
Principal Investigator: Erin Talbert, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in the Department of Health & Human Physiology
Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center (HCCC) and the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center (FOEDRC).

M.S. Thesis Student: Divine Riwhie
Divine completed his Bachelor's degree in Human Anatomy from LAUTECH, Nigeria, where his undergraduate research project focused on Cisplatin-induced liver damage. He is currently pursuing a thesis Master's degree in Health and Human Physiology at the University of Iowa. At the Talbert Lab, Divine will be investigating the mechanisms behind skeletal muscle wasting in cancer cachexia.

PhD Student: Ahad Rezapour
Originally from Iran, Ahad Rezapour received his Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Tehran, where his thesis focused on DNA repair mechanisms in an animal model of lung cancer. Ahad is currently a PhD student in Human Physiology at the University of Iowa. His research interests center on pancreatic cancer cachexia, a type of cancer characterized by aggressive behavior and significant muscle wasting. He is particularly enthusiastic about improving therapeutic outcomes for cancer patients suffering from cachexia. To this end, Ahad has joined Professor Talbert’s lab to delve deeper into the field and investigate the mechanisms underlying cachexia, a major cause of cancer-related mortality among American cancer patients.

Kayla Kolpin

Jackie Ott
Connor Lofing
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Lab Alumni
Sydney Allison - Undergraduate Honors Thesis Student, 2020-2021
Connor Flynn - Undergraduate Student, 2020-2021
Jayarani Putri, PhD - Postdoctoral Scholar 2021-2022
Natalia Weinzierl - Undergraduate Honors Thesis Student, 2021-2023
Emily Kalmanek - Undergraduate Honors Thesis Student, 2021-2023
Ashley Freeman, MS - Master's Thesis Student, 2021-2023
Oscar Cruz, Undergraduate Student, 2023
Marina Gomes Barbosa, Master's Thesis Student, 2022-2024
Wren Kavars, Undergraduate Student, 2024
Lauryn Peck, Undergraduate Student, 2024
Yabing Wang, MS - Master's Thesis Student, 2023-2024