USC
University of Southern California
Keck School of Medicine USC

Glioma Research Group

Participating Labs,
Primary Investigators
Thomas Chen, MD, PhD
Florence Hofman, PhD
Axel Schönthal, PhD
Colin Hill, PhD
Amy Lee, PhD
Francis Markland, PhD
Caleb E. Finch, PhD
Nori Kasahara, MD, PhD


Getting Involved
Contact the Glioma Research Group		 Keck > Glioma Research Group > Dr. Chen's Laboratory > Curriculum Vitae  
 
  Curriculum Vitae: Peter Pyrko
 

E-mail: pyrko@usc.edu

EDUCATION
National College of Film Theatre and TV in Lodz, Poland
M.A. in Acting, 1991

Santa Monica College, Santa Monica
Prerequisites for medical school, 1997-2000

University of Southern California, Los Angeles
M.S. in Molecular and Experimental Pathology, 2000-2002

University of Southern California, Los Angeles
M.D./Ph.D. candidate, current

AWARDS AND HONORS
Graduation with distinction, National College of Film Theatre and TV in Lodz, 1991
Employee of the year, Il Fornaio Cucina Italiana, 1996
Dean’s Honors List, Santa Monica College, Spring Semester 1998
Best Oral Presentation, Pathology Departmental Retreat, USC, 2002
Outstanding Performance in the Master Program in Molecular and Experimental Pathology, USC, 2002
American Medical Association Seed Grant Winner, 2005

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
National College of Film Theatre and TV in Lodz, Poland – various teaching assistantship positions from 1988 – 1991, which culminated in an assistant director position on a final play, which concluded the M.A. of Acting prerequisites.

Santa Monica College – tutored Chemistry and Biology, 1997 – 2000.

USC Keck School of Medicine—Teaching Assistantship, Year I Microanatomy labs 2002/2003.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
1. Neurosurgery laboratory at USC. Principal Investigator Dr. Thomas Chen.
Project title: The Use of Contortrostatin , a Snake Venom Disintegrin, in the Treatment of Invasive Gliomas, 2000 to 2002.

2. Neurosurgery laboratory at USC. Principal Investigator Dr. Thomas Chen.
Project title: GRP78 expression in glioblastoma; its effect on tumor’s chemosensitivity and response to treatment.

PUBLICATIONS
Inhibition of tumor progression, and extension of survival, in a rodent glioma model by contortrostatin, a snake venom disintegrin. Accepted for September 2005 issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery.

PRESENTATIONS
Oral presentation -- Pathology Departmental Retreat, USC, 2002

Poster session – Society for Neurooncology Conference, Keystone, Colorado, November
2003

Oral presentation – MD/PhD Student Conference, Keystone, Colorado, July 2004