Students Supported by the T-32 Training Grant
current t-32 training grant
CURRENT POSITION: Postdoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University
Defended Dissertation from the Weiss Lab on 3/8/2022
Ph.D. Awarded: March 2022
BS and BMdS, West Virginia University (2018)
Graduate Student, Richmond Laboratory
BS, Vanderbilt University
I grew up in Colorado and moved to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University for my undergraduate studies in Molecular/Cellular Biology. I’m currently a graduate student in Dr. Ann Richmond’s lab. My research is focused on the development of novel combination therapies that will make triple negative breast tumors more responsive to immunotherapies. My research also involves the development of patient-derived organoid models that allow for efficient testing of drug combinations, and I’m interested in developing better model systems that will allow pre-clinical findings to have more relevance to clinical applications.
Graduate Student, Ihrie Laboratory
BS, Georgia Institute of Technology (2017)
Laura grew up in West Virginia and earned her degree in Biochemistry from Georgia Tech where she completed 4 years of analytical chemistry research. She joined the lab of Rebecca Ihrie
at Vanderbilt where she studies growth cell signaling in neural stem cells using both animal and cell culture models and a variety of single-cell experimental techniques.
Her thesis work focuses on understanding mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in neural stem cells in the developing brain. Such cells have been shown to be the
potential cell of origin for a number of pediatric brain tumors. Specifically, Laura studies the contribution of aberrant mTOR signaling to the development of brain tumors in patients with Tuberous Sclerosis complex, a genetic developmental disease that affects 1 in every 6,000 newborns. Her thesis work will further the field’s knowledge of the mechanisms of
brain tumor development and offer insights into when and how to therapeutically intervene in the clinic.
Graduate Student, Ferrell Laboratory
BS, Lee University (2016)
I grew up in Soddy-Daisy, TN and attended Lee University, where I graduated with a degree in Health Science and conducted clinical research on NCAA Division II athletes. After graduation, I spent a year working for Colleen Niswender in the Vanderbilt (now Warren) Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery. I completed my IGP year in 2019 and joined the Ferrell lab, where I am studying the role of the DNA demethylase Tet2 in inflammation and myeloid malignancy.
Graduate Student, Murray Laboratory
PharmD, Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy (2019)
BS, Lipscomb University (2016)
The Murray laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac arrythmias. My project seeks to understand the contribution of oxidative stress toward inflammation-mediated atrial fibrillation (AF). As such, I am investigating the ability of a targeted oxidative stress scavenger (2-hydroxybenzylamine) to prevent AF. My studies may identify a novel therapeutic strategy to treat AF in the setting of inflammation.
Graduate Student, Penn Laboratory
BS, Iowa State University (2019)
I grew up in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, and I earned my BS in Genetics from Iowa State University in 2019. I began in Vanderbilt’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Fall 2019, subsequently joining the Pharmacology Graduate Program and Dr. John Penn’s laboratory. In my thesis work, I study the contribution of prostanoids to retinal inflammation and the therapeutic potential of prostanoid receptor antagonists in early-stage diabetic retinopathy.
Graduate Student, Jones Laboratory
BA, BS, Hope College (2017)
My research with the Jones Laboratory focuses on development of novel treatments for opioid use disorder by understanding the distribution and mechanism of the M5 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor. This involves both investigating basic biology of the receptor as well as testing tool compounds in behavioral models.
Graduate Student, Hohman Laboratory
BS, University of Tennessee-Knoxville (2014)
I am interested in underlying mechanisms of immune and cerebrovascular dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Specifically, my thesis project utilizes a candidate gene approach investigating microglial gene, TREM2, and its associations with AD neuropathology and clinical progression. TREM2 is a nominated AD therapeutic target and mutations within its extracellular binding domain have been linked to AD risk in genome-wide association studies. Moreover, TREM2 encodes Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells-2 which has notable functional importance regulating clearance of amyloid-β plaque in AD mouse models. However, TREM2 and its soluble cleaved fragment (sTREM2) have not yet been systematically evaluated with respect to concomitant brain pathology. I employ statistical and genetic tools aiming to illuminate novel gene-expression and variant associations with AD pathology including morphological substrates of cerebrovascular disease leveraging a local cohort of Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project (VMAP) participants.
Graduate Student, Calipari Laboratory
BS, Washington and Lee University (2017)
I am a graduate student in the Calipari lab, where I utilize in vivo optogenetics, fiber photometry calcium imaging, and single photon single-cell calcium imaging, to determine the precise information that is encoded within genetically defined neuronal populations in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in adaptive states. A main goal of my studies is to understand how our brain integrates information about environmental stimuli to guide future decision-making and to provide foundational evidence for the specific changes that occur under conditions that lead to maladaptive and disease states.
previous t-32 training grant
CURRENT POSITION: Consultant, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Defended Dissertation from the Konradi Laboratory on 3/23/20
BA, Princeton University (2011)
Graduate Student, Bachmann Laboratory
BS, James Madison University (2015)
I am a chemical biologist interested in unraveling the complex relationship between tumor cell injury and the subsequent immune response to promote anti-tumor immunity. I investigate this phenomena by employing natural products, secondary metabolites, to elicit cell injury signals and evaluate the subsequent immune response. I am designing a cytometry assay to discover secondary metabolites capable of cell injury by multiplexed activity metabolomics (MAM). Following MAM, injurious secondary metabolites are applied to cancer cells which are then introduced to immune cells to assess chemically induced anti-tumor immunity.
CURRENT POSITION: Senior Scientist, Sosei Heptares
Defended Dissertation from the Meiler Laboratory on 11/01/2018
Ph.D. Awarded: November 2018
BA, Colgate University (2011)
CURRENT POSITION: Analyst, Proactive Worldwide
Defended Dissertation from the Grueter Laboratory on 12/17/2021
Ph.D. Awarded: January 2022
BS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute (2015)
Graduate Student, Collins Laboratory
BA, Fisk University (2015)
The most well-known function of adipose tissue (or fat) is store energy in the form of lipids for use during periods of nutrient deprivation. However, excess storage of lipids in the adipose tissue is well-known to cause diseases such as diabetes and obesity. All fat, however, isn’t bad. A specialized type of adipose tissue, brown adipose tissue (BAT), metabolizes its stored lipids to produce heat in a process known as thermogenesis. The amount and metabolic activity of BAT is positively associated with reduced percent body fat and improved insulin sensitivity, key indicators of metabolic health in humans. It is well known that sympathetic innervation to BAT (i.e., norepinephrine agonizing b-adrenergic receptors [b-ARs] on the brown adipocyte cell surface) can both maintain and enhance the thermogenic function of BAT. My thesis work is to characterize the role of a non-canonical effector of b-AR signaling, a kinase, in BAT thermogenesis. Using genetically modified mice as a primary model, I hypothesize that loss of this kinase in BAT will enhance thermogenesis in response to b-AR activation. Given the established link between BAT thermogenesis and metabolic health, the data generated from this work will provide a foundation for future studies aimed at reducing the burden of obesity, diabetes and their associated co-morbidities on our society.
CURRENT POSITION: Postdoctoral Researcher, Vanderbilt University
Defended Dissertation from the Zhang Laboratory on 06/29/2018
Ph.D. Awarded: July 2018
BS, Rhodes College (2011)
CURRENT POSITION: Chemist, U.S. Department of Labor
MS, Vanderbilt University, Hudson Laboratory (2019)
BS, York College of Pennsylvania (2015)
CURRENT POSITION: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of California, San Francisco
Defended Dissertation from the Denton Laboratory on 10/12/2020
BS, University of Arizona (2014)
Defended Dissertation from the Niswender Laboratory on 10/15/2020
Ph.D. Awarded: October 2020
BS, Miami University (2014)
Graduate Student, Arinze laboratory (Meharry Medical College Student)
BS, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas (2006)
CURRENT POSITION: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Yale University
BA, Vanderbilt University (2013)
Defended Dissertation from the Patel Laboratory on 1/07/2020
CURRENT POSITION: Senior Research Investigator, Bristol Myers Squibb
Ph.D. Awarded: February 2019
Defended Dissertation from the Osheroff Laboratory on 1/25/2019
Pharm.D., Lipscomb University (2014)
BA, Reinhardt College (2010)
Graduate Student, Wang laboratory (Meharry Medical College Student)
BS, Murray State Univ. (2013)
CURRENT POSITION: Assistant Professor
Defended Dissertation from the Schoenecker Lab on 11/9/2018
Ph.D. Awarded: December 2018
BS, Ohio Northern University (2003)
MD/PhD Candidate, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
MS, University of Connecticut (2011)
BS, University of Connecticut (2010)
Defended Dissertation from the Winder laboratory on 3/24/2020
Ph.D. Awarded: March 2020
BS, York College of Pennsylvania (2013)
CURRENT POSITION: Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Defended Dissertation from the Iverson laboratory on 3/4/2019
Ph.D. Awarded: March 2019
BS and BA, Wittenburg University (2014)
Defended Dissertation from the Hasty laboratory on 2/28/2019
Ph.D. Awarded: March 2019
BS, University of Richmond (2013)
Graduate Student, Lindsley Laboratory
BSLAS, University of Illinois @ Urbana (2015)
The Lindsley laboratory focuses on drug discovery with an emphasis on the development of allosteric modulators for the validation and investigation of novel targets and mechanisms for a variety of different diseases. My project is on the development of novel and selective positive allosteric modulators for the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 7 (mGlu7). My primary goals are the chemical synthesis and optimization of the modulator as well as the exploration of the role of mGlu7 in the neurological disorder, schizophrenia. These studies may not only lead to a better understanding of the biology of mGlu7 in schizophrenia, but also in other neurological disorders.
CURRENT POSITION: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Vanderbilt University
Defended Dissertation from the N. Brown laboratory on 2/26/2018
Ph.D. Awarded: March 2018
MS, Northern Arizona University (2012)
BS, University of Arizona (2009)
CURRENT POSITION: Research Instructor of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University
Defending Dissertation from the Weaver laboratory on 10/30/2020
Ph.D. Awarded: November 2020
Pharm.D., Lipscomb University(2016)
Graduate Student, Hadjfrangiskou laboratory
BS, Florida State University (2014)
My research is driven by an interest in antibiotics, infectious diseases, and cellular signaling. My thesis work focuses on understanding the signaling networks that Uropathogenic E. coli use throughout pathogenesis to acquire vital nutrients, respond to hazards, and to regulate virulence factors, with an overarching goal to develop new antimicrobial therapies targeting these systems.
Graduate Student, Wang laboratory
BS, Texas Southern University (2012)
The primary goal of the Wang lab is to identify mechanisms of therapeutic resistance and to translate this knowledge into transformative and effective treatments for a variety of cancers. My cancer of interest, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is the most malignant form of primary brain cancer with a patient life expectancy of only 12-15 months. Knowing this, my long term goal is to identify novel combination therapies that suppress or inhibit the ability of GBM tumors to self-renew, proliferate rapidly, and resistant chemo-radiation.
Graduate Student, Arinze laboratory (Meharry Medical College Student)
BS, Howard University (2002)
Graduate Student, Patel Laboratory
BS, University of Evansville (2016)
I grew up in Evansville, IN, where I received my BS in Neuroscience from the University of Evansville in 2016. I came to Vanderbilt in the fall of 2016, where I am currently a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Sachin Patel. I am broadly interested in the synaptic physiology of neuromodulatory signaling systems, and my current works centers around characterizing how the endocannabinoid signaling system regulates synaptic transmission in brain areas relevant to stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Outside of the lab, I enjoy hiking, fishing, and exploring the music scene.
CURRENT POSITION: Postdoctoral Fellow, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Defended Dissertation from the Hamm Laboratory 11/08/20107
BS, University of California, San Diego (2010)