Susan M. Ceryak

I am a Professor in The George Washington University Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, and for the first half of the last 20 years, I have focused my efforts on basic science research of signal transduction mechanisms related to cell survival and carcinogenesis. I have received in-depth training in the fields of biochemistry and pharmacology and possess a broad knowledge of basic and clinical science. I have been a Principal Investigator of a productive laboratory with NIH support and over 50 publications. I have had the pleasure to have initiated and maintained productive collaborations with faculty throughout the University, as well as at other national and international institutions. In 2010, I was honored to receive the GWU SMHS Snyder Award for Cancer Research. As a result of managing multiple research projects and collaborative efforts, I believe I have acquired highly effective organizational skills as well as strong interpersonal communication skills. In 2016, 2018, and 2019 I was PI and Co-PI, respectively, on 4 educational research grants, which has allowed me to re-direct my research interests in the field of medical education. In 2012, I accepted the position of Medical Educator in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology. In 2013, I completed the Master Teacher Leadership Development Program (MTLDP). I have continued my studies with a focus on educational research in the GWU Graduate School of Education and in Fall, 2017, I fulfilled the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Human Organizational Learning (Individualized Masters). My strong research background has helped inform my analytical approach to educational questions and provide me the necessary background to be a Medical Science Mentor for the medical student learning communities. My Master’s and MTLDP studies also provide me with the necessary training in teaching skills, educational leadership and educational scholarship that will help me to succeed as course director and educational leader. I have facilitated educational workshops and panels for the GWU SMHS Center for Faculty Excellence and I serve as a faculty mentor through the SMHS Teaching Consult Service. In 2017 I was honored to receive the Distinguished Teacher Award for the MD Program at the GWU SMHS, and I am a member of the Distinguished Teacher Award Society. In 2019 it was especially meaningful for me to be selected to chair the Task Force to Revise the MD Program Objectives, which are currently in place in the GWU SMHS.

Research

During my research career at GWU, I had the pleasure to initiate and maintain productive collaborations with faculty throughout the University and at other academic institutions. My GWU research efforts span basic science and education domains. Since my appointment to Associate Professor in 2005, and through 2013, my research focus was molecular oncology and my laboratory was supported by NIH R01 and R21 awards, on which I was Principal Investigator (1R01, 1R21) or Co-investigator (2R01, 1 R21). The major research objectives of my laboratory were 1) to elucidate how signaling pathways regulate the cellular response to DNA damage; and 2) to identify mechanisms by which genotoxic stress in normal human cells may lead to intrinsic alterations allowing for selection of cells with a growth-advantaged phenotype. My laboratory’s approach was focused on dysregulation of normal human cell proliferation, survival and death, which are established hallmarks of carcinogenesis.  During this period (2005-2013) we made several notable contributions to the field of cancer research, resulting in 20  peer-reviewed articles amassing 482 citations to date; of significance are the following:

1. It is generally assumed that DNA repair is anti- mutagenic-i.e, loss or compromised DNA repair will lead to mutagenesis, and potential carcinogenesis. We have reported that DNA excision repair mechanisms are required for mutagenesis following treatment with chemical mutagens. This suggests that cells may utilize DNA repair pathways as survival mechanisms at the expense of decreased replication fidelity. The significance of these studies lies in elucidating the carcinogenic mechanisms of action of genotoxic compounds, including molecular determinants that render cells more or less sensitive to toxicity and mutagenic consequences (Brooks, et al., Carcinogenesis).

2. Acquired resistance to genotoxin-induced death is a hallmark of neoplastic progression. We found that protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibition abrogated genotoxin-induced lethality in normal human cells. This enhanced cell survival was predominantly due to a bypass of cell cycle arrest. Notably, we documented a critical role of tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated pathways in genomic instability, and found that loss of cell cycle checkpoints resulted in enhanced mutation frequency in 2 mammalian cell lines. Taken together, our findings suggest that regulators of tyrosine phosphorylation may govern cell survival as an initial event after genotoxic insult and potentially facilitate the earliest stages of neoplastic evolution (Bae, et al. Mutation Research; Chun, et al., Carcinogenesis).

3. We employed genomic/biochemical approaches to understand survival pathway up-regulation by PTP inhibition.  We found upstream phosphotyrosine kinases for Ras and PI3K/AKT signaling cascades to be activated and associated with enhanced survival.  We also uncovered a novel interdependence of these signaling pathways with functional redundancy in normal diploid cells.  Delineation of the molecular circuitry that promotes cell survival in the face of genotoxin-induced damage will serve to improve our understanding of carcinogenic mechanisms of action while potentially identifying biomarkers for risk assessment, with the added benefit of designating molecular targets for rational drug design in anti-cancer therapy. (Bae, et al., Cellular Signalling; Bae, et al., BBRC; Kost, et al. Mutation Research)

4. We demonstrated that PTP inhibition bypassed the G1/S cell cycle checkpoint, which was AKT-dependent. Moreover AKT activation was sufficient to override genotoxin-induced growth arrest. Our studies of AKT-directed localization of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor, p27, allowed us to refocus our efforts on the study of the role of AKT in genotoxin-induced effects on cancer cell migration and cytoskeletal dynamics. The potential for AKT to bypass G1/S checkpoint arrest in the face of genotoxic damage could increase genomic instability, which is a hallmark of neoplastic progression (Lal, et al., Cell Cycle).

5. Studies in collaboration with Dr. Eric Kaladjian, Transgenomics, Inc., and Dr Orian Shirahai, Boston University, led us to identify a novel role for mitochondria in cellular death resistance in response to genotoxic stress  These findings demonstrate a strong correlation between enhanced spare respiratory capacity and death-resistance, which we postulate to be indicative of the earliest stages of carcinogenesis. (Nickens, et al., BBA; Nickens, et al., Mitochondrian)

6. In collaboration with Drs. Stephanie Constant, Arnold Schwartz, and Steven Patierno, we retooled our laboratory for in vivo studies in Balb/c mice and found that intranasal particulate hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] challenge resulted in an acute immune response in the lung with an increased number of airways immunoreactive for activated AKT. Repetitive Cr(VI) inhalation was associated with a reactive hyper-proliferative response in airway epithelial cells.  These data illustrate that Cr(VI) induces survival signaling and an inflammatory response in the lung, which may contribute to early oncogenesis. (Beaver et al., TAAP; Beaver, et al. Environ. Health Perspectives; Schneider, et al., TAAP).

In 2010 I was honored by GWU to receive the GWU Snyder award. This annual award is given to GWU faculty for their collaborative activities and mentoring activities in the field of cancer research.

My 2011 appointment as a Medical Educator was an opportunity for me to switch my work focus. Following completion of the GWU SMHS Master Teacher Leadership Development Program (2012) and GWU Master’s in Education and Human Development (2017), I have “re-invented” my research identity over the last 5 years with a focus on education.

The tenets of my teaching approach are 1) clear communication; 2) an appreciation of the learners’ level of mastery and curricular “load”; 3) evidence-based session design to motivate learners to think critically; and 4) a strong commitment to education. These have served to guide my educational research focus since 2015. My scholarly contributions as publications are currently in preparation, and I have been productive in terms of institutional research support, collaborative research studies and the promise of current/future research funding success, as highlighted below.

1. GWU Medical/Health Science Education Grant, “Do High Stakes Quizzes Enhance Summative Exam Performance of Second Year Medical Students?” (2019), Susan Ceryak, Co-PI. In collaboration with Drs. Nick Shworak, Aviva Ellenstein and Amir Afkhami, we addressed the role of repeated high and low stakes quizzing on student incentivization and summative exam performance. Through this study, we hope to improve retention of student knowledge throughout the MD curriculum. (Presented at the GWU UTLC “Teaching Day”, September 2019; manuscript in preparation).

2. GWU Medical/Health Science Education Grant, “Use of a drug ‘shopping’ and virtual patient workshop to develop medical student competence in navigating complex over-the-counter (OTC) therapeutic scenarios”(2016), Susan Ceryak, PI.  In collaboration with members of the GWU Pharmacology & Physiology Department, we assessed medical student’s understanding of the complexities in navigating OTC therapeutic scenarios. Our findings show that the use of a focused “shopping” experience improved student recognition of the complex interplay between patient-centeredness and evidence-based medical practice in evaluating OTC products. (Presented at the annual meeting of the IAMSE, June, 2018; manuscript in preparation).

3. GWU Medical/Health Science Education Grant, “Use of a blog in a Multi-Organ Systems Course for First-Year Medical Students to Encourage Peer-Teaching, Higher-Level Content Integration and Critical Thinking”(2016), Susan Ceryak, Co-PI. Along with Dr. Tracy Yarbrough, we identified a strategy for collaborative asynchronous learning (blogs) to develop students’ cognitive skill-building. The results of this study may benefit the medical education community at large, as there is increasing interest in and emphasis on the development of deep learning and higher cognitive skills rather than surface learning. (manuscript in preparation).

4. I conducted a phenomenological study exploring faculty experience in work-role transitions as partial fulfillment of the requirements for completion of a Master’s in Education and Human Organizational Learning. The results of this study should inform administrative efforts in the development of faculty leaders undergoing work-role transitions under the circumstance of curricular change. (manuscript in preparation).

5. In collaboration with Dr. Tracy Yarbrough, a study was conducted to correlate medical student performance on locally developed, content-specific critical thinking questions with a norm-reference critical thinking assessment.  “Multiple Choice Questions to Assess Content-Specific Critical Thinking in First-Year Medical Students”. Our findings should inform future efforts to outline a method for generalizable exam question development that can predictably assess reasoning as related to medical and biomedical content. (Presented at the annual Experimental Biology meeting, April, 2018; manuscript in preparation).

In summary, during my GWU research career, I have had the pleasure to initiate and maintain productive local and national/international collaborations with faculty, both in the basic science and educational disciplines. 

Grants

Grants Awarded 

1. Chromium Genotoxicity: Response and Repair Mechanisms, NIH/NIEHS, R01ES05304, 05/01/03 – 04/30/08, $1,760,819 total costs, Steven R. Patierno, PI; Susan Ceryak; Co-I, 25% effort: The objective of this project was to investigate the cellular and molecular responses to chromium-induced genotoxicity, and the role of recombinational DNA repair.
2. Survival Signaling after Genotoxic Insult, NIH/NCI, R01CA107972,  01/01/2005-12/31/2010, $1,256,062 total costs, Susan Ceryak, PI, 60% effort. The overall objective of this proposal was to elucidate the coordinate signaling events mediating cell fate determination and survival after genotoxic insult.
3. Survival Signaling after Genotoxic Insult, NIH/NCI, CA107972-02S1, 09/01/06-12/31/10, $161,565 total costs, Susan Ceryak, PI, general overall supervision.  This is a Research Supplement for Underrepresented Minorities to the parent grant which was awarded to support Kristen Wright, a graduate student in the Molecular Medicine program of the George Washington University Institute for Biomedical Sciences.
4. George Washington University McCormick Pilot grant, 1/1/2006-12/31/2006, $15,000 total costs,  Susan Ceryak, PI, general overall supervision. The objective of this proposal was to employ a genomic approach in order to elucidate the coordinate signaling events mediating cell fate determination and survival after genotoxic insult.
5. Allergic asthma and chromium exposure, NIH/NIEHS, R21ES017307, 07/01/09 – 06/30/12, $440,643 total costs, Steven Patierno/Stephanie Constant, PI; Susan Ceryak, Co-I, 10% effort. The major goal of this project was to establish a new animal model to investigate a potential causal relationship between exposure to hexavalent chromium particles and the development of allergic asthma in an OVA-challenged model.
6. Control of cAMP Mediated Glucagon Response by Bile Acids”, NIH/NIDDK, R01DK056108, 0701/10-06/30/12, $655,181 total costs, Bernard Bouscarel (deceased)/Norman Lee, PI; Susan Ceryak, Co-I, 10% effort. The goal of this project was to elucidate the role of bile acids to attenuate glucagon receptor responsiveness in cholestasis and cancer.
7. Elaine H. Snyder Cancer Research Award, 07/01/2010, $50,000, Susan Ceryak, PI, general overall supervision. This GWUMC award is for academic accomplishments, collaborative activities and mentoring activities in the field of cancer research.
8. Mechanisms of particulate chromium lung carcinogenesis, NIH/NIEHS, R21 ES017334, 08/09/2010-07/31/2013, $430,375 total costs, Susan Ceryak, PI, 25% effort.  The goal of this project was to develop a mouse model of particulate Cr(VI) inhalation, lung inflammation and carcinogenesis, thus providing a means to evaluate the contribution of the inflammatory environment and survival signaling pathways in the initiation and promotion of neoplastic cells.
9. Tyrosine kinase activation of Plk1 during genotoxic stress, GWU Medical Center Facilitating Fund Award, $25,000, 07/01/11-06/30/12, Susan Ceryak, PI, general overall supervision. The goal of this GWUMC award was to elucidate the role of tyrosine kinase pathways in Plk1 activation, and the resulting biological consequences.
10. Use of a drug ‘shopping’ and virtual patient workshop to develop medical student competence in navigating complex over-the-counter (OTC) therapeutic scenarios, GWU Medical/Health Science Education Grant, $4,077, 03/04/2016-05/01/2017, Susan Ceryak, PI, general overall supervision.  The overarching goal of the study was to assess medical student’s self-reported understanding of the complexities in navigating OTC therapeutic scenarios by using an experiential approach.
11. Use of a blog in a Multi-Organ Systems Course for First-Year Medical Students to Encourage Peer-Teaching, Higher-Level Content Integration and Critical Thinking, GWU Medical/Health Science Education Grant, $4,977, 03/04/2016-05/01/2017, Susan Ceryak, Co-I, general overall supervision. The goal of the project was to identify an easily translatable strategy for the use of collaborative asynchronous learning platforms (blogs) in the development of students’ cognitive skill-building.
12. Do High Stakes Quizzes Enhance Summative Exam Performance of Second Year Medical Students? GWU Medical/Health Science Education Grant, $3,147, 03/2019-05/2020, Susan Ceryak, Co-I, general overall supervision. The goals of this study are to address the following questions: 1) can graded quizzing be used to incentivize medical students to perform repeated, spaced testing and hence enhance learning?; 2) is the degree of learning impacted by the amount a subject is quizzed or by the degree of quiz incentivization?; 3) how do medical students experience quizzes? By addressing these questions, we hope to improve retention of student knowledge within this course and elsewhere in the MD curriculum.

• 1994: Recipient, American Heart Association (Nation's Capital Affiliate) Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 1995: Recipient, American Heart Association (Nation's Capital Affiliate) Postdoctoral Fellowship (Women’s Board Award)
• 1996: Recipient, American Institute for Cancer Research Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2009: Recipient, Elaine H. Snyder Award for Cancer Research, GW SMHS
• 2017: Recipient, Distinguished Teacher Award, GW SMHS
   

Teaching

Courses Taught (Medical/Health Sciences Students)

Courses Taught (Graduate Students)

New Courses or Programs Developed

• 2018: Led a workshop on Curricular Overload in the inaugural GWU SMHS Center for Faculty Excellence Teaching Cafe
• 2017: Restructured the IDIS8206 Brain and Behavior block as course director (2017 & 2018)
• 2014: Developed physiology labs for the Cardiovasc Resp Urin Systems (CPR) block of the integrated medical curriculum
• 2014: Planned and developed the IDIS8103 Cardiovasc Resp Urin Systems (CPR) block of the integrated medical curriculum
• 2012: Co-facilitated a workshop: “Infusing Active Learning Into Your Course: A Workshop for SMHS Faculty Teaching Leaders”
• 2008: Planned and developed the MMED8214 Molecular Medicine seminar course for the IBS graduate program

Centers and Institutes

Departmental

• 2012-2014: Pharmacology 6202 course director for the “legacy” medical curriculum
• 2012-2013: Member, Pharmacology/Physiology Medical Educator Faculty Search Committee
• 2013-present: Pharmacology Discipline director for the revised medical school curriculum
• 2016: Chair, Pharmacology/Physiology Medical Educator Faculty Search Committee
• 2017: Chair, Pharmacology/Physiology Medical Educator Faculty Search Committee
• 2017-2018: Physiology Discipline director for the revised medical school curriculum

SMHS

• 2004-2010: Member, Curriculum Committee, IBS Molecular Medicine Program
• 2004-2012: Member, GW Cancer Institute Research Committee
• 2004-2017: Interviewer for student candidates for GWIBS Ph.D. Program
• 2012-2014: Member, CMG Committee
• 2012-present: Member, Preclinical Committee
• 2013: Member, Evaluation Committee
• 2013: Member, Integration Committee
• 2013: Member, Ross 201 Renovation Committee
• 2013-2014: Member, IT Governance Group
• 2013-present: Member (basic science faculty representative), Committee of the Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum (CUMEC)
• 2014-present: Course director, Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, and Renal “Block” for the revised medical school curriculum
• 2014-present: Consultant, SMHS Teaching Consult Service
• 2016-present: Member, Educational Technology Committee
• 2017-2018: Course director, Brain and Behavior “Block” for the revised medical school curriculum
• 2018-2019: Chair, Task Force to Revise GWU SMHS MD Program Objectives
• 2018-present: Member, Wellness Advisory Board
• 2019-present: Member (preclinical committee representative), Committee of the Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum (CUMEC)
• 2022-present: Member LCME Education Subcommittee

Community Service

• 2000-2007: Member, Sigma Xi Research Committee, GWU chapter
• 2000-2012: Participant, GWU Health Sciences Research Day
• 2004-2010: Member, GWUMC Digestive Disease Center
• 2008-2011: Participant, University hooding ceremony for doctoral candidates
• 2009-present: Member, Goldwater scholarship review committee