Research/Areas of Interest
My overarching research interests include the role of the immune response in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders and infectious diseases. Currently, my research focuses on the platelet’s role in immunity in a murine model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In particular, I am eager to explore the potential role of this immune response in the crosstalk between the brain and gastrointestinal comorbidities. My ultimate goal is to utilize my training as both a laboratory animal medicine veterinarian and scientist to play an active role in animal model development, refinement, and validation at the institutional level and perform highly translational, collaborative research.
Advisor
Kelly A. Metcalf Pate, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Selected Honors and Awards
Clinical Research Shared Resource Poster Section Winner, Gastric coinfection with thiopeptide-positive Cutibacterium acnes decreases FOXM1 and pro-inflammatory biomarker expression in a murine model of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric cancer. Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Research Day, August, (2023).
1st place winner, Gastric coinfection with thiopeptide-positive Cutibacterium acnes decreases FOXM1 and pro-inflammatory biomarker expression in a murine model of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric cancer. American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) Forum Trainee Virtual Poster Session, April, (2023).
Dr. Sharon Drellich Memorial Award for Professionalism, Collegiality, and Compassion, Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Internship, Angell Animal Medical Center, Boston, MA, May, ( 2021).
Education
Ph.D., Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, (current)
V.M.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 2020
Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Internship, Angell Animal Medical Center, Boston, MA, 2020-2021
Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency, Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 2021-2024
B.A., Chemistry, Carleton College, Northfield, MN, 2016
Selected Publications and Presentations
Lunger, C, Shen, Z, Holcombe,H, Mannion, A, Fox-Dzink, J, Kurnick,S, Feng, Y, Muthupalani, S, Carrasco, S, Wilson, K, Peek, R, Piazuel, M, Morgan, D, Armijo, A, Mammoliti, M, Wang, T, Fox, J et al. “Gastric Coinfection with Thiopeptide-Positive Cutibacterium Acnes Decreases FOXM1 and Pro-Inflammatory Biomarker Expression in a Murine Model of Helicobacter Pylori -Induced Gastric Cancer.” Microbiology Spectrum, American Society for Microbiology, 2023 Nov, https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03450-23. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.
“Defining the role of platelet-leukocyte associations in a murine model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” Oral presentation, Summer Veterinary Scholars Program, MIT, Cambridge, MA, July (2024). Poster, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine's Veterinary Research Day, September (2024).
“ Division of Comparative Medicine”, March (2024). “Management of diabetes mellitus and poor wound healing in a transgenic common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) model of Rett Syndrome, ”Oral presentation,Association of Primate Veterinarians (APV) Workshop, Lexington, KY, October, Oral presentation, (2022).
“Morbidity and mortality in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) associated with circovirus and avian gastric yeast infection. Poster, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science” (AALAS) National Meeting, Louisville, KY, October (2022).
“Gastric coinfection with thiopeptide-positive Cutibacterium acnes decreases FOXM1 and pro-inflammatory biomarker expression in a murine model of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric cancer,” American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) National Meeting, Louisville, KY, Oral presentation, October (2022). Poster, European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group, Glasgow, Scotland, September (2022).