Program: 

Residency Program

Start Year: 

2026

Why did you choose Duke for your residency training?

I chose Duke because it felt like the right intersection of clinical excellence, academic depth, and long-term fit. I was looking for a program with strong training, strong mentorship, and a culture that would support both my development as a clinician and my identity as a physician-scientist. Duke stood out as a place where I could build on my background in research while training in a high-level OB/GYN environment aligned with my interests in women’s health and perinatal care.

What excites you about the residency program at Duke Ob/Gyn?

What excites me most about Duke Ob/Gyn is the combination of rigorous clinical training and genuine support for academic development. Because Ob/Gyn is one of the shortest surgical subspecialty training pathways, it is especially challenging to make meaningful space for basic science research during residency. The fact that Duke residents are able to pursue this kind of work says a great deal about the strength of the mentorship, the culture of support, and the flexibility built into the program, including elective time. For me, that signals a place that values both clinical excellence and scholarly growth and would be an excellent environment in which to grow as a physician-scientist.

What are your career goals?

My career goal is to become an academic maternal-fetal medicine physician-scientist.

Describe your research interests/goals:

Fetal gene therapy and placental biology

What are your hobbies?

My current hobbies are shaped a lot by having two under two, so outside of work I spend a lot of time singing, dancing to Hey Bear Sensory, playing trains, and visiting parks, zoos, and museums with my children. I also love treating food like fieldwork and scouting out good eats wherever we go.

Education & Training

Undergraduate school & graduation year:
Portland State University, 2018

Medical school & graduation year:
Oregon Health & Science University, 2026

Awards & Honors

Best Poster Award, ACP, Oregon Chapter, 2024

Gold Ribbon Poster Award, ACTS, Translational Science National Conference, 2024

OSLER TL1 Scholar, Oregon Health & Science University, 2023-2024

Tartar Fellow, Oregon Health & Science University, 2023

Best Poster Award, ACP, Oregon Chapter, 2023

Teaching Future Faculty Fellow, Oregon Health & Science University, 2022

Tartar Fellow, Oregon Health & Science University, 2022

Oregon ARCS Foundation Scholar, 2021 

ACS Editor’s Choice Award for peer reviewed article “E-cigarette airflow rate modulates toxicant profiles and can lead to concerning levels of solvent consumption”, 2018

Summer Undergraduate Research Scholar, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, 2018

Best Poster Award, The Fall Voice Conference, 2018 

First Place, Undergraduate Award in Chemistry, Sigma Xi Annual Meeting & Student Research Conference, Columbia-Willamette Chapter, 2017

 

Publications

Sattler AL, Diba P, Hawthorne K, Pelz C, Grieco J, Korzun T, Chong B, Kuykendall MJ, Sears RC, Marks DL, Sherman MH. Sympathetic nerve–fibroblast crosstalk drives nerve injury, fibroblast activation, and matrix remodeling in pancreatic cancer. JCI insight. 2026 Feb 19.

Singh P, Raitmayr C, Rizvi SZ, Salem A, Grigoriev V, Korzun T, Duraisamy K, Vyawahare A, Sharma KS, Souza AP, Workie YA. Resonance Energy Transfer–Driven Photothermal Nanoagent Enables Melanoma Ablation Under Low‐Power Near‐Infrared Irradiation. Advanced Functional Materials. 2026:e22663.

Goo YT, Grigoriev V, Korzun T, Sharma KS, Singh P, Taratula OR, Marks DL, Taratula O. Blood‐Brain Barrier‐Penetrating Nanocarriers Enable Microglial‐Specific Drug Delivery in Hypothalamic Neuroinflammation. Advanced Healthcare Materials. 2025 May;14(13):2500521.

Sattler A, Korzun T, Gupta K, Diba P, Kyprianou N, Eksi SE. Sympathetic nerve signaling rewires the tumor microenvironment: a shift in “microenvironmental-ity”. Cancer and Metastasis Reviews. 2025 Mar;44(1):25.

Singh P, Duraisamy K, Raitmayr C, Sharma KS, Korzun, T., Singh K, et al. Precision-engineered cobalt-doped iron oxide nanoparticles: from octahedron seeds to cubical bipyramids for enhanced magnetic hyperthermia. Adv Funct Mater. 2025:2414719.

Mamnoon B, Mesquita Souza AP, Korzun, T., Baldwin MK, Sharma KS, et al. ENT-1-targeted polymersomes to enhance the efficacy of methotrexate in choriocarcinoma treatment. Small Sci. 2025:2400361.

Zhu X, Olson B, Norgard MA, Levasseur PR, Diba P, Protzek S, Li J, Li X, Korzun, T., et al. GDF15 and LCN2 for early detection and prognosis of pancreatic cancer. Transl Oncol. 2024;50:102129.

Grigoriev V, Korzun, T., Moses AS, Jozic A, Zhu X, Kim J, Newton S, et al. Targeting metastasis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using follistatin mRNA lipid nanoparticles. ACS Nano. 2024.

Korzun, T., Moses AS, Jozic A, Grigoriev V, Newton S, Kim J, Diba P, et al. Lipid nanoparticles elicit reactogenicity and sickness behavior in mice via Toll-like receptor 4 and MyD88 axis. ACS Nano. 2024.

Park Y, Korzun, T., Moses AS, Singh P, Levasseur PR, Demessie AA, et al. Targeted nanocarriers for systemic delivery of IRAK4 inhibitors to inflamed tissues. Small. 2023:2306270.

Herrera-Barrera M, Ryals RC, Gautam M, Jozic A, Landry M, Korzun, T., et al. Peptide-guided lipid nanoparticles deliver mRNA to the neural retina of rodents and nonhuman primates. Sci Adv. 2023;9(2):eadd4623.

Moses AS, Kadam L, St Lorenz A, Baldwin MK, Morgan T, Hebert J, Korzun, T., et al. Nano-theranostic modality for visualization of the placenta and photo-hyperthermia for potential management of ectopic pregnancy. Small. 2023;19(2):2202343.

Demessie AA, Park Y, Singh P, Moses AS, Korzun, T., Sabei FY, et al. An advanced thermal decomposition method to produce magnetic nanoparticles with ultrahigh heating efficiency for systemic magnetic hyperthermia. Small Methods. 2022;6(12):2200916.

Park Y, Moses AS, Demessie AA, Singh P, Lee H, Korzun, T., Taratula OR, et al. Poly(aspartic acid)-based polymeric nanoparticle for local and systemic mRNA delivery. Mol Pharm. 2022;19(12):4696-4704.

Korzun, T., Moses AS, Kim J, Patel S, Schumann C, Levasseur PR, Diba P, et al. Nanoparticle-based follistatin messenger RNA therapy for reprogramming metastatic ovarian cancer and ameliorating cancer-associated cachexia. Small. 2022;18(44):2204436.

Ziegler A, Korzun, T., Leclerc AA, Gillespie AI. Cannabis consumption among patients with a voice disorder: a multicenter e-survey study. J Voice. 2021.

Raymond LM, Korzun, T., Kardosh A, Kolbeck KJ, Pommier R, Mittra ES. The state of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy and its sequencing among current therapeutic options for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Neuroendocrinology. 2021;111(11):1086-1098.

Moses AS, Taratula OR, Lee H, Luo F, Grenz T, Korzun, T., St Lorenz A, et al. Nanoparticle-based platform for activatable fluorescence imaging and photothermal ablation of endometriosis. Small. 2020.

Meehan-Atrash J, Korzun, T., Ziegler A. Cannabis inhalation and voice disorders: a systematic review. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019;145(10):956-964.

Taratula OR, Taratula O, Han X, Jahangiri Y, Tomozawa Y, Horikawa M, Korzun, T., et al. Transarterial delivery of a biodegradable single-agent theranostic nanoprobe for liver tumor imaging and combinatorial phototherapy. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2019;30(9):1480-1486.e2.

Albarqi HA, Wong LH, Schumann C, Sabei FY, Korzun, T., Li X, et al. Biocompatible nanoclusters with high heating efficiency for systemically delivered magnetic hyperthermia. ACS Nano. 2019;13(6):6383-6395.

Duell AK, McWhirter KJ, Korzun, T., Strongin RM, Peyton DH. Sucralose-enhanced degradation of electronic cigarette liquids during vaping. Chem Res Toxicol. 2019;32(6):1241-1249.

Korzun, T., Munhenzva I, Escobedo JO, Strongin RM. Synthetic food dyes in electronic cigarettes. Dyes Pigments. 2019;160:509-513.

Schumann C, Chan S, Millar JA, Bortnyak Y, Carey K, Fedchyk A, Wong L, Korzun, T., et al. Intraperitoneal nanotherapy for metastatic ovarian cancer based on siRNA-mediated suppression of DJ-1 protein combined with a low dose of cisplatin. Nanomedicine. 2018;14(4):1395-1405.

Vreeke S, Korzun, T., Luo W, Jensen RP, Peyton DH, Strongin RM. Dihydroxyacetone levels in electronic cigarettes: wick temperature and toxin formation. Aerosol Sci Technol. 2018;52(4):370-376.

Korzun, T., Lazurko M, Munhenzva I, Barsanti KC, Huang Y, Jensen RP, et al. E-cigarette airflow rate modulates toxicant profiles and can lead to concerning levels of solvent consumption. ACS Omega. 2018;3(1):30-36.

Schumann C, Nguyen DX, Norgard M, Bortnyak Y, Korzun, T., Chan S, et al. Increasing lean muscle mass in mice via nanoparticle-mediated hepatic delivery of follistatin mRNA. Theranostics. 2018;8(19):5276.

Presentations

Korzun, T., Grigoriev, V., Goo, Y., Taratula, O. (2025, May). Follistatin mRNA-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles Target Activin A-Expressing Metastatic Ovarian Cancer and Associated Cachexia. ACSM ACOG Conference, Minneapolis, MN. 

Korzun, T., Rakshe, S., Lindgaard, S. C., Chen, I., Johansen, J. S., Zimmers, T. A. (2024, December). Male sex, overweight/obesity, low IL-4 and other biomarkers of cachexia in BIOPAC patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia, & Wasting Disorders (SCWD) 17th Conference, Washington, DC.

Korzun, T., Grigoriev, V., Taratula, O. R., Sahay, G., Taratula, O. (2024, November). Activation of Toll-Like Receptor 4 by Lipid Nanoparticles Highlights the Critical Role of MyD88 in Triggering Reactogenicity and Sickness Behavior in Mice. ACP Oregon Chapter, Salem, OR.

Grigoriev, V., Korzun, T., Le, N., Jozic, A., Sahay, G., Taratula, O. (2024, May). In Vitro Transcribed mRNA Lipid Nanoparticle Therapy for Metastatic Epithelial Cancers Overexpressing Activin A. OHSU Research Week, Portland, OR.

Le, N., Korzun, T., Grigoriev, V., Jozic, A., Taratula, O., Taratula, O., Sahay, G. (2024, May). Protein Supplementation Therapy Utilizing IVT mRNA for Muscle Regeneration in Cancer-Associated Cachexia. OHSU Research Week, Portland, OR.

Korzun, T. (2023, October). From Vaccines to Protein Supplementation. ACP Oregon Chapter, Salem, OR. 

Korzun, T., Meehan-Atrash, J., Ziegler, A. (2018, October). Clearing the Haze: A Primer on Cannabis Inhalation for Clinicians Managing Dysphonia. The Fall Voice Conference, Seattle, WA.

Korzun, T., Schumann, C., Taratula, O., Marks, D., Alani, A., Taratula, O. (2018, September). Nanomedicine-Based mRNA Therapy for Treatment of Muscle Wasting and Slowing Tumor Progression. 16th International Nanomedicine and Drug Delivery Symposium, Portland, OR.

Korzun, T., Schumann, C., Taratula, O. (2018, June). Follistatin against the Deadly Alliance of Activin A and Myostatin. Annual Meeting of the AAAS, Pomona, CA.

Korzun, T., Schumann, C., Taratula, O. (2018, May). Super Soldier Serum for Cancer Treatment. Annual Portland State University Student Research Symposium, Portland, OR.

Korzun, T., Schumann, C., Taratula, O. (2018, May). The Follistatin and Activin A’s Interplay in Tumor Growth and Progression. OHSU Research Week, Portland, OR.

Korzun, T., & Strongin, R. M. (2017, November). Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of the Electronic Cigarette: Coil Configuration Affects Toxic Chemical Emissions and E-liquid Consumption. Sigma Xi Annual Meeting & Research Conference, Raleigh, NC.

Korzun, T., Munhenzva, I., Escobedo, J. O., Strongin, R. M. (2017, October). Determination of synthetic food dyes in commercially available e-liquids by HPLC-DAD/ESI-HRMS. American Chemical Society Annual Poster Symposium and Career Fair, Portland Local Section, Portland, OR.

Mylott, E., Dykes, D., Brainard, J., Kepple, C., Korzun, T., Lulich, J., Christensen, W., Widenhorn, R. (2017, July). Assessment of the effect of biomedically-relevant materials in an introductory physics course. Physics Education Research Conference, Cincinnati, OH.

Lazurko, M. V., Korzun, T., Escobedo J. O., Jensen, R. P., Strongin R. M. (2017, May). Correlation of Dehydration and Oxidation Degradation Products Consistent with Flow Rate of Electronic Cigarette Vapor Inhalation. Annual Portland State University Student Research Symposium, Portland, OR.

Korzun, T., Jozic, A., Grigoriev, V., Sahay, G., Marks, D. L., Taratula, O. (2024, April). Reactogenic Mechanisms behind mRNA Vaccines. ACTS Translational Science National Conference, Las Vegas, NV

Korzun, T., Jozic, A., Grigoriev, V., Sahay, G., Marks, D. L., Taratula, O. (2024, January). Probing Reactogenicity Mechanisms for Safer mRNA LNP Formulations. Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, Banff, Canada.

Korzun, T. (2023, September). Nanoparticle-mediated follistatin mRNA Delivery: A potential therapeutic strategy for metastatic ovarian cancer and cancer-associated cachexia. Northwest Gynecological Cancer Symposium, Seattle, WA.

Korzun, T., Schumann, C., Moses, A., Taratula, O., Taratula, O. (2018, August). Inhibition of TGF-β family proteins improves survival, reduces tumor burden, and preserves muscles in an athymic mouse model of ovarian cancer. Undergraduate Research Symposium, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.