photo of Greg Digby

Greg Digby

  • Graduated December 2008

Dr. Greg Digby worked in Dr. Nevin Lambert's lab. His project focused on understanding how effectors (such as ion channels and adenylyl cyclases) are selectively activated by certain G protein combinations. Greg graduated in 2008.  He went on to become a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Jeff Conn's lab at Vanderbilt University where he studied M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors-with goal of improving therapy in CNS disorders such as Alzheimer's Diseases and Parkinson's diseases.  Greg received a very competitive F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the NIH to support his postdoctoral research.

At present, Greg is a Dentist at Spanish Trail Dentistry in Pensacola, FL.  He received his degree from the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Graduate Advisor:
Nevin Lambert, PhD
Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology

photo of Mark Witcher

Mark Witcher

  • Graduated Spring 2009

Dr. Mark Witcher studied ultra structural synaptic changes associated with human epilepsy. Mark graduated from the University of Georgia with a BS in 1997 and a MS in 2000 in Ecology.  He was an MD/PhD student in Neuroscience.  Mark graduated from Augusta University in 2009.  He received the PhD degree "With Distinction", a honor achieved by only 10% of Augusta University graduates. He also received the prestigious John F. Beard Award for compassionate care ($25,000 award).  He completed an Internship at Emory University Medical School and Residency Program in Neurosurgery at Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest, NC. 

At present, Mark is a physician at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA.

Graduate Advisor:
Kristen Harris, PhD and Darrell Brann, PhD 

photo of Kin Lai (Annie) Ting

Kin Lai (Annie) Ting

  • Graduated Spring 2010

Dr. Kin Lai (Annie) Ting studied how neurotrophic factors induce and stabilize CNS synapse formation. Her particular interest is the role of neuregulin-1 in CNS synapse development in interneurons. Annie graduated from University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong) with a BS (2003) and MS (2005) in Biology.

At present Annie is a Postdoc at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Graduate Advisor:
Lin Mei, PhD 
IMMAG

photo of Nagendran Muthusamy

Nagendran Muthusamy

  • Graduated Fall 2010

Dr. Nagendran Muthusamy studied purification and proteomic analysis of dopamine receptor interacting complex. Nagendran graduated from The American College with a BS in Microbiology/Immunology in 2000 and received his MS in Biotechnology in 2002 from the University of Madras.   Nagendran

At present Nagendran is a Postdoc at North Carolina State University

Graduate Advisor:
Clare Bergson, PhD 
Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology

photo of Tharkika Nagendran

Tharkika Nagendran

  • Graduated Fall 2010

Dr. Tharkika Nagendran graduated with a BSc in Zoology from University of Madras, Meenakshi College for Women, Chennai, India in 2000 and a MSc in Biotechnology in 2002.

 At present Tharkika is a Postdoc at North Carolina State University

Graduate Advisor:
Lori Redmond, PhD 
Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology

photo of William C. Risher

William C. Risher

  • Graduated Fall 2010

Dr. William C. Risher looked at the role of dendritic filopodia in spine formation and synaptogenesis in developing hippocampus from an ultrastructural perspective. Chris graduated from Clemson University with a BS in Biology in 2003.

At present, Chris is an Asst. Professor, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences at Marshall University

Graduate Advisor:
Sergei Kirov, PhD 
Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute

photo of Melissa Laird

Melissa Laird

  • Graduated Spring 2011

Dr. Melissa Laird investigated the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury. She graduated from McGill University with a B.S. in Physiology in 2002 and holds a M.S. in Exercise Physiology from Florida State University (2006).

At present, Melissa is a Navy Physiologist at the Navy Medical Research Center.

Graduate Advisor:
Krishnan Dhandapani, PhD 
Department of Neurosurgery

photo of Kou Qin

Kou Qin

  • Graduated Spring 2011

Dr. Kou Qin worked on the protein-protein interaction between G-Protein Coupled Receptor and G-Protein in living cells by taking advantage of confocal microscopy, patch clamping technique and other molecular biology techniques.; He graduated from Huazhong University of Science; Technology (HUST, Wuhan, China.) in 2006 with a B.E. in Biomedical Engineering.

At present, Kou is a Postdoc at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.

Graduate Advisor:
Nevin Lambert, PhD 
Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology

photo of Limor Raz

Limor Raz

  • Graduated
  • Spring 2011

Dr. Limor Raz investigated the mechanisms of estrogen signaling in the female rat's brain as well as exploring estrogen's neuroprotective role in an ischemic stroke model. She graduated from Columbus State University (Columbus, GA.) in 2005 with a B.S. in Pre-med. Biology.

At present Limor is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico.

Graduate Advisor: 
Darrell Brann, PhD
IMMAG

photo of Elsie Yenfen Wong Spingath

Elsie Yenfen Wong Spingath

  • Graduated Spring 2011

Dr. Elsie Yenfen Wong Spingath studied how singe cells in the primary visual cortex change after learning to discriminate objects. Elsie graduated from Emmanuel College with a BS in Pre-Professional Studies in 2003.

Graduate Advisor:
David Blake, PhD
Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute

photo of Donald J. (DJ) Kimbler

Donald J. (DJ) Kimbler

  • Graduated Fall 2011

Donald J. (DJ) Kimbler studied the role of P2x7 receptors in traumatic brain injury pathology. His mentor for the doctoral degree was Dr. Krishnan Dhandapani, Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Kimbler is a major in the U.S. Army, and will assume the position of Director, Anesthesiology Program at Eisenhower U.S. Army Hospital at Ft. Gordon.

Graduate Advisory:
Krishnan Dhandapani, PhD
Department of Neurosurgery

photo of Junko Ariga

Junko Ariga

  • Graduated Spring 2012

Dr. Junko Ariga studied the cellular and molecular mechanisms of retinal bipolar cell regeneration in Zebrafish. She graduated in Spring 2012. Her graduate advisor was Dr. Jeff Mumm in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy. Junko received her BS degree from Augusta State University. Junko has accepted a Scientist position at GlaxoSmithKline in Japan.

Graduate Advisor:
Jeff Mumm, PhD
Cellular Biology & Anatomy 

photo of Rebecca Nalloor

Rebecca Nalloor

  • Graduated Spring 2012

Rebecca Nalloor investigated how emotional memory is encoded and processed by the brain. She graduated Summer 2012. Dr. Nalloor is currently a postdoc at Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA.

Graduate Advisor:
Almira Vazdarjanova, PhD
Center for Synapses and Cognitive Center Neuroscience

photo of Christina Wilson

Christina Wilson

  • Graduated Fall 2012

Christina Wilson interests included cognitive deficits associated with neuropsychiatric disorders as well as the development of novel drugs designed to enhance cognition. Her project focused on evaluating a variable prenatal stress rodent model as a valid drug discovery platform for schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders, with an emphasis on cognition. Christina began her post doc in November 2012 at the University of Maryland, Department of Psychiatry in Dr. James Koenig's lab.

Graduate Advisor:
Alvin Terry, PhD
Pharmacology and Toxicology

photo of Jeremy Sword

Jeremy Sword

  • Graduated Summer 2012

Jeremy Sword worked in Dr. Kirov's lab using 2 photon microscopy to look at the morphological changes in neurons after ischemic insult, such as stroke and traumatic brain injury. Jeremy is currently a Captain in the US Navy serving a tour overseas.

Graduate Advisor:
Sergei Kirov
Neurosurgery

photo of Kristy Howell

Kristy Howell

Kristy Howell is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and is supported by a T32 Training Grant post doctoral fellowship award. 

Graduate Advisor:
Anilkumar Pillai, PhD
Psychiatry

 

photo of Stephanie Jacobs

Stephanie Jacobs

Stephanie Jacobs was doing a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Joe Tsien at Augusta University.

Graduate Advisor:
Joe Tsien, PhD 
BBDI

 

photo of Arnab Barik

Arnab Barik

Arnab Barik studied zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a tool to perform a mutational screen and identify novel molecular players in Neuromuscular Junction development. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Lin Mei at Augusta University.

Graduate Advisor:
Lin Mei, PhD

Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine

 

photo of Ryan Bates

Ryan Bates

Ryan Bates was interested in studying the molecular mechanisms involved in schizophrenia pathophysiology. My project focuses on determining the function of novel genes implicated in schizophrenia using patient samples and statistical analyses. He is now enrolled in medical school at Mercer University, Savannah, GA. is now enrolled in medical school at Mercer University, Savannah, GA.

Graduate Advisor:
Lin Mei, PhD
Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine

 

photo of Richard Fessler

Richard Fessler

Richard Fessler examined  the secondary injury processes of inflammation that contribute to functional loss after spinal cord injury. I use a mouse model of spinal cord injury to identify potential therapeutic targets and to test potential therapeutic agents.  He is now a 1st year medical student at the University of Cincinnati Medical School. 

Graduate Advisor:
Krishnan Dhandipani, PhD
Neurosurgery

 

photo of Tien-hung Lan

Tien-hung Lan

Tien-hung Lan studied the G protein coupled receptors(GPCRs) which constitute one of the largest human gene family. GPCRs are accepted to self-associate as dimers or oligomers. It is thought that these GPCR dimers or oligomers remain intact as traffic in living cells. However, the stability of oligomers has not been extensively studied. Taking Beta2 Adrenergic receptor as a model, we try to determine the stability of class A GPCRs and the functional relevance of the dimer formation. He is currently a post doc in the laboratory of Dr. Nevin Lambert. 

Graduate Advisor:
Nevin Lambert, PhD
Pharmacology
 

 

photo of Erin Scott

Erin Scott

Erin Scott was studying the effect of long-term estrogen deprivation on the female hippocampus, particularly in the event of cerebral ischemia. Her project focused on pathways of estrogen neuroprotection that are disrupted following surgical menopause or reproductive senescence and the effectiveness of postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy in the prevention of neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Scott is now a 3rd year Medical Student at Augusta University.


Graduate Advisor:
Darrell Brann, PhD
Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine

Erin currently has a Faculty Appointment at Univ. of Rochester Medical Center, Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynecology

 

photo of Anupama Sathyamurthy

Anupama Sathyamurthy

Anupama Sathyamurthy investigated the role of Neuregulin-1 and ErbBs in synaptic plasticity.  She graduated in 2014.  She is currently a postdoc in the lab of Dr. Lin Mei.

Graduate Advisor:
Lin Mei, PhD
Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine

Anu is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at National Institutes of Health

 

photo of Jonathan Bean

Jonathan Bean

Jonathan Bean focused on combining molecular and genetic techniques with behavioral assays to study the basis of cognition and abnormalities in cognition found in psychiatric disorders. He graduated in 2015 and is a postdoc in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Washington. 

Graduate Advisor:
Lin Mei, PhD
Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine

Currently, Jonathan is a Postdoctoral Associate at Baylor College of Medicine

 

photo of David White

David White

David White was trained in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology receiving a B.Sc. from Pennsylvania State University. He is investigating the potential role of immune cells in zebrafish retinal regeneration, while contributing to a large scale genetic screen to identify/characterize mutants deficient in rod photoreceptor regeneration.

Graduate Advisor:
Jeff Mumm, PhD
Cellular Biology & Anatomy

 

photo of Dwight Figueiredo

Dwight Figueiredo

Dwight Figueiredo research is in neurodevelopment and molecular cellular neurosciences.

Graduate Advisor:
Lin Mei, PhD
Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine

Dwight is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

 

photo of Amanca Crider

Amanca Crider

Graduate Advisor:
Anil Pillai, PhD
Psychiatry

Amanda is currently a Biology Instructor at Savannah Technical College.

 

photo of Tong Luo

Tong Luo

Tong Luo is interested in the trafficking of GluN2C subunit of NMDA receptors. He is investigating the function of NMDA receptor in oligodendrocyte cells. 

Graduate Advisor:
Bo-shiun Chen, PhD
Neurology

 

photo of Thiri Lin

Thiri Lin

Graduate Advisor:
Lin Mei, PhD
Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine

Thiri is currently a Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University School of Medicine.

 

photo of Merry Ma

Merry Ma

Merry Studied The role, regulation and potential therapeutic targeting of NADPH oxidase in traumatic brain injury.

Graduate Advisor:  Darrell Brann, PhD -  Dept. of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine

Merry is currently a resident in the Urology Department at Augusta University

 

photo of Indrani Poddar

Indrani Poddar

Graduate Advisor:  Alvin Terry, PhD - Dept. of Pharmacology & Toxicology

photo of Roshni Thakkar

Roshni Thakkar

Roshni studied the role of Neural and Astrocyte derived estrogen in brain physiology and pathology.

Graduate Advisor:  Darrell Brann, PhD -  Dept. of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine

After obtaining her PhD from AU, Roshni became a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Univ. of Tennessee Medical Center, Dec. 2017-July 2019.   She is currently employed as Research Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine.

 

photo of Becca Ward

Becca Ward

Becca studied the contribution of neurovascular dysfunction in diabetic cognitive impairment and worsend stroke outcome.

Graduate Advisor:  Adviye Ergul,PhD - Dept. of Physiology & Endocrinology

Becca is currently employed as a Medical Writer at Massachusetts General Hospital.

 

photo of Kai Zhao

Kai Zhao

Kai studied Molecular downstream of LRP4-MuSK signaling which is important for neuromuscular junction development.

Graduate Advisor:  Lin Mei, PhD - Dept. of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine

 

photo of Molly Braun

Molly Braun

Currently, Molly is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Kirkegaard Lab at Stanford University. 

Graduate Advisor:  Kris Dhandapani, PhD - Dept. of Neurosurgery, Augusta University

 

photo of Yujiao Lu

Yujiao Lu

  • Graduated Fall 2020

Graduate Advisor:  Darrell W. Brann, PhD - Dept. of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Augusta University

Yujiao is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Dhandapani Lab, Dept. of Neurosurgery,  Augusta University.

 

photo of Katelyn Alverson

Katelyn Alverson

  • Graduated Fall 2020

Graduate Advisor:  Kris Dhandapani, PhD - Dept. of Neurosurgery, Augusta University

photo of Xing Fang

Xing Fang

  • Graduated Summer 2020

Xing Fang studied the role of hypothalamic POMC and AgRP neurons in chronic unpredictable stress models of depression.

Graduate Advisor:  Xinyun Lu, PhD - Dept. of Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, Augusta University

Xing is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Southern California.

 

photo of Wonjo Jang

Wonjo Jang

Graduate Advisor:  Nevin Lambert, PhD
Research:  G protein-couples receptor signaling in living cells.


photo of Jacob Kumro

Jacob Kumro

Graduate Advisor:  David Blake, PhD
Research:  Jake studies Alzheimer's disease using deep brain stimulation as a potential treatment.


photo of Marissa Seamon

Marissa Seamon

Graduate Advisor:  Chandramohan Wakade
Research:  Marissa studies the benefits of niacin supplementation for Parkinson's Disease patients.

seamon image

 

 

CD9 labeled extracellular vesicles isolated from Parkinson's Disease patient plasma.

 

 


photo of Luodan Yang

Luodan Yang

Graduate Advisor:    Quanguang Zhang, PhD
Research:  Luodan studies the effect of photobiomodulation on neurodegenerative disease.

luodan yang research pic