Stories that connect art and discovery

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine and a member of the Translational Cardiovascular Research Center (TCRC) at The UA College of Medicine – Phoenix. As a bioinformatician, his research interests center on the interconnection of wet lab research and computational research. His lab focuses on the interplay of different RNA species and their underlying functional networks in the heart, as well as developing new computational open source tools that can be used by other researchers in their field of interest.

Tara Sharpe is an Arizona-based artist and graduate of the Dreyfoos School of the Arts in Florida. Her figurative paintings invite viewers to engage with a wide range of emotional experiences. Drawing inspiration from the Sonoran Desert and coastal landscapes, her work balances intensity and calm, with themes centered on transformation, recovery, and inner strength.

I am an academician and Biochemist by training. Currently I am enjoying my role as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona. My teaching philosophy is to create an interest in Biochemistry and utilizing various pedagogy skills that involves active learning methods such as Team Based Learning (TBL), Case Based learning (CBL) and Problem Based Learning (PBL). My Biochemistry curriculum is designed based on Flipped Classroom where in I provide the students with the video lectures and the contact hours are utilized for solving the relevant clinical vignettes.

Dr. Vinodh Narayanan is Medical Director for TGen's Center for Rare Childhood Disorders. He moved to Phoenix in 2003 as a member of the Child Neurology division at Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Narayanan received his BS in Physics from Washington University in St. Louis in 1972 and completed graduate studies in mathematical physics at Princeton University, earning his MA in Physics in 1976. He received his MD from Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans in 1981 and completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospitals. In 2005, he established a clinical research partnership with TGen by founding the CHC-BNI-TGen Pediatric Neurogenetics Center at the Children's Health Center, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. Since becoming Medical Director for TGen's Center for Rare Childhood Disorders in 2012, he has used next generation sequencing to help diagnose children with neurological disorders of unknown genetic etiology. His research interests include the neurobiology of genetic disorders, with current projects focused on Rett syndrome, Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, and other pediatric neurogenetic disorders.

Zach Valent is an interdisciplinary visual artist who creates objects and installations that are encouraged by his fascination with growth and time. His art encompasses a multitude of processes ranging from mold making and casting to metal fabrication, woodworking, digital fabrication, and materials exploration. Valent received a BFA in sculpture from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2014, and an MFA in studio arts from Arizona State University in 2017. Valent＊s work has been admired, exhibited, and collected internationally. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Nathan Cummings Travel Fellowship, The Rickert Ziebold Trust Award, and a Windgate Charitable Foundation for the Arts Award.