Mentors and Research
Each STAR U Scholar will work with a Columbia faculty to design a research project aimed towards providing them with skills and research experience related to their unique interests.
Based on the mentor list on our website, please describe which mentor(s) you are interested in working with and why you would be interested in joining their lab. Feel free to discuss topics such as the types of research you would like to be involved in, skills you hope to learn, and what you hope for in a mentor/lab. If you do not have a mentor preference, please make sure to elaborate on the type of research experience you are most interested in.
The mentor-mentee matching process will be a critical step in the interview process to determine the best fit for each mentee. If selected for an interview, please be prepared to speak about your mentor preference(s).
Please note that the list may not encompass all available mentors, and we may reach out to a mentor who may not be on this list. We will do our best to match you with a mentor who matches your interests.
Adam M. Brickman, PhD, is a Professor of Neuropsychology (in Neurology and the Taub Institute). His research focuses on the integration of neuroimaging and cognitive experiments to understand the biological sources of cognitive aging, dementia, and late-life health disparities.
Stephanie Cosentino, PhD, is a Professor of Neuropsychology (in Neurology and the Taub Institute) whose research focuses largely on how thinking, behavior, and self-awareness break down in dementia.
Dr. Allison Aiello is a Professor of Epidemiology, Leader of the Social Epidemiology Program, Director of Graduate Studies in Epidemiology, and a Carolina Population Center Fellow at the University of North Carolina- Gillings School of Global Public Health at Chapel Hill. She is also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Social Medicine, UNC School of Medicine. Prior to moving to UNC, she was on the faculty at the University of Michigan Department of Epidemiology for 10 years, where she started her academic career and was a John G. Searle Assistant Professor of Public Health. As the PI of multiple epidemiological studies, Dr. Aiello has significant leadership and experience in conducting research that integrates social, environmental, immunological, and genomic approaches, across a range of age groups and among diverse participant populations.
Research:
Dr. Aiello's research seeks to integrate social and biological data across the life course, including epigenetic approaches, to identify the key triggers of population variation in susceptibility to dementia, poor mental health, cardiometabolic, and immune/infectious disease outcomes. Her overall research goal is to elucidate whether stress-related biological imprinting, through immune and epigenetic mechanisms, explain how health inequities from these conditions arise and produce disease risk across the life span.
I am a bilingual cultural neuropsychologist. My research program investigates the sociocultural and environmental determinants of disparities in cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) primarily among the Hispanic/Latino/Latinx communities (hereafter Latinx). My current research focus has been on determining factors of reserve and resilience to ADRD among Latinx adults such as understanding the role of bilingualism. Leveraging my training as a clinical neuropsychologist, another extension of my research program has been to work with international studies of cognitive aging leading efforts with the harmonization of cognitive data and development of diagnostic algorithms for the classification of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
Research:
My work leverages ongoing studies of cognitive aging both within the United States (i.e., the Washington Heights Inwood Columbia Aging Project [WHICAP], the Offspring Study, and the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke [REGARDS] study), and internationally (i.e., Mexican Health and Aging Study [MHAS], Longitudinal Aging Study in India Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia [LASI-DAD] and others associated with the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) Network) to better understand the sociocultural factors associated with cognitive risk and resilience across Latinx individuals residing in the US and abroad.
Dr. Bradshaw received her PhD in Biochemistry from Tufts University, with a thesis exploring the DNA-binding domain of SV40. She subsequently left the field of structural biology to follow an emerging interest in immunology, joining the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School as a research fellow in clinical immunology, and later joining the faculty.
Research:
A main focus of Dr. Bradshaw’s work has been understanding the role of the human innate immune system in complex neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Interestingly, genetic studies of AD directly implicate the involvement of the innate immune system. In PD, the genetic modulation of the immune system is still being uncovered. Currently, as co-director of basic research in the new Center for Translational and Computational Neuro-immunology, led by new Division of Neuro-immunology Chief Dr. Philip De Jager, one of Dr. Bradshaw’s major research interests is the translation of findings from these studies to molecular outcomes and potentially therapeutically targetable molecules in innate immune cells.
I am a neuroimmunologist with over 15 years of expertise in phenotypical and functional characterization of auto-reactive T cell responses. My research addressed the cellular and molecular mechanisms that contribute to peripheral immune responses and central nervous system (CNS) inflammation in autoimmune and neurological diseases (Elyaman et al, J. Immunol. 2007; Elyaman et al, Am. J. Pathol. 2008; Bassil et al. J. Immunol. 2011; Elyaman et al. Immunity 2012; Bassil et al. J. Immunol. 2014; Meyer et al, Cell Rep. 2016; Kurdi et al, Nat. Comm. 2016). Additionally, my laboratory investigates the influence of genetic risk genes associated with human diseases (including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease) on the phenotype and function of immune cells (Esposito et al. Ann. Neurol. 2015; Orent et al, Hum. Mol. Genet. 2016; Kaskow et al, Neurol. Neuroimmunol. & Neuroinflamm. 2017, Dressman et al, hum. Mol. Genet. 2022; Dressman et al, Frontiers in Immunology 2024). To study the role of adaptive and innate immune responses in neurodegenerative diseases in vivo, we have generated a microglia-specific reporter mouse model (TMEM119-tdTomato) that allows to study microglia in genetic mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases (Ruan et al, Brain Behav. Immun. 2020). To analyze the phenotype and clonality of human T cells in Alzheimer’s disease, my lab developed a pipeline for pairing single-cell RNA and T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing of brain-infiltrating T cells using fresh brain autopsies funded by a multi-PI R01 grant in collaboration with co-PI Dr. Bradshaw (1R01 AG067581-01). More recently, I was awarded two DoD grants (AL200097 and AL210128) with co-I Dr. Shneider, to dissect the immune responses in genetic and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients using single-cell RNA/TCR-seq techniques.
As a mentor in the STAR U program, I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to contribute to the development of future leaders in aging and neuroscience research. Through mentorship, personalized research projects, and additional learning opportunities, I aim to inspire and empower students from diverse and underrepresented communities to pursue careers in these fields. Together, we can advance our understanding of aging-related neurodegenerative diseases and make meaningful contributions to improving human health. As a PI, I have mentored several graduate students and postdoctoral trainees in addition to undergraduate students, helping them develop their skills and achieve their goals. By sharing my expertise and providing guidance, I've helped my mentees grow professionally and contributed to the team's success. Additionally, I am committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive lab community where all lab members are valued, respected, and supported. I strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students and staff, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, or any other aspect of their identity.
Research:
In the Elyaman lab, we are focused on understanding the role of T cells and the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS. By leveraging cutting-edge techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing and TCR sequencing, we aim to uncover how immune cells contribute to disease progression and their interactions within the central nervous system. To further advance this field, we founded T Cells in the Brain (https://tcellsbrain.org/), an initiative designed to bring together experts in TCR repertoire and neuroimmunology to foster collaboration and accelerate immunotherapy development for neurodegenerative diseases. A summer intern in our lab would have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with these advanced sequencing technologies, assist in data analysis using computational biology tools, and contribute to understanding T cell involvement in neurodegeneration. They would also participate in lab meetings and help connect immune profiles with disease pathology, building critical skills in neuroimmunology.
Dr. Gu received her training in epidemiology at Fudan University and New York University, and her research aims to understand the role of diet, physical activities, sleep, and other lifestyle factors in brain aging, cognitive aging, and neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Gu’s current research focuses on elucidating the biological mechanisms for the lifestyle-brain relationship.
Patrick Lao, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences in the Department of Neurology, G.H. Sergievsky Center, and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain. His research interests include using neuroimaging tools to understand Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis in the context of genetic, biological, social, and environmental factors. These factors can be understood in studies of adults with Down syndrome with a genetic predisposition to AD, clinical-based studies, and community-based studies.
Research:
In the Alzheimer’s Disease And PeT (ADAPT) imaging laboratory, we acquire positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) neuroimaging data to understand disease pathology (amyloid, tau), processes (inflammation, vascular disease), and outcomes (neurodegeneration). STARU scholars will be able to observe PET and MRI scans, shadow cognitive assessments, and perform neuroimaging data analysis.
Vicky Leavitt, PhD, FAAN, is an assistant professor of neuropsychology in the Cognitive Neuroscience Division at Columbia University. She divides her time between clinical work in adult neurological populations and research developing and testing measures and treatments for cognition. After earning her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, Vicky stepped away from academic science to spend 10 years as a freelance cellist, work that took her to Europe and across the U.S. before returning to NYC, where she completed a PhD in clinical neuropsychology at Queens College. She conducted her dissertation research in the cognitive neurophysiology laboratory of John Foxe at the Nathan Kline Institute in New York, and at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, using EEG to study sensory processing in community-dwelling individuals with schizophrenia supported by a predoctoral NIH research grant (F32). She completed a clinical internship at Northshore-Long Island Jewish Hospital (now Northwell), under the mentorship of Paul Mattis. Her postdoctoral training at the Kessler Foundation / Rutgers University was funded by a grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). The Leavitt Lab is funded by grants from the NIH, the United States Department of Defense, and the National MS Society, and develops mechanistic models employing advanced neuroimaging techniques to characterize the impact of age- and disease-related changes and modifiable lifestyle factors on cognitive function across the adult lifespan. The work is informed by companion theories of cognitive reserve, brain reserve, and brain maintenance. She is also a clinical trialist investigating pharmacological and behavioral treatments that can be translated from laboratory to life.
Research:
Potential projects in the Leavitt Lab involve ongoing data collection using a novel digital app-based cognitive test to measure cognitive change in diverse populations. The tool is currently being deployed in 6 countries on 4 continents and users include technology-naive adolescents in Ethiopia and literacy diverse adults in Bangladesh. Based on how data collection progresses, a number of potential projects may be available for summer students. Other projects include a trial of aspirin as a cooling treatment to permit more comfortable exercise in people who overheat (adults with multiple sclerosis).
Jennifer J. Manly, PhD is a Professor of Neuropsychology in Neurology at the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center and the Taub Institute for Research in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease at Columbia University. Her research focuses on mechanisms of inequalities in cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s Disease. Her research team has partnered with the Black and Latinx communities in New York City and around the United States to design and carry out investigations of structural and social forces across the life-course, such as educational opportunities, discrimination, and socioeconomic inequality, and how these factors relate to cognition and brain health later in life. She is the MPI of the Columbia Interdisciplinary Research Center on Alzheimer’s Disparities which focuses on mentoring early career scientists from minoritized backgrounds. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Alzheimer’s Association, and she has authored over 220 peer-reviewed publications and 10 chapters. She was the 2014 recipient of the Tony Wong Diversity Award for Outstanding Mentorship, was the recipient of the Paul Satz-International Neuropsychological Society Career Mentoring Award in 2020, and was named the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research Senior Mentor of the Year in 2022. Dr. Manly was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2021. She served on the HHS Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services from 2011 – 2015 and is a current member of the National Advisory Council on Aging.
Research:
Dr. Manly aims to improve the diagnostic accuracy of neuropsychological tests when used to detect cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease among African American and Hispanic elders. This work clarifies the independent influences of language, acculturation, educational experiences, racial socialization, and socioeconomic status on cognitive test performance, with the ultimate goal of understanding more about the relationship between culture and cognition. Recent work focuses on the specificity of cognitive tasks in detecting subtle cognitive decline among illiterate and low-literacy older adults. This work has important implications for determining the complex influence of reading and writing skills on brain function.
Vilas Menon is an Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences in the Division of Neuroimmunology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. His lab applies computational methods to analyze large-scale molecular data in the context of neurological disease. In particular, his group investigates signatures of differential vulnerability and resistance at both the cell type and individual level in neurodegenerative diseases and diseases of aging (including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's). In particular, his lab is interested in investigating why certain individuals with substantial pathology are resilient and do not develop cognitive or motor symptoms. He obtained his PhD in Applied Mathematics from Northwestern University, where he studied signal integration and information processing in neurons. Before joining Columbia, he spent several years as a scientist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, WA, and as a Fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus, developing new analytical methods for large-scale single-cell and bulk molecular data analysis.
Research:
Studying molecular pathways associated with cognitive resilience in aged human brain tissue:
A subset of aged individuals with substantial pathology in their brain tissue resist the development of cognitive symptoms. Whereas these resilient individuals are rare, their brain tissue may display hallmarks of compensatory mechanisms that protect them from the harmful effects of pathology. For this project, the STAR-U scholar would help to analyze a large data set of >500 individual donors, using a combination of regression analysis and clustering methods to identify key pathways associated with resilience to brain pathology. This is a computational project, in that the bulk of the work would involve writing and running code in R (or python), so it presents an opportunity for students who are interested in learning about how large-scale data analysis methods can be applied to prioritize target pathways for pre-clinical and other investigations.
Dr. Lori Quinn, PT, EdD, FAPTA, is a Professor of Movement Sciences and Kinesiology in the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds joint appointments as an Adjunct Associate Professor in Rehabilitation & Regenerative Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center (Physical Therapy), as well as an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Cardiff University Centre for Trials Research in Cardiff, UK. Dr. Quinn’s research has focused on evaluating motor control impairments and developing evidence and clinical guidelines for physical activity and exercise in neurodegenerative diseases, in particular for people with Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). This includes the use of wearable devices for digital-based measurement and interventions. Dr. Quinn is also the co-author of the physical therapy textbook Documentation for Rehabilitation: a guide to clinical decision-making in physical therapy, currently preparing for its 4th edition.
Dr. Shirasu-Hiza is a tenured Professor at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Department of Genetics and Development, where she is also the Vice Chair of Education and the Assistant Dean of Mentoring for the Vagelos Institute PhD Pathway program. Her NIH-funded work focuses on using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to understand circadian-regulated physiologies and behaviors that contribute to disease. She is passionate about research mentorship and training, not only in her own lab but also broadly in Columbia's graduate and undergraduate research programs. She has mentored 37 undergraduate students (7 URMs), both during the academic year and through summer research programs such as SURF/Amgen, Leadership Alliance, SRP, and STAR U. She is committed to being an accessible and relevant resource for trainees and to the mission of increasing diversity in research. She looks forward to sponsoring students in their journey to become avid research scientists.
Research:
The Shirasu-Hiza lab investigates the role of circadian-regulated physiologies such as sleep, innate immunity, and metabolism in disease progression using the genetically tractable model organism Drosophila melanogaster. Circadian rhythm, or the oscillation of biological functions over the 24-hour day, is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in human health. Though the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular circadian regulation have been well characterized, circadian regulation of complex physiological systems in vivo is not as well understood. Moreover, the impact of disrupting circadian-regulated physiologies in the context of disease remains relatively unknown. We anticipate that basic principles and evolutionarily conserved molecular mechanisms identified in Drosophila will have physiological relevance for human disease. Summer projects in the lab could involve any disease model with conserved and established pathogenesis that we study in Drosophila including aging, bacterial infection, short sleep, and oxidative stress.
Dr. Simoes is an accomplished cellular neurobiologist whose research focuses on better understanding the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Her lab is at the forefront of investigating the molecular mechanisms that drive AD, with a particular emphasis on the role of endo-lysosomal dysfunction in disease progression. Dr. Simoes earned her Ph.D. in cell biology from the prestigious Institute Curie and University Paris Descartes, where she first developed her deep interest in the biogenesis of exosomes and endosomal trafficking pathways. During her early career, she made significant strides in elucidating which endosomal machineries are required for the formation and maturation of endosomes, as well as on how prion proteins exploit these machineries to facilitate their sorting into exosomes, thereby contributing to their propagation across cells. In 2011, Dr. Simoes expanded her research endeavors at Columbia University, diving deeper into the implications of impaired endosomal trafficking in neurodegenerative disorders like AD. Over the years, her contributions have been widely recognized, leading to her promotion to Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute in 2019. She is currently the Principal Investigator on several major NIH and privately funded projects, all dedicated to uncovering novel biomarkers for AD and related neurodegenerative diseases. In recognition of her expertise, Dr. Simoes was recently appointed co-leader of the Biomarker Core at Columbia’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), where she continues to advance the field of neurodegenerative biomarker discovery. Through her innovative research, Dr. Simoes remains committed to deepening our understanding of the cellular processes that drive neurodegeneration and endosomal dysfunction.
Research:
Dr. Simoes’ laboratory investigates the underlying mechanisms of endolysosomal dysfunction in the context of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. One of her areas of focus is the identification and development of novel disease biomarkers that are linked to endosomal dysfunction. Her translational approach combines in vitro (cultured neurons and other cell lines), in vivo (transgenic mice) model systems, as well as human biospecimens. With expertise in developing ultrasensitive immunoassays, her team quantifies protein concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood biofluids. These assays are ultimately used to test and validate the utility of newly identified biomarker candidates in human cohorts. When joining our lab, the STAR U trainee(s) will learn the overall process of identifying, developing, and validating novel disease biomarkers. Their research will first focus on the use of in vivo transgenic mice models to identify such biomarkers using CSF and plasma. Trainees will also gain experience in conducting cognitive behavioral studies to assess memory function and evaluate the relationship of the novel biomarker candidates(s) with cognition. Additionally, trainees will learn the approaches one should take to validate the biomarker candidates using in vitro cultures and in vivo mouse models. Trainees will be also taught all steps involved in assay development. Lastly, depending on the advancement of the project, the trainees may transition to analyzing human biospecimens (CSF and plasma) from disease and control individuals by quantifying biomarker candidates investigated in the lab.
Andrew F. Teich, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology (in Neurology) at Columbia University and holds an appointment as an Attending Physician in the Division of Neuropathology at New York Presbyterian- Columbia Medical Center. He also serves as Director of the New York Brain Bank and Leader of the neuropathology core at Columbia University’s NIH-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. In this latter position, Dr. Teich diagnoses neurodegenerative diseases in patients who have donated their brains for scientific study to Columbia University, and he collaborates with basic scientists who need to incorporate human tissue data into their research. Dr. Teich also runs an NIH-funded translational research laboratory where he studies synaptic dysfunction and the role of inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease using human brain tissue specimens and human cell-derived model systems.
Research:
We have a variety of projects incorporating various omic technologies to characterize human tissue specimens from AD patients that summer students could work on. Assigned projects will depend on the students' experience level and familiarity with analysis of relevant datasets.
Dr. Kiran Thakur is an inpatient neurologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, with clinical expertise in neuroinfectious diseases and neuroimmunology. Following her neurology residency training at the Harvard Neurology Residency Program of Massachusetts General Hospital and the Brigham and Women's Hospital, where she served as chief resident, Dr. Thakur completed post-doctoral fellowship training in neuroinfectious disease and neuroimmunology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Thakur serves a major teaching role as an inpatient neurologist, and is the recipient of the Lewis P. Rowland Teaching Award. In addition to her clinical work at CUIMC, Dr. Thakur works internationally treating patients, educating trainees, and performing clinical research. She has worked in eight countries throughout her career, and serves as a consultant for the World Health Organization, where she works to improve global access to neurological care. Dr. Thakur’s research focuses on clinical and translational studies which aim to improve our ability to detect and manage neuroinfectious diseases and neuroinflammatory conditions in the hospital setting. She leads the post-doctoral neuroinfectious disease clinical research fellowship for LIC and LMIC physician-scientists at Columbia. Her clinical areas of expertise include neuroinfectious diseases, neuroimmunology, emergency neurology, and community and global health.
Research:
Research in the Thakur laboratory encompasses both local and international clinical research studies on the prevention and early diagnosis of neuroinfectious diseases. Our expertise and accomplishments in the field of neuroinfectious diseases focus on our goal to improve the ability to rapidly detect and reduce the significant morbidity and mortality of neuroinfectious diseases. Our patient-centered research efforts leverage expertise on the wide number of pathogens which directly infect the nervous system (including bacterial and fungal meningitis as well as viral encephalitis and myelitis). Our group also performs scientific work investigating the neurological effects of SARS-CoV-2 and other systemic infectious pathogens of public health significance. Equitable access to care is a central part of our work in neuroinfectious diseases, as we study how to reduce the burden of disease in vulnerable, marginalized communities who are at highest risk of acquiring and dying from neurological infections including people living with HIV and immigrant populations. Dr. Thakur and her team also conduct implementation studies on neuroinfectious diseases as consultant to public health agencies including the World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Please visit Thakur Laboratory for more information.
Dr. Sarah Tom is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology in the Neurology Clinical Outcomes Research and Population Science (NeuroCORPS) Division of the Department of Neurology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Tom studies the development of risk for and resilience against dementia over the life course and neurology health care services research. A demographer by training, Dr. Tom's research integrates methods from formal demography and epidemiology.
Research:
Dr. Tom’s primary area of research uses methods of demography and epidemiology to study risk for and resilience against dementia and cognitive decline in older adults from a life course perspective. She is particularly interested in leveraging existing sources of data and in applying formal demography methods to epidemiologic studies. Dr. Tom’s work also examines modifiable risk factors for and consequences of sleep health in older adults and prescription drug utilization in the Medicare population.
Our laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms of neuronal degeneration and death, particularly the regulation of caspase activity. Neuronal degeneration and death are the hallmarks of many neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease and stroke, and there is considerable evidence that caspases play a critical role in the progression of these diseases. A central question of our work is the function of the individual members of this multi-membered family in the nervous system. Our studies have found that different death pathways are initiated by different death stimuli, the key to both a mechanistic and a therapeutic standpoint as it provides for the possibility of specific interventions that abrogate aberrant death signaling but do not interfere with the normal death pathways that are necessary for normal organismal function. To study degeneration pathways, we have developed molecular tools that allow the study of individual members of protein families. Our lab provided the first evidence for the critical role for caspase-2 in neurodegeneration. We have pioneered techniques for molecular manipulation of caspase expression and activity measures in primary neuronal cultures and have now employed these techniques in vivo. The tools that we have developed have allowed us to study the function of individual caspases in neurons and the neurovascular unit in retina and brain both in vitro and in vivo. We identified caspase-9 as the proximal caspase activated in a model of cerebral ischemia and developed a cell permeant highly selective caspase-9 inhibitor which, when delivered via intranasal instillation, provided neuroprotection and substantially blocked edema1. That work led to our building a program to study the neurovascular unit in the retina since retinal edema is a significant health problem. With these approaches we have found that non-apoptotic activation of caspase-9 regulates edema, inflammation and neuronal dysfunction in a model of retinal edema, eye drop application of a highly selective caspase-9 inhibitor provides therapeutic protection2-4. These projects were the work of graduate students in the lab. Trainees are underlined in the citations below.
I have a significant track record of mentorship of women and underrepresented minorities. My trainees include 14 women and 7 URMs at the graduate and post-doctoral level and 32 women and 7 URMs at the undergraduate level. I have mentored 3 undergraduates in the Summer of Translational Aging Research for Undergraduates (STAR U), an NIH T25 program that began in 2019 for first-generation college students from underrepresented groups. These trainees are currently in graduate or medical school. I am co-PI of the Vision Sciences Training Grant and also work actively in graduate student recruitment for MD-PhD, neurobiology and cell and molecular PhD programs.
Research:
We have several on-going projects that a Star U scholar could join. One is developing and characterizing a new mouse model of intracerebral hemorrhage. Another is studying potential therapeutic interventions for Alzheimer’s Disease. Another is identifying the cell and molecular changes underlying neurodegeneration in AD. These projects all utilize live mouse work, for which the scholar will receive training. Techniques include preparing brain tissue for immunohistochemistry (IHC), performing IHC and confocal imaging and quantifying the resulting data.
Matt Yousefzadeh, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a member of the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and the Columbia Center for Human Longevity. He received a PhD from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center where he studied the role of specialized DNA polymerases in cancer and immunological diversity. He joined the laboratory of Laura Niedernhofer for his postdoctoral fellowship at Scripps Florida and the University of Minnesota to study the mechanisms by which endogenous DNA damage drives aging. His lab currently works on cellular senescence in driving immune aging and disease.
Research:
Chronic stress and accumulated damage, whether occurring naturally or from acute and chronic infections, can lead to persistent inflammation, a precursor to altered cellular states known as the hallmarks of aging. Various cellular stressors and damage triggers can prompt distinct cell fates, among which is cellular senescence, one of these hallmarks of aging. Senescent cells are known to accumulate in pathogenic amounts with age and disease is detrimental. My laboratory is interested in investigating the role of senescent cells in neurodegeneration. We are currently investigating: 1) how senescent immune cells can cause brain senescence and cognitive impairment, 2) how a novel population of senescent microglia may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis, 3) if alleviation of senescent cells can reduce pathology in a mouse model of a human ataxia syndrome.
I am a social epidemiologist and my primary research focus pertains to how social and cardiovascular exposures from across the life course influence cognitive function, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, stroke, and other related health outcomes in old age. In my work on cognitive aging, I also focus on minority populations. My ultimate research goal is to employ life course models to better understand how modification of social and cardiovascular factors or their timing may reduce the burden of cognitive aging and dementia disparities.
Research:
I am currently leading two NIH-funded R01 projects that use causal inference methods to understand determinants of dementia and selection biases.