Deja Robinson obtained her B.S. in Biology and Biochemistry with a minor in Pre-Professional Health from Marshall University in 2023. Deja’s main interests are in cardiovascular physiology and disease, specifically understanding the changes in heart function and communication after injury. Through research, she hopes to contribute to the development of new therapeutics for heart disease. As a PREP Scholar in Sud Anand's lab, Deja was interested in exploring potential therapeutic targets of immune recognition in tumors.  She studied the role of PARP-14 in the RIG-1 activation pathway in colorectal cancer cells. Starting in Fall 2024, Deja will be a MD/PhD Postbac Fellow at Jackson Labs in Bar Harbor, ME.

Kaylee Ha obtained her B.A. in Biochemistry at the University of Washington in 2023. During undergrad, Kaylee worked in a lab that focused on the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s Disease. She is interested in memory, cognition, and neurodegeneration. As a PREP scholar, Kaylee worked in Ian Martin's lab where she studied the effects of maneb and parquat, two commonly used crop pesticides, on dopaminergic neuronal injury. Kaylee hopes to continue her studies in neurodegeneration with the goal of contributing to the development of therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. In Fall 2024, she will be be pursuing her Master's at the University of Pittsburgh.

Mariel Kristine Micael obtained her B.S. in Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2023. While at UCSD, she joined the lab of Dr. Nicola Allen at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences where she investigated the involvement of astrocytes in both Alzheimer’s Disease and Down Syndrome. She is broadly interested in memory and the neurobiology of neurodegenerative diseases. As a PREP scholar, she worked in Marc Freeman's lab, where she studied the astrocytic mechanisms of developmental neuronal synapse elimatination in Drosophila. She received a 2024 GRFP honorable mention for her proposed research project. She hopes to continue explore new questions within the field of glia research as a Neuroscience PhD student at UCSD, where she will begin in Fall 2024.

Milan (Milo) Rogan graduated in 2023 from Wayne State University with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a minor in History. She has research experience in genetics using Drosophila melanogaster as the model organism for chromosome research involving survival and the Y chromosome. Currently, she has an interest in bacteria and other species of microorganisms. As a PREP scholar in Jonathan Pruneda's lab, Milo studied the mechanism of ubiquitin-dependent phospholipase activity by the L. pneumophila effector, VpdC. She hopes to pursue a career in microbiology and seeks to gain more knowledge with research in other organisms.

Ricardo Mercado obtained his B.S. in Biology (with a specialization in Molecular and Cell Biology) from Central Washington University in 2023. Ricardo is interested in immunology, cell biology, and cancer biology. Through his research he hopes to make discoveries that can make an impact in people’s lives. As a PREP scholar in Julia Maxson's lab,  Ricardo studied the effects of CRISPR-induced RUNX1 mutations in the HMC-1.2 cell line to study systemic mastocytosis. Ricardo aspires to run his own research lab and help mentor first generation and underrepresented scientists.

Arisa Sek is a Neuroscience PhD student at Oregon Health & Science University. They obtained their Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a double minor in Biology and Chemistry at Portland State University in 2021. During their time in PREP in Arpy Saunders’ lab, they worked to develop a new barcoded rabies virus that is suitable for in vivo analysis. Arisa is interested in how long-term memory is formed and stored in the brain and the molecular mechanisms behind it. They also plan to conduct outreach for the AAPI community. Contact Arisa.

Michelle Garcia obtained her B.A. in Chemistry (concentration in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) from Williams College in 2021. Michelle's main interest is studying viral infectious diseases, particularly mechanisms of host pathogenesis and drug development. The COVID-19 pandemic has only reinforced Michelle's conviction to delve into the depths of viral disease mechanisms and help the scientific community be more prepared in future epidemics/pandemics. As a PREP scholar, Michelle's research focused on investigating the roles of diacylglycerol during Mycobacterium tuberculosis phagocytosis in Fikadu Tafesse's lab. She continued in her role as a research assistant and lab manager in the Tafesse lab before pursuing a Medical Laboratory Science degree at the Oregon Institute of Technology.

Maria Hayes obtained her B.S. in Psychology from Portland State University in 2019. Maria is interested in the neuropsychology of mental health, stress and affect. Maria hopes to contribute to the work of utilizing clinical science to help provide accessible interventions that aid in healthy neurodevelopment. As a PREP scholar, Maria studied the effects of maternal adversity on child neurobehavioral development in Elinor Sullivan's lab. Maria is currently a graduate student in OHSU's Clinical Psychology PhD program and was recently selected to join the 2024–2026 Neuroscience Scholars Program, hosted by the Society for Neuroscience.

Isa Maxwell obtained his B.A. in Biology from Lewis & Clark College in 2020. Isa's interests are to study neurobiology and work with developmental and disease models. As a Vollum-supported PREP scholar, he worked as a research assistant in Marc Freeman's lab studying glia. Isa's ultimate goal is to study and help further characterize the mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative illnesses. Isa is now a Neuroscience PhD student at OHSU.

Joselinne Medrano obtained her B.A. in Neuroscience (minor in Race, Ethnicity, and Migration Studies) from Colorado College in 2020. As an undergraduate Joselinne became captivated with learning what networks are involved in behavior, including reward, and how epistemologies guide our perceptions and responses to the world around us. As a PREP scholar, she investigated the role of anti-inflammatory signaling in binge-like drinking behaviors in Angela Ozburn's lab. Joselinne is currently a Neuroscience PhD student in the Williams lab.

Tony Munoz obtained his B.S. in Biology from the University of Oregon in 2021. Tony’s first research experience was in high school working in Dr. Virginia Cuzon-Carlson’s lab at the Oregon National Primate Research Center as an intern for Saturday Academy’s Apprenticeship in Science and Engineering program. Tony continued pursuing research as an undergrad working in Dr. Matt Smear’s lab investigating olfactory behaviors in mice. As a PREP scholar, Tony joined Dr. Swetha Murthy’s lab to investigate the function of a family of mechanically activated ion channels known as the OSCA/TMEM63 family. Tony is now a graduate student in OHSU’s Neuroscience Graduate Program in Dr. Murthy’s lab and is an active member of OHSU’s SACNAS chapter that aims to foster inclusivity and community at OHSU. Contact Tony.

Nina Luong is a neuroscience graduate student at Oregon Health & Science University. She obtained her Bachelor's of Science degree in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon in 2019. During her time as a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2020-2021) in Dr. Kevin Wright's lab, she investigated the somatosensory development in Lunatic Fringe mutant mice, as well as the role of a specific transcription factor on developing cells in the retina. Nina has continued researching neurodevelopment during her time in graduate school and is involved with outreach and educational efforts at OHSU. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Wright and Sivyer labs studying novel approaches to targeting and manipulating retinal ganglion cells. Contact Nina.

Allie Taylor is a 2020-2021 Neuroscience Post-Baccalaureate Scholar at the Vollum Institute. She received a B.A. in Biology from the University of North Texas in May 2020. During her time in the post-bacc program, she worked in the lab of Kelly Monk studying the development and maintenance of myelin in the peripheral nervous system. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at Johns Hopkins University in the Johnston lab, where she plans to continue researching myelination and glia-neuron interactions. Contact Allie.

Dennisha King is a Neuroscience PhD candidate at the University of Rochester. She obtained her Bachelor's of Science degree in Neuroscience and Public Health from Agnes Scott College in 2019. During her time as a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2019-2020), she was a research assistant in the lab of Dr. Vivek Unni studying the protein alpha synuclein and its DNA interactions. Dennisha plans to continue practicing translational neuroscience research. Contact Dennisha.

PREP Publications:

Dent SE, King DP, Osterberg VR, Adams EK, Mackiewicz MR, Weissman TA, Unni VK (2022). Phosphorylation of the aggregate-forming protein alpha-synuclein on serine-129 inhibits its DNA-bending properties. Journal of Biological Chemistry. Dec 29:101552.

Raquel Miralles is a Neuroscience PhD candidate at the University of Virginia. As a a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2019-2020) she studied...  Raquel was awarded a NINDS F31 grant for her work on "Aberrant Parvalbumin-Positive Interneuron Activity in SCN8A Epileptic Encephalopathy."

Yessica Santana is a Neuroscience PhD candidate  at Oregon Health & Science University. She obtained her degree in Global Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2017. During her time as a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2019-2020), she investigated the role of a particular transcription factor in the specification and morphological maintenance of the starburst amacrine cell in the lab of Dr. Kevin Wright. Yessica has aimed to continue this research as a graduate researcher, while simultaneously participating in ways to broaden access to scientific research for URMs. Yessica is an SfN Neuroscience Scholars Fellow for 2021–23 and is also a 2023 HHMI Gilliam Fellow. Contact Yessica.

Rachel De La Torre is a Neuroscience PhD candidate at Oregon Health & Science University. She obtained her B.S. in Microbiology/Molecular Biology from Portland State University in 2015. During her time as a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2018-2019) and as a PhD researcher, Rachel studies the mechanisms used by astrocytes to remodel and refine the developing nervous system in the lab of Dr. Marc Freeman. Rachel plans to lead her own research as an independent investigator studying healthy and diseased brains with an ultimate goal of influencing policies related to neurological diseases. Rachel is also a recipient of an NINDS F31 grant for her work titled, "How glia remodel the nervous system?" Contact Rachel.

Katherine Thanyamongkhonsawat obtained her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering (minor in Neuroscience) from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2018. During her time as a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2018-2019), she studied synaptic transmission in AII amacrine cells of the retina in the lab of Dr. Henrique Von Gersdorff. Katherine is interested in investigating sensory systems by decoding their circuitry. She obtained her Master's in Neuroscience from Duke University.