Current Students and Alumni

 

Current Students  
Fatima Albazron Matriculating Fall 2022
Samantha Ely Matriculating Fall 2022
Sonia Khalid Matriculating Fall 2022
Manessa Riser Matriculating Fall 2022
Jillian Eichstaedt 1st Year, Predoctoral Candidate
Caitlin Katz 1st Year, Predoctoral Candidate
Christine Lee 1st Year, Predoctoral Candidate
Annie Thy Nguyen 1st Year, Predoctoral Candidate
Taylor Takla 1st Year, Predoctoral Candidate
Grant Levasseur 2nd Year, Predoctoral Candidate
Sebastian Pernal 2nd Year, Predoctoral Candidate
Alixandria Trombley 2nd Year, Predoctoral Candidate
John France 3rd Year, Doctoral Candidate
Dylan Ukasik 3rd Year, Doctoral Candidate
Tabitha Moses 4th Year,Doctoral Candidate
Nicole Zabik 5th Year, Predoctoral Candidate
Alumni  
Erin Edwards 2022 Graduate
Lana Grasser 2022 Graduate
James Matchynski 2022 Graduate
Nolan O'Hara 2022 Graduate
Brian Silverstein 2021 Graduate
Chaitali Anand 2020 Graduate
Wafaa Sweidan 2020 Graduate
Andrew Neff 2019 Graduate
Natalie Wiseman 2019 Graduate
Michael Lisieski 2018 Graduate
Muzamil Arshad, Ph.D. 2017 Graduate
Erick Woodcock 2017 Graduate
Denise Briggs, Ph.D. 2016 Graduate
Hilary Marusak, Ph.D. 2016 graduate
Helen Wu 2016 Graduate
Dhruman Goradia, Ph.D. 2015 Graduate
Brianne Mohl, Ph.D. 2015 Graduate
Erik Brown, M.D., Ph.D. 2013 Graduate

 

   


 

Jillian Eichstaedt
1st Year, Predoctoral Candidate

hh9892@wayne.edu

Education:
Michigan State University, MI; B.S. Human Biology, Neuroscience

Hometown:
Belleville, MI

Advisors

TBA

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

TBA

Research

Control of motivated behaviors, especially as it relates to the pathogenesis of obesity or addiction

Awards & Honors

 

Publications

 

 

Personal Interests

Cooking, reading, movies, and my cat

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Caitlin Katz
1st Year, Predoctoral Candidate

hi2907@wayne.edu

Education:
California State University SB; B.A. Biological Psychology

Hometown:
La Quinta, CA

Advisors

 

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

 

Research

 

Awards & Honors

 

Publications

 

 

Personal Interests

 

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Christine Lee
1st Year, Predoctoral Candidate

christinelee@wayne.edu

Education:
Michigan State University, Lyman Briggs College, MI; B.S. Neuroscience

Hometown:
Grand Ledge, MI

Advisors

TBA

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

TBA

Research

Using neuroimaging to study cognitive decline

Awards & Honors

 

Publications

N/A

 

Personal Interests

Baking, reading, music

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Annie Thy Nguyen
1st Year, Predoctoral Candidate

annie.nguyen@med.wayne.edu

Education:
Scripps College; B.A. Neuroscience

Hometown:
Claremont, CA

Advisors

TBA

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

TBA

Research

My primary research interests include critical periods of neurodevelopment and the effect of genetic or environmental variations throughout this process. I am also working on cortical network mapping and structure-function relationships of the developing brain.

Awards & Honors

 

Publications

 

 

Personal Interests

In my free time, I enjoy hiking, visiting museums, making pottery, and hanging out with my bunny! I currently participate in the Wilderness Medicine Interest Group (Co-coordinator) and the American Physician Scientists Association (Mentorship Liaison/Institutional Representative) through Wayne State University School of Medicine.

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Taylor Takla
1st Year, Predoctoral Candidate

taylortakla@wayne.edu

Education:
University of Michigan, MI; B.S. Neuroscience

Hometown:
West Bloomfield, MI

Advisors

TBA

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

TBA

Research

Addiction/substance abuse, exercise

Awards & Honors

 

Publications

N/A

 

Personal Interests

Working out, hiking, trying new foods/restaurants, traveling

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Grant Levasseur
2nd Year, Predoctoral Candidate

grant.levasseur@med.wayne.edu

Education:
Michigan State University, MI; B.S.

Hometown:
L

Advisors

 

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

 

Research

 

Awards & Honors

 

Publications

 

 

Personal Interests

 

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Sebastian Pernal
2nd Year, Predoctoral Candidate

sebastian.pernal@med.wayne.edu

Education:
Universtiy of Illionois at Chicago, IL; B.S.

Hometown:
L

Advisors

 

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

 

Research

 

Awards & Honors

 

Publications

 

 

Personal Interests

 

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Alixandria Trombley
2nd Year, Predoctoral Candidate

ga6821@wayne.edu

Education:
Wayne State University; B.S. Physics, Psychology

Hometown:
Saint Clair Shores, MI

Advisors

Shane Perrine, PhD

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

TBD

Research

Neural mechanisms of cocaine-taking

Awards & Honors

Neuroscience Scholars Program Associate, National Institute of Health T32 Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity Fellow

Publications

N/A

 

Personal Interests

Playing soccer, weightlifting and hanging out with my "Detroit Special" rescue dog

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John France
3rd Year, Predoctoral Candidate

gc9598@wayne.edu

Education:
Michigan State University; B.A. Human Physiology

Hometown:
Harper Woods, MI

Advisors

 

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

 

Research

 

Awards & Honors

 

Publications

 

 

Personal Interests

 

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Dylan Ukasik
3rd Year, Predoctoral Candidate

gw4458@wayne.edu

Education:
Allegheny College, PA; B.S. Neuroscience

Hometown:
SpringDale, PA

Advisors

 

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

 

Research

 

Awards & Honors

 

Publications

 

 

Personal Interests

 

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Tabitha Moses
4th Year, Predoctoral Candidate

tmoses@med.wayne.edu

Education:
Johns Hopkins University

Hometown:
Goring, England

Advisors

Mark Greenwald, PhD

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

To be announced

Research

Substance use, stress, trauma

Awards & Honors

  • 2015 Brain Matters! 5 Travel Award                                                                    
  • 2016-2018  WSU School of Medicine Board of Governors Full Tuition Scholarship   
  • 2017, Oral Presentation Honorable Mention, Medical Student Research Symposium                                                                                                                                           
  • 2017 TEDMED Frontline Scholarship                                                                                       
  • 2018 First Place Poster, Retrospective Clinical Care & Public Health Section Medical Student Research Symposium
  • 2018 CPDD FORCE Junior Investigator Travel Award                                                           
  • 2018 Top Poster Award, International Neuroethics Society Annual Meeting                                                                      

Publications

  1. Moses, T., Lundahl, L. H., & Greenwald M.K., Factors Associated with Sedative Use and Misuse Among Heroin Users. April 2018. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 185, pp.10-16
  2. Moses, T., Woodcock, E. A., Lister J.J., Lundahl, L.H., & Greenwald M.K., Developing a Scale of Domains of Negative Consequences of Chronic Heroin Use. February 2018. Addictive Behaviors. 77, pp.260-266
  3. Moses, T.& Illes, J. Ethics, Ethicists, and Professional Organizations in the Neurological Sciences. March 2017. AJOB Neuroscience. 8(1), pp.3-11
  4. Moses, T.Emerging Technologies: The Ethical Dangers of Fixing What is Not Broken. May 2016. Proceedings of the 2016 IEEE Symposium on Ethics in Engineering, Science and Technology

Abstracts:

  1. Moses, T. Preventing a Lifetime of Trauma: Is it Ever Acceptable to Alter Memories in Children?,American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience. In Press.
  2. Moses, T., The Freedom to Become an Addict: Are Addiction Vaccines an Assault on Free Will?, American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience. July 2016.
  3. Moses, T., Is it Ethical to Hold a Person Culpable for His Actions if he Cannot Recognize Right and Wrong?, Neuroethics. May 2016.

Personal Interests

Travel, reading, cats

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Nicole Zabik
5th Year, Predoctoral Candidate

nzabik@med.wayne.edu

Education:
Oakland University, MI; B.S. Biochemistry

Hometown:
Sterling Heights, MI

Advisors

 Christine A. Rabinak, PhD and Mark K. Greenwald, PhD

Advisory/Dissertation Committee

To be announced

Research

With tools such as functional imaging, behavior measures, and pharmacological manipulation, the questions I seek to answer are the following: (1) How does previous, regular cannabis use influence PTSD symptoms and efficacy of synthetic THC-assisted exposure therapy? and (2) How do healthy individuals use cannabis in the modern day, and how do these patterns deviate when someone suffers from PTSD?

Awards & Honors

  • 2012-2016 Oakland University, Distinguished Scholar Award
  • 2014-2016 Oakland University, Dean's List
  • 2015-2016 Oakland University, Thompson Chemistry Scholarship
  • 2016 American Chemical Society, Travel Grant
  • 2017-2018 Wayne State University School of Medicine, Robert J. Bernucci Promising Scholar Award
  • 2018 Wayne State University, Invited Student Key Note Presenter at the Translational Neuroscience Symposia
  • 2018-2019 Wayne State University, Thomas Rumble Fellowship

Publications

  1.  Zabik, N.L., Virca, C.N., McCormick, T.M., Martic-Milne, S., "Selective Electrochemical Versus Chemical Oxidation of Bulky Phenol." J. Phy. Chem. B2016120, 8914-8924.
  2. Zabik, N.L., Imhof, M.M., Martic-Milne, S., "Structural evaluations of tau protein conformation: methodologies and approaches." Biochem. Cell Biol., 2017, 95, 338-349.

Personal Interests

If I'm not nerding out about my dissertation, I am most likely doing one of the following: cooking, making cold brew, weight training, or appreciating art.

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Alumni  

 

   


 

Erin Edwards, Ph.D.

eedwards@med.wayne.edu

Education:
University of New England, ME; B.S. Neuroscience

Hometown:
Fenton, MI

Advisors

Nora Fritz, PhD and Jeffrey Stanley, PhD

Dissertation Committee

Ana Daugherty, PhD; Anna Kratz, PhD; Patrick Mueller, PhD

Dissertation Research Title

Backward Walking: A Clinical Marker of Fall Risk for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

Dissertation Defense Date

Friday, March 4, 2022

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Lana Ruvolo Grasser, Ph.D.

lgrasser@med.wayne.edu

Education:
Michigan State University, MI; B.S. Neuroscience

Hometown:
Sylvan Lake, MI

Advisors

Tanja Jovanovic, PhD and Arash Javanbakht, MD

Dissertation Committee

Paul Burghardt, PhD; Alana Conti, PhD; David Rosenberg, MD

Dissertation Research Title

Dancing the Storm: Neurobiological Correlates of Trauma-Related Psychopathology in Youth Resettled as Refugees, and the Efficacy of Creative Arts and Movement Therapies to Address Trauma-Related Psychopathology

Dissertation Defense Date

Thursday, March 3, 2022

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James Matchynski, Ph.D.

M.D./Ph.D. program, Wayne State University Medical School, 3rd year.

jamatchy@med.wayne.edu

Education:

Hometown:

Advisors

Alana Conti, PhD and Shane Perrine, PhD

Dissertation Committee

Kamran Avanaki, PhD; Tanja Jovanovic, PhD; Jeffrey Stanley, PhD

Dissertation Research Title

Development and Implementation of a Novel Method to Quantify FOS-Related Neuronal Acitivity in vivo Using High-Resolution Photoacousstic Imaging

Dissertation Defense Date

Friday, February 4, 2022

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Nolan O'Hara, Ph.D.

M.D./Ph.D. program, Wayne State University Medical School, 3rd year.

nohara@med.wayne.edu

Education:

Hometown:

Advisor

 

Dissertation Committee

 

Dissertation Research Title

 

Dissertation Defense Date

 

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Brian Silverstein, Ph.D.

bsilvers@med.wayne.edu

Education:

Hometown:

Advisor

 

Dissertation Committee

 

Dissertation Research Title

 

Dissertation Defense Date

 

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Chaitali Anand, Ph.D.

canand@med.wayne.edu

Education:

Hometown:

Advisor

 

Dissertation Committee

 

Dissertation Research Title

 

Dissertation Defense Date

 

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Wafaa Sweidan, Ph.D.

wsweidan@med.wayne.edu

Education:

Hometown:

Advisor

 

Dissertation Committee

 

Dissertation Research Title

 

Dissertation Defense Date

 

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Andrew Neff, Ph.D.

aneff@med.wayne.edu

Education:

Hometown:

Advisor

 

Dissertation Committee

 

Dissertation Research Title

 

Dissertation Defense Date

 

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Natalie Wiseman, Ph.D.

awiseman@wayne.edu

Education:

Hometown:

Advisor

 

Dissertation Committee

 

Dissertation Research Title

 

Dissertation Defense Date

 

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Michael Lisieski
M.D./Ph.D. program, Wayne State University Medical School, 3rd year.

mlisiesk@med.wayne.edu

Education:
University of Buffalo; B.S. Pharmacology & Toxicology; B.A. Psychology

Hometown:
North Huntingdon, PA

Advisor

Shane A. Perrine, Ph.D.

Dissertation Committee

Alana C. Conti, Ph.D., Mark K. Greenwald, Ph.D. and Jonathan D. Morrow, M.D., Ph.D.

Dissertation Research Title

The Effects of Cocaine Exposure on Hyperactivity, Susceptibility to Traumatic Stress, and Locus Coeruleus Function in Rats

Dissertation Defense Date

March 2018

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Muzamil Arshad
M.D. Ph.D. program, Wayne State University Medical School,Detroit, MI, 4th year.

muarsha@med.wayne.edu

Education:
Benedictine University, Lisle, IL; B.S. Physics

Hometown:
Romeoville, IL

Advisor

Naftali Raz, Ph.D. and Jeffrey Stanley, Ph.D.

Dissertation Committee

Boris Baltes, Ph.D., Alexander Gow, Ph.D., and Donald Kuhn, Ph.D.

Dissertation Research Title

Change in Processing Speed and its Associations with Cerebral White Matter Microstructure

Dissertation Defense Date

May 2017

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Eric A. Woodcock, Ph.D.
Posdoctoral Fellow, National Institute on Drug Abuse T32 Neuroimaging Sciences Training Program, Departments of Psychiatry, and of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT

eric.woodcock@yale.edu

Education:
University of Washington (Seattle); B.S. Psychology

Hometown:
Buckley, WA

Advisor

Mark Greenwald, Ph.D.

Dissertation Committee

Boris Baltes, Ph.D., Vaibhav Diwadkar, Ph.D., David Ledgerwood, Ph.D. and Jeffrey Stanley, Ph.D.

Dissertation Research Title

Neuropharmacological Investigation of Stress and Nicotine Self-Administration Among Current Cigarette Smokers

Dissertation Defense Date

May 2017

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Denise Briggs, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Standford, CA

dibriggs@stanford.edu

Education:
University of Michigan; B.S. Neuroscience and Psychology

Hometown:
Grosse Point, MI

Advisor

Donald Kuhn, Ph.D. 

Dissertation Committee

Matthew Galloway, Ph.D., Jason Mateika, Ph.D. and Jeffrey Stanley, Ph.D.

Dissertation Research Title

Cognitive, Psychiatric, and Neuropathological Manifestations of Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Dissertation Defense Date

March 2016

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Helen Wu, Ph.D.
M.D./Ph.D. program, Wayne State University Medical School, 4th year. 

wuhelen@med.wayne.edu

Education:
University of Michigan; B.S. Biomedical Engineering

Hometown:
 

Advisor

Jeffrey Loeb, M.D., Ph.D. and Jeffrey Stanley, Ph.D. 

Dissertation Committee

Bruce Berkowitz, Ph.D., Matthew Galloway, Ph.D. and Donald Kuhn, Ph.D.

Dissertation Research Title

Identification of Metabolite Biomarkers in Epilepsy using 1H MRS

Dissertation Defense Date

June 2016

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Hilary Marusak, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pharmacy and Health Science, Wayne State University

hmarusak@med.wayne.edu

Education:
Kalamazoo College; B.A. Biology and Psychology

Hometown:
 

Advisor

Moriah Thomason, Ph.D. 

Dissertation Committee

Mark Greenwald, Ph.D., David Rosenberg, M.D. and Richard Slatcher, Ph.D.

Dissertation Research Title

Childhood Trauma and Emotion Processing Neurocircuitry

Dissertation Defense Date

March 2016

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Dhruman Goradia, Ph.D.
Associate Scientist, Banner Alzheimer's Institute

dhruman.goradia@bannerhealth.com

Education:
University of Mumbai; B.E. Instrumentation Engineering      Wright State University; M.S. Biomedical Engineering

Hometown:
Mumbai, India

Advisor

Jeffrey Stanley, Ph.D. 

Dissertation Committee

Vaibhav Diwadkar, Ph.D., Naftali Raz, Ph.D. and Manuel Tancer, M.D. 

Dissertation Research Title

Evidence of Distinctive Structural Alterations that Differentiate ADHD Boys With and Without a Comorbid Reading Disability

Dissertation Defense Date

June 2015

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Brianne Mohl, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Radiology and Neurology, University of Colorado

brianne.mohl@ucdenver.edu

Education:
Colorado State University; B.S. Natural Sciences

Hometown:
Longmont, CO

Advisor

Jeffrey Stanley, Ph.D. 

Dissertation Committee

Joseph Casey, Ph.D., Vaibhav Diwadkar, Ph.D., Lara Jones, Ph.D. and Noa Ofen, Ph.D. 

Dissertation Research Title

Neural Alterations Influencing Skilled Reading in ADHD: A Task-based fMRI Study

Dissertation Defense Date

February 2015

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Erik Brown, M.D., Ph.D.
Neurosurgical Resident, Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University Hospital

ecbrown@med.wayne.edu

Education:
University of Michigan; B.S. Electrical Engineering

Hometown:
Allen Park, MI

Advisor

Eishi Asano, M.D., Ph.D. 

Dissertation Committee

Vaibhav Diwadkar, Ph.D., Jeffrey Loeb, M.D., Ph.D. and Jeffrey Stanley, Ph.D.

Dissertation Research Title

Multi-Modality Assessment of Language Function

Dissertation Defense Date

June 2013

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