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LaMP Trainee Spotlights

Spotlight on LaMP Trainees


LaMP T32 trainees are making an impact in the neuroscience community! See the Trainee Spotlights below to learn more about their amazing achievements and the important contributions they are making toward understanding and treating LaMP disorders.

Kelley Patten

Kelley Patten- Discovering Important Links Between Air Quality and Alzheimer’s

Posted by Trina Wood on May 17, 2021

Pharmacology and Toxicology graduate, Kelley Patten, PhD (2021) published a series of papers investigating the effects of traffic-related air pollution on developing and aging brains using innovative techniques to model exposure. More on her recent work showing that air pollution can increase the time of onset of Alzheimer’s disease characteristics and accelerate disease progression can be found in this article from the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine.
Jaleel Jefferson

Jaleel Jefferson- Investigating the Pathology of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Posted by Greg Watry on July 14, 2020

Neuroscience Graduate Group student Jaleel Jefferson investigates the neuropathology of a condition known as HIV Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND), which encompasses “a spectrum of cognitive, motor, and/or mood problems” that affect people with HIV. In this Science Snapshot, he walks us through some neuronal imagery and shares some of his path to science.
Kathryn Prendergast

 

Kathryn Prendergast- Identifying Neurodevelopmental Disorders Before Birth

Posted by Greg Watry on May 01, 2020

Working out of the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience, Kathryn Prendergast studies how viral infection during pregnancy leads to an increased risk of offspring developing autism spectrum disorders or schizophrenia.
Lindsay Cameron

Lindsay Cameron - Uncovering How Psychedelics Could Help Treat Depression

Posted by Greg Watry on May 02, 2019

Neuroscience Ph.D. student Lindsay Cameron and other researchers at UC Davis are actively exploring drugs capable of restoring health in the brains of those with mood disorders. Some dark horse candidates are psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin and DMT. 
rose
Rose DeKock, NGG PhD Candidate, LaMP trainee (2020-21) and Professor for the Future (2021-22).

Rose DeKock named as a "Professor for the Future"

Posted by Ashley Hodel on May 20, 2021

Neuroscience graduate student, Rose DeKock, was recently selected as one of fifteen 2021-2022 fellows in the Professors for the Future program at UC Davis. Professors for the Future is a highly competitive fellowship program designed to develop the leadership skills of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who have demonstrated their commitment to professionalism, integrity, and academic service.

The year-long program prepares participating to face the future challenges of graduate education, postdoctoral training, and the academy. Professors for the Future is designed to prepare UC Davis doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars for a rapidly changing university environment through monthly seminars, an annual retreat, and courses on teaching pedagogy and ethics and professionalism in higher education. 

Rose is a graduate student working with Drs. Wilsaan Joiner and Julie Schweitzer to study the link between cognition and action in an ADHD population.

 

Nicole
Nicole Claiborne, NGG PhD Candidate, HHMI Gilliam Fellow and LaMP trainee (2018-19)

Nicole Claiborne Awarded a Gilliam Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Posted by Ashley Hodel on August 21, 2020

Former LaMP trainee, Nicole Claiborne, and her mentor, Dr. Karen Zito, were one of 45 doctoral student- adviser pairs selected by The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to receive a Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study. 

The Gilliam program was created in 2004 by HHMI with the goal of increasing the diversity of scientists at the college and university faculty level.

For Nicole, the Gilliam Fellowship has profound meaning. "This award is truly an honor and will help me so much with my career goals. The HHMI Gilliam fellowship provides students like me with resources to become scientific leaders and create more inclusive and healthy research environments. I'll have the opportunity to TA, attend workshops, and interact with other fellows from a wide array of diverse background. I hope to shape all of these experiences into a teaching career where I can support and inspire students from similarly underrepresented and underprivileged backgrounds to become the next generation of scientific leaders."

Nicole's primary research is focused on understanding glutamatergic signaling in dendritic spine stability. She is pursuing a Ph.D with the Neuroscience Graduate group and was a member of the LaMP training program from 2018-2019.