Benjamin Massat, DO

I did my undergraduate studies at Carthage College, where our team studied novel mycobacteriophages and investigated the locations of phage repressor and integrase genes under the guidance of Deborah Tobiason, PhD. During my undergraduate years, I also participated in MCW’s Summer Program for Undergraduate Research and investigated the neurologic control of breathing with Matthew Hodges, PhD. Our team worked with tryptophan hydroxylase 2 knockout rats and studied how restoration of central nervous system serotonin affected their breathing. After completion of medical school at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, I got involved with multiple research projects during my internal medicine residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I worked with Lisa Baumann, MD to participate in a multicenter retrospective cohort examining the outcomes of patients with primary and metastatic brain cancer receiving anticoagulation with low molecular weight heparin to those receiving direct oral anticoagulants. As part of Dr. Dong’s lab, I have worked with our team to use human leukocyte antigen (HLA) imputation to find specific HLA alleles associated with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) progression to multiple myeloma (MM). I’m excited to continue this work to further elucidate the potential association between specific HLA alleles and MGUS progression to MM.