Humans of HBI

I study how the immune system and blood-clotting factors interact in gum disease. I work with genetically modified mice to understand the role of specific genes and analyze their tissues to see how immune cells behave in health versus disease. I try to figure out what’s going wrong so we can find better treatments!

People affected by psychiatric or neurological conditions, such as Major Depressive Disorder or Parkinson’s Disease, often experience severely reduced motivation to exert physical or mental effort toward a desired goal, which is thought to result from altered cost-benefit decision-making processes. In my work in the lab of Diego A. Pizzagalli, I aim to understand how exposure to acute and chronic stress or the presence of early-life adversity—factors often associated with the development or worsening of symptoms of psychopathology—impact the neural and cognitive mechanisms that guide motivated behavior in humans.

I study how the ear gets wired to receive sound information from the environment. During development, many different cells need to get to the right place and make stereotyped connections in a precise manner for us to be able to hear. My research examines how two of these cell types, neurons and glia, interact in wiring the cochlea, the organ of hearing. Understanding how cochlea wiring is established during development will provide useful insight for therapies to treat or prevent hearing loss.

In our bodies, the nervous system is the communication network, handling messages and quick decisions, while the immune system is the defense team, protecting us from invaders like bacteria. These two systems are constantly communicating and influencing the functions of each other, a concept termed “neuroimmune interactions”. In my work, I investigate the role of neuroimmune interactions in fighting bacterial infections in the inner ear, where our senses of hearing and balance originate.

I work in the admin office for the Neurobiology Department. In my job I wear a couple of hats. I do HR/onboarding, event planning/coordinating, and I assist with other general administrative functions of the department, including managing the communal rooms and department-wide communications.