Achieving Excellence
Through Incluvisity and Diversity
Our lab is a positive and collaborative environment that prepares trainees for highly successful careers in science and engineering fields of academia, industry, and government. We work in a unique interdisciplinary environment, as we are located in the state-of-the-art Versiti Blood Research Institute. We collaborate closely with the Medical College of Wisconsin, providing multiple opportunities for knowledge translation, including community outreach, media contact, and commercialization of findings.
Trainees use these opportunities to build networks with leading researchers and industry partners to support their current research and to explore future career opportunities.
We are an inclusive and diverse group and we strive to promote the advancement of under-represented groups in the natural science and engineering as a means to enhance excellence in research and training. Dr. Kastrup interacts with each trainee multiple times each week, both in group and individual meetings, to discuss research progress and to provide individualized support. Graduate students take the lead on writing their papers and assist in writing grants, developing scientific writing and fund-raising skills that are directly applicable to both academic and non-academic professions. This is demonstrated by their high success rate for awards and fellowships: each PhD student has received fellowships and awards of $8k to $130k, with a total of 7 fellowships from CIHR and NSERC since 2012.
Christian Kastrup is a Senior Investigator and Co-leader of the Transfusion Medicine, Vascular Biology & Cell Therapy program at Versiti. Dr. Kastrup is also a Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and an Affiliate Professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories at the University of British Columbia.
He received his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Chicago, where he specialized in chemical biology, microfluidics, and blood coagulation biochemistry with Rustem Ismagilov. During his postdoctoral fellowship at MIT, he specialized in engineering biomaterials for drug delivery to blood vessels with Robert Langer and Daniel Anderson. His lab at Versiti utilizes biochemical engineering to solve problems related to hemostasis and thrombosis. They investigate, utilize, and mimic the biochemistry and biophysical dynamics of blood coagulation to create innovative materials that perform new functions inside of blood vessels. His accolades include the Sir Major Banting Award from the True Patriot Love Foundation, being a MSFHR Scholar and a Fellow at the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research. He is also a founding member of several start-up companies, spun off from research throughout his lab, including Co-Motion Drug Delivery Systems, NanoVation Therapeutics, and SeraGene Therapeutics.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Publications and Awards:
Awards: MSL Trainee Award
MD/PhD Student, Medical College of Wisconsin
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Adjunct Associate Investigator, Versiti Blood Research Institute
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Project Specialist
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Graduate Student, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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Awards: CBR-SBME Summer Studentship, CBR Research Day People's Choice Award
Research Scientist I
Postdoctoral Fellow
Graduate Student, Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin
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Surgical Resident, Medical College of Wisconsin
Publications and Awards:
Awards: Commitment to Teaching Honoree, Key to the Future Award, ACLS Missouri Chapter New Professional of the Year, President’s Student of the Year Award, Omicron Sigma Award, Anna Warren Oller Award, Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, Alpha Eta Student Research Award, DeNardo Research Scholarship
B.A. Biology, Lawrence University
Surgical Resident
Research Program Administrator
Graduate Student Biomedical Eng. MCW-Marquette Joint Program
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