Christopher McPhaul M.D.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Pathology Residency

Past Research Experiences

Chris started participating in research as an undergraduate.  Following his sophomore year he worked for the summer in the Helen Hobbs and Jonathan Cohen laboratory.  During that first summer he was introduced to basic lab techniques while studying the processes underlying foam cell formation in autosomal recessive sitosterolemia.  Chris enjoyed this experience so much he returned to the Hobbs/Cohen lab a total of four summers, including two as a medical student. After his third year of medical school Chris participated in the Doris Duke Clinical research fellowship, which allowed him to work for a full year in the lab.  The project that he worked on looked at the relationship of a newly discovered mutation the gene PNPLA3 and hepatic steatosis. 

Current Areas of Interest/Research

As a resident Chris remains interested in the molecular basis of disease.  However, he continues to approach his learning, as he always has, with an open mind.  Being a pathology resident exposes one to numerous avenues of potential research.

Poster Presentation

McPhaul, C., Cohen, J. and Hobbs, H.. (2009, January). Subcellular localization and metabolic regulation of PNPLA3, a susceptibility gene for hepatic steatosis. Poster presented at: UT Southwestern Annual Medical Student Research Forum; Dallas,TX.

McPhaul, C., Cohen, J., Hobbs, H.. (2003, January). Sitosterolemia and Xanthomatosis. Poster presented at: UT Southwestern Annual Medical Student Research Forum; Dallas, TX.

McPhaul, C., Garuti, R., Cohen, J. and Hobbs, H.. (2009, May). Subcellular localization and metabolic regulation of PNPLA3, a susceptibility gene for hepatic steatosis. Poster presented at: Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship Annual Meeting; Chapel Hill, NC.

Peer Reviewed

He S, McPhaul C, Li JZ, Garuti R, Kinch L, Grishin NV, Cohen JC, Hobbs HH. A sequence variation (I148M) in PNPLA3 associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease disrupts triglyceride hydrolysis. J Biol Chem. 2010 Feb 26;285(9):6706-15. Epub 2009 Dec 23.

Current Professional Trajectory

Chris is a first year pathology resident at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. 

Personal Words of Wisdom

Find something you love to do, and people you love to work with.  There is no mystery to my repeated returns to the Hobbs/Cohen lab.  They are great mentors their lab is filled with intelligent, friendly people many of whom I still keep in touch with.  In addition, I was interested from day one in the types of research projects in the Hobbs and Cohen lab.  If you find such a place for yourself you will be happy and the benefits will be many.