-2000). Brazil .

• First Place , Undergraduate Competition Category at Universidade Federal de Vicosa (1998). Brazil .

• Awarded CNPq Undergraduate Fellowship (1997-1998). Brazil .

• Awarded PET/CAPES Undergraduate Fellowship (1995-1997). Brazil .