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FORMER LAB MEMBERS
Gladys Shaw
B.S., College of William and Mary, 2015
M.S., George Mason University, 2017
PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2022
Gladys was a member of the lab while completing her PhD from 2017-2022. She is interested in how stress-induced epigenetic alterations impact behavior and the incidence of stress disorders.
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Gladys is now a Senior Scientist at ThermoFisher Scientific.
When not working, Gladys is a classical violinist and food blogger who enjoys performing, cooking, and finding new and unique places around the city.
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Chloe Burns
University of the West of England
​UWE/VCU Partnership Program
Devin Evans
B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University
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VCU IMSD Program
Chloe was an exchange student from the University of the West of England in the UK, where she earned her BSc(Hons) in Biomedical Science. During her time in the Neigh Lab, from 2019-2020, Chloe worked on projects investigating the effects of stress and diet on the brain and behavior.
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Chloe is now a Clinical Affairs Associate at Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals.
Outside of the lab Chloe enjoys cooking, baking, reading and spending time with friends.
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Devin was an undergraduate working towards his B.S. in Biology while in the lab.
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Outside of the lab, Devin enjoys cardio at the gym, reading books and comics, hanging with friends and family, travel, and performing cursive calligraphy.
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Deepika Mukhara
B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018
M.D., St. George's University, 2023
Deepika worked in the lab as an undergraduate student studying biology and psychology at VCU. Her work in the lab aimed to understand sexual dimorphism in stress responses.
Deepika is now a surgical resident at Ascension St. John Hospital.
Outside of work, Deepika enjoys writing poetry, watching Ted talks, working out, and psych thrillers.
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Alix Kloster
B.A., Sewanee: The University of the South
M.S., Virginia Commonwealth University
Alix worked in the lab during her time as a Master's student. She is interested in how environmental factors, such as diet, impact behavior and drive changes in synaptic mitochondrial function.
After working in the lab, Alix continued to pursue her D.D.S. from VCU.
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In her free time, Alix enjoys cooking, exercising, spending time with her husband and two cats, and watching reality television.
Anum Adrees
B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University 2019
After working in the lab, Anum's interests shifted towards global health and she began work as an international research intern at the campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
Her personal interests include drawing, painting, reading, and going on spontaneous adventures.
Maria Alexis Bent
B.S., UNC Wilmington, 2014
VCU PREP Scholar 2018
Maria graduated with a degree in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. There she spent time in the lab studying the effect of pollutants on the endocrine system of fish.​ At the Neigh lab, she studied the effects of chronic adolescent stress on the hippocampus and behavioral memory recognition.
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She completed the VCU PREP program in 2018 and then matriculated as a PhD candidate at VCU.
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Arti Alagappan
B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016
​M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2020
​Arti worked in the lab as a medical student conducting summer research. She is interested in the role of fructose consumption in adolescence and its impact on the brain and cognitive performance.
Arti is now pursuing her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering at Columbia Univeristy.
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Arti enjoys exploring new places, cooking, dancing, and watching the sunrise.
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Rockelle Jang
Indiana University 2016
VCU PREP Scholar
Rockelle was a research assistant in the lab from 2016-2017. Her research interests include exploring the impact of microbial flora on mental health and devising methods to understand the mechanisms through which non-pathogenic organisms interact with the HPA axis.
Rockelle is currently a PhD student at UCLA.
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Dr. Folasade Ilori
B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016
PhD, Howard University, 2023
Folasade completed her BA in Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is interested in the effects of stress on the physiology of the body as well as the impact of stress on behavior.
Dr. Ilori recently earned her PhD in Neuropsychology.
Charanya Uppalapati
B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2022
Samya Dyer
B.S.. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015
M.P.H., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2022
Charanya worked in the lab as an undergraduate student and member of the Guaranteed Admission Program for Medicine. She is interested in understanding the effects of chronic adolescent stress on the fear learning system.
Charanya is now a medical student at VCU.
In her free time, Charanya enjoys baking, traveling, and running.
Samya worked in the lab as a technician from 2017-2022. She was interested in combining her knowledge of biology and psychology with her interest in animal behavior.
Samya now works as a Research Analyst for UNOS.
In her free time, she enjoys watching tv, playing with her dog, and hanging out with her family and friends.
Molly Hyer
B.A., Randolph Macon College, 2009
M.S., Bucknell University, 2011
PhD, University of Maryland, 2016
IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellow
Molly joined the lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2016. Her work and research interests are centered around how different experiences, such as stress, social interactions, or environmental conditions, drive plasticity of the hippocampus.​
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Molly is now the Director of Research Development and Innovation for the VCU Institute of Women's Health.
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In Molly's free time, she enjoys reading, cooking and eating all kinds of food, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. ​
Jacqueline Ninkundiye
Thomas Nelson Community College Associates Program
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Virginia Commonwealth University Bridges to Baccalaureate Research Program
Charlie Salome-Sanchez
B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018
Charlie joined the lab as an undergraduate student studying biology at Virginia Commonwealth University until he graduated in 2018. He is interested in learning how stress effects the neurological activities of the brain.
In his free time, Charlie enjoys running, spending time with friends, listening to music, and outdoor activities.
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Imogen Targett
University of West of England
UWE/VCU Partnership Program
Imogen was an undergraduate exchange student from The University of the West of England (UWE), UK studying Biology. Imogen’s research aimed to assess the sex-specific effects of neuroinflammation and different stressors such as chronic adolescent stress and diet-induced stress on cognition in rodents.
Imogen is now a PhD candidate at UWE.
Outside of the lab, Imogen enjoys working out at the gym and attending exercise classes.
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Dr. Sydney Rowson
B.S., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012
Molecular and Systems Pharmacology PhD, Emory University, 2018
Sydney worked in the lab from 2013-2018 while earning her PhD.​ Her graduate work focused on sex differences in the stress response, and determining how sex impacts the regulation of the glucocorticoid receptor after chronic adolescent stress.
Sydney is now an Associate Project Setup Manager for Q2 Solutions.
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Dr. Mandakh Bekhbat
Vassar College 2013
Neuroscience PhD, Emory, 2018
Mandy completed her PhD in the lab from 2013-2018. Her research focused on understanding how neuroinflammation mediates the effects of chronic adolescent stress on affective disorders in adulthood.
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Dr. Bekhbat is now an Assistant Professor at Emory University.
In her free time, she enjoys reading literature and listening to music.
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Laurel Kovalchick
B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018
​M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2022
Laurel's work in the Neigh lab focused on how environmental variables and adolescent life experiences impact mental health and the HPA axis during adulthood.
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Laurel is now a Neurology resident at the Dell Medical School.
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Fariya Ali
M.D., University of Miami School of Medicine, 2017
Fariya was the first member of the Neigh Lab at VCU and completed an externship with Dr. Neigh. While in the Neigh Lab, she examined sex differences in hippocampal gene expression following chronic adolescent stress.
Fariya is now a psychiatrist with the Children's Hospital of Greenville Health System.
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More former members: Where are they now?
Apoorva Gangavelli: Emory undergraduate research assistant from 2014-2015. Apoorva is now pursuing her MD at Emory.
Anisha Kalidindi, PhD: Emory undergraduate researcher from 2014-2016. Dr. Kalidindi received her PhD from The Ohio State University and is now a consultant at McKinsey & Co.
Danielle McFarlane: Emory undergraduate researcher; graduated in 2016. Danielle is now an Anesthesiology resident at the University of Texas Health Center at Houston.
Matthew Wu: Emory undergraduate researcher; graduated in 2016. Matt is currently a clinical research associate at UCLA.
Carl Zainaldin: Emory undergraduate researcher; graduated in 2015. Carl is now practicing Internal Medicine at the Birmingham VA Medical Center.
Jillybeth Burgado: Emory undergraduate researcher from 2012-2015. Jilly is now a graduate student at the University of California San Diego.
Liana Merrill, PhD: After a short post-doc with the Neigh Lab, Dr. Merrill is now a Senior Medical Writer at Ashfield MedComms.
Christina Nemeth, PhD: Received her PhD in Neuroscience under the advisement of Dr. Gretchen Neigh. She is a current Assistant Professor at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Renuka Reddy: Emory undergraduate researcher 2011-2014. Renuka is the current Pulmonary and Critical Care Chief Fellow at the University of Florida.
Dr. Darrell Eacret: Emory undergraduate researcher 2013-2014 and received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Eacret is currently an Associate Consultant for ZS.
Kaela Singleton, PhD: Agnes Scott undergradute researcher 2012-2014 and received her PhD from Georgetown University. Dr. Singleton is currently the Director of Grants Management at Cure Alzheimer's Fund.
Sean Kelly: Lead research specialist at Emory from 2010-2014 following his graduation from UNC Wilmington. Sean is now a Senior Research Specialist at Emory.
Leah Regenbaum: Summer 2013 undergraduate researcher. Leah received her BS from Emory University in 2014 and is currently a physician with Pediatric Hospitalists of South Florida.
Nikki Sawyer, PhD: Received her PhD in Neuroscience from Emory under the advisement of Drs. Andrew Escayg and Gretchen Neigh. Currently, Dr. Sawyer runs her own company, Sawyer Consulting Ltd.
Emily Castranio, PhD: Summer 2012 SIRE student. Emily graduated with a BS from Washington and Jefferson College in 2013 and received her PhD from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Castriano is currently an Application Scientist at Taconic Biosciences.
Chase Bourke, PhD: Received his PhD in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology from Emory under the advisement of Dr. Michael Owens. Currently, Dr. Bourke is a Director of Business Development for Vir Biotechnology, Inc.
Emily Hardy: Former Lead Research Specialist 2007-2012; current Graduate Advisor at Georgia State University.
Sanjana Malviya: Undergraduate researcher 2010-2012; current Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Leo Panagiotakopoulos: Leo spent time in the lab during his Pediatric Endocrinology fellowship in 2012-2015. Now, he practices as a pediatrician.
Constance Harrell Shreckengost: MD/PhD candidate at Emory who completed her PhD training under Dr. Neigh in 2015. Dr. Harrell Shreckengost is now a General Surgery resident at Emory University.
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