Andy Banh, Ph.D.
M.D./Ph.D.Student
Biography
Andy Banh completed his PhD in the lab of Veronica Galvan, PhD in the summer of 2021. As a student in the South Texas Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD Program), Andy has transitioned back to medical school for his final two years of clinical training before an anticipated MD graduation of May 2023. Andy's graduate research aimed to characterize a novel element of cerebrovascular pathology and Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology.
About me
I grew up in a household of Vietnamese immigrants in Anaheim, CA. I went to California State University Fullerton for undergrad where I majored in Biology and eventually ended up in San Antonio a year after graduating. I mainly spend my time outside of work/school playing tennis with my fiance and local community leagues, tending to my garden, and planning our upcoming wedding (Nov. 2022)! Together, we have two cats, Bok Choy and Whiskey, who primarily enjoy sleeping, randomly attacking us, and figuring out new ways to climb me.
Hobbies/Interests
Tennis, Dungeons & Dragons, gardening, true crime podcasts, video games!
Research Topic
Alzheimer's disease, tau, cerebrovascular function, immunotherapy
Why I chose MD/PhD
I discovered the creativity, excitement, and potential for long term improvement of the world through research during my research experience in my undergraduate training. I wanted to apply this to medicine to contribute to changes in how we understand and practice medicine. I was drawn to the MD/PhD pathway through the potential to help patients directly while helping our community as a whole through scientific advancement in medicine.
Why I chose MD/PhD at UT Health San Antonio
My interview day and interactions with the faculty at UTHSCSA showed me that this is a closely knit program that give students a lot of support for their individual needs.
Publications
Chocron, E. S., Munkácsy, E., Kim, H. S., Karpowicz, P., Jiang, N., Van Skike, C. E., DeRosa, N., Banh, A. Q., Palavicini, J. P., Wityk, P., Kalinowski, L., Galvan, V., Osmulski, P. A., Jankowska, E., Gaczynska, M., & Pickering, A. M. (2022). Genetic and pharmacologic proteasome augmentation ameliorates Alzheimer's-like pathology in mouse and fly APP overexpression models. Science Advances. 8(23), eabk2252. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abk2252
Van Skike, C. E., Hussong, S. A., Hernandez, S. F., Banh, A. Q., DeRosa, N., & Galvan, V. (2021). mTOR Attenuation with Rapamycin Reverses Neurovascular Uncoupling and Memory Deficits in Mice Modeling Alzheimer's Disease. The Journal of Neuroscience. 41(19), 4305–4320. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2144-20.2021
Banh, A., Chavez, V., Doi, J., Nguyen, A., Hernandez, S., Ha, V., Jimenez, P., Espinoza, F., & Johnson, H. A. (2013). Manganese (Mn) oxidation increases intracellular Mn in Pseudomonas putida GB-1. PloS one. 8(10), e77835. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0077835
Education
B.S., Biology, California State University Fullerton, 2013
Ph.D., Integrated Biomedical Sciences: Physiology & Pharmacology, UT Health San Antonio, 2021
Dissertation Title: "Pathogenic Tau Oligomers Induce Endothelial Cell Senescence and Dysfunction in Models of Alzheimer's Disease." Defended on July 9, 2021.
Awards
F31 Fellowship (National Institute on Aging): F31AG067732 “Tau-induced endothelial cell impairment as a driver of microvascular dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease." 2020-2022