SDFDR Fellows Biographies

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Neuroscience, addiction, reward, cell metabolism and signaling in health and disease, biophysics, origin of life.

HUMAN INTERESTS

• Finding ways of directing my neuroscience research towards protection and recovery of marginalized communities that are suffering disproportionately with health problems because of climate change and unsustainable corporate exploitation of natural resources.
• Promoting support networks and cultivating safe spaces within STEM fields for researchers of underrepresented communities, especially WOC and the LGBTQIA+ community.
• Increasing awareness about and accessibility to science careers in Mexico’s underserved communities.
• Increasing representation and take up space in the uncharted territories of niche scientific research communities.

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
I want to become a professor and also lead a research group as an independent investigator pursuing translational research in neuroscience. I would like to teach and mentor the next generation of STEM scholars by making difficult topics in neuroscience more accessible. I believe people from all educational backgrounds deserve to understand their brains and body, and how their biology connects to their experience of life and the world.

FUN FACT
I collect mugs, fridge magnets, and playing cards.

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
I like working out, reading, watching movies, particularly sci-fi and documentaries, crafting and making art. If I have more time, I love making puzzles, hiking far from the city, going to museums and concerts, and traveling to explore new places. With my friends, I love playing trivia and board games.

View Ana’s profile page

OTHER MENTORS
Ida Fredriksson, Rajtarun Madangopal, Carlos Mejias-Aponte, Jennifer Bossert

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Biological, genetic, and epigenetic basis of substance use disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, development, mental illnesses, and women’s health, health disparities, interactions of sociology, psychology, and human behavior

HUMAN INTERESTS
I am most interested in volunteering at a diaper bank called ShareBaby that is partnered with over 60 community organizations to help mediate both diaper and child needs as well as lack of access to community resources.

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
I aspire to become a physician scientist (MD-PhD) with an MD in obstetrics/gynecology and a PhD in the neurobiology of drug addiction and/or women’s reproductive and neurological health. My hope is to apply a multi-disciplinary approach to our research questions and the world’s problems. I want to build a lab that provides a thriving environment for young scientists looking for guidance into academia, the research industry, and/or other professional careers. I specifically want to empower those from historically underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds and continue to open the stream of mentorship and guidance to those who do not have the resources to attain it. Ideally, I would also love to work in a medical setting or clinic where I can treat patients that are from minority and low-income communities. I want to be able to not only provide medical assistance but also share information and other resources to those that are not able to access them. 

FAV QUOTE
“Stay focused. Don’t talk about what you’re going to do. Don’t just dream about what you’re going to do. Don’t criticize somebody else for what they’re not doing. You! Be it! Be about it. Be about that action.” – Beyoncé

RESEARCH INTERESTS
How drugs affect the neural circuits mediating decision making and valuation, and how these behaviors can become maladaptive.

HUMAN INTERESTS
Reading, Formula 1 Racing, podcasts, music, art

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
Obtain a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and further contribute to the area of research of addiction and maladaptive decision making.

 FUN FACTS/FAV QUOTE
I can speak three languages: English, Spanish, and Italian

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS:
Volunteering at the Maryland Science Center, baking, working out, fishing, hanging out with friends

PUBLICATION
Goode RW, Malian H, Samuel-Hodge C, Noem T, Coan D, Takgbajouah M, Bahena L, Bulik CM. (2022). The impact of COVID-19 on Black women who binge-eat: a qualitative study. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 1-9

View Lisette’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Neuroimaging, impulsive and compulsive drug seeking, neurodegenerative disease

HUMAN INTERESTS
Stigma associated with substance use disorders and mental illnesses; the existence of addiction and mental health treatment disparities due to socioeconomic status, race, and other demographics.

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
I plan to be a physician-scientist because I want to provide care for African American patients regardless of socioeconomic/insurance status and be a voice advocating for us in the research that informs therapeutic treatments.

FUN FACTS/FAV QUOTE
I once held the plank (that annoying core exercise) for almost 14 minutes straight.

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
True crime fanatic (podcasts, documentaries, Netflix series), soccer, weightlifting, dog-lover, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Volunteer, START (Stigma Awareness and Reduction Team) member

FAV PART OF BEING AN SDFDR SO FAR/WHY YOU WANTED TO BE IN THE SDFDR PROGRAM
As a new member of SDFDR, it has been really encouraging to engage with other young scientists who are also of a minority population. This program is a safe space for me because I know there are people who can relate to my day-to-day experience in and outside of the lab.

View Blair’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
My interests are furthering the current understanding of the neuroscience, as well as the human experience behind substance use disorders, mood disorders, and their comorbid interactions. In addition, I hope to take part in bridging the two fields together. I believe understanding these disorders from a holistic perspective – considering everything from the chemical to cultural roots – can lead to improvements in how we see and treat them.

HUMAN INTERESTS

• Promoting growth in disadvantaged communities. I previously volunteered as a tutor/mentor for children and adolescents in the Baltimore public school system and loved the experience I had.
• Promoting access to mental healthcare — not limited to, but especially to minority communities who are disproportionately affected
• Showing my many younger siblings they also can pursue a degree in higher education, if they decide it’s right for them

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology or Neuroscience

FUN FACTS/FAV QUOTE
“The world’s not empty, it’s how you want it to be” – Young the Giant

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
I love music, so I end up spending a lot of my time making playlists, going to concerts, and learning guitar. When with friends, I enjoy casual tennis, board games, and cooking.

View Orlando’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Neuroscience, clinical research, psychology

HUMAN INTERESTS
Patient care, diversity, LGBTQ+ advocacy, WOC advocacy

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
Hopefully medical school, but who knows…

FUN FACTS/FAV QUOTE
“There’s a thin semantic line separating weird and beautiful, and that line is covered in jellyfish.” – Welcome to Night Vale

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
Watching movies, crocheting, singing, drawing, going to the gym

View Zoha’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
I’m highly interested in understanding the hypothalamic circuits that control feeding behavior and integrate satiation signals, as well as those encoding thermal and chemical nociceptive information. To achieve my aims, I employ in vivo calcium imaging, optogenetics, and chemogenetics techniques. Also, I’m working to implement new gastric surgery techniques and in vivo extracellular recordings in my research.

HUMAN INTERESTS

• Free public education rights
• Abortion rights movements
• Diversity and inclusion in sciences

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
My long-term career is to become a Principal Investigator. I would like to converge two research lines: 1) the neural circuits underlying feeding behavior as an addictive and rewarding stimulus and 2) the communication between the gut and neural homeostatic/hedonic circuits.

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
Hiking, running, cooking, hanging out with friends, and attending concerts.

PUBLICATIONS
Aketzali Garcia, Alam Coss, Jorge Luis-Islas, Liliana Puron-Sierra, Monica Luna, Miguel Villavicencio, and Ranier Gutierrez (2021). Lateral Hypothalamic GABAergic Neurons Encode and Potentiate Sucrose’s Palatability, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.608047

ABSTRACTS/POSTERS
Austin Curtis, Aketzali Garcia, and Yeka Aponte (2022). Advantages and limitations of neuroscience approaches to correlate neural activity and feeding behaviors in the lateral hypothalamus. Neuronal Circuits and Behavior Section, Cellular & Neurocomputational Systems Branch, NIDA IRP

Aketzali Garcia, Alam Coss, Jorge Luis-Islas, Liliana Puron-Sierra, and Ranier Gutierrez (2019).  Lateral hypothalamus GABAergic neurons encode a reward signal that enhance hedonic value of sucrose. Annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Aketzali Garcia, Alam Coss, Jorge Luis-Islas, Liliana Puron-Sierra, and Ranier Gutierrez (2017).  Activation of the lateral hypothalamus GABAergic neurons that promote consummatory behavior depends on the proximity and palatability of the stimulus. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Aketzali Garcia, Alvaro Luna, and Ranier Gutierrez (2015). Optogenetic induced inactivation of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex during sucrose freely licking task. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Aketzali Garcia, and Federico Bermudez (2013). ARC protein expression in the insular cortex during a task of attenuation of neophobia. Research Colloquium Physiological and Experimental Psychology.

View Aketzali’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research interests include studying the neurobiology and behavior of reward, motivation, and substance use disorders. Currently, my research focuses on how interaction of serotonin with other monoamines and neuropeptides modulate the reinforcing, and aversive effects of drugs of abuse. I use various molecular, cellular, pharmacological, and behavioral techniques to address preclinical questions related to substance abuse. My goal is to have my research contribute to finding effective treatments for substance abuse and other maladaptive behaviors.

HUMAN INTERESTS
Although I enjoy mentoring all students, I am passionate about helping students from underrepresented and underprivileged backgrounds. I am dedicated to helping minority students break the perceived economical, social, and psychological barriers that can impede them from pursuing careers in science.

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
My long-term career goals are to be a Principal Investigator with my own team of scientists conducting research and to serve as a mentor.

FOR FUN IN MY FREE TIME
In my free time, I enjoy long-distance running, hiking, and hanging out with friends. If I have extra free time, I enjoy re-watching 90’s anime shows like Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Yu Yu Hakusho, and so many others!

ON BEING AN SDFDR FELLOW
The best part of being in the SDFDR program is the sense of community. Our shared experience with overcoming similar obstacles allows us to understand and motivate each other. Without this community, the transition to a new city and institution would have been more difficult.

View Raul’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
I am generally interested in pediatrics, neurobiology/neuroscience, the effects of drug use in adolescents, music therapy and sociology. I am also interested in public health and how illnesses and disease are expressed in people of color.

HUMAN INTERESTS
Health disparities and diversity

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
I want to pursue a degree in medicine and specialize in pediatric care.

FAV QUOTE
“Though she be but little, she is fierce” – Shakespeare

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
singing, writing music, reading, drawing/painting, riding my bike, swimming, learning mandarin

View Elfrieda’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research interests are to develop synthetic routes, methods and use simple and convenient way to synthesize small novel compounds that can serve as a potential drug. Currently, I am working to develop Mu-D3 bivalent ligand which can act as active opioid analgesic with lower addictive liability. In addition, I am also working toward a cleavable fluorescent probe for mu opioid receptors which will help us to visualize the receptor and its function using a variety of fluorescent microscopy techniques.

HUMAN INTERESTS
There are different way, we can help people, but the easiest way is spread knowledge and educate them. It will not cost anything to you but benefit others as well as yourself.

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
My long-term career goals are to be a Professor. I want to build team of scientists who are going to conduct research and spread their knowledge and experience all over the world.

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
I like to visit different places to explore cultures and people.

FAV PART OF BEING AN SDFDR SO FAR/WHY YOU WANTED TO BE IN THE SDFDR PROGRAM
As I like to explore culture this fellowship gave me the opportunity to know and learn different cultures under the one umbrella.

View Khorshada’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
I am interested in psychological disorders such as substance use disorder. Currently, I am interested in studying reward and addiction in animal models and how it translates to human treatments and therapeutics.

HUMAN INTERESTS
Increasing diversity in STEM through mentorship, addressing language challenges and other issues in healthcare access for immigrant families and underrepresented minorities    

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
My goal is to pursue a M.D.-Ph.D. to blend my passions for research, working with patients, and teaching/mentorship. I am interested in providing neurological or psychiatric care to patients with substance use disorders and/or cancer patients.

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
Reading, cooking, trying new foods, playing cello

View Jessica’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Using neuroscience to lead to reform and influence policies and laws concerning the criminal justice system.

HUMAN INTERESTS
Spreading awareness of issues concerning minority groups in the field of science. Using research, I would like to advocate for the rights of underrepresented people.

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
Obtain a Ph.D. in Psychology to better understand the implications of neuroscience research.

FUN FACTS/FAV QUOTE
I travelled to Norway to visit Halden Fengsel, a maximum-security prison focused on rehabilitation.

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
Watching movies and documentaries, listening to music, going to concerts, spending time with family and friends.

View Christina’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
I’m interested in researching and learning more about the neurobiological mechanisms of addiction and how we can begin to use psychedelics such as psilocybin as a treatment for substance use disorders and in other areas of mental health. I’m currently looking at the effects of high dose psilocybin sessions versus nicotine patch replacement therapy on smoking cessation in a population of smokers with multiple quit attempts. As taboo as it may be in research, I believe the “mystical” or “spiritual” aspect of these substances will play an important role in their therapeutic implementation.

HUMAN INTERESTS
Outside of the research setting I’m interested in reducing stigma around mental health in BIPOC communities. This includes reducing stigma around homelessness and advocating for community-based mental health programs that target homeless populations. I would like to do more work towards providing opportunities and assistance to underrepresented communities, specifically in Native American communities. I hope to one day collaborate with tribal communities to mitigate rampant substance use throughout tribal communities. 

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
My goal is to obtain my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and conduct therapy while also contributing to clinical research. I’d like to focus on the treatment of substance use disorders and improve the implementation of evidence-based practices in the community.

FUN FACTS/FAV QUOTE
“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself” – Michel de Montaigne

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS:
I enjoy bouldering, backpacking, video games, and going on a good streaming binge!

View Samuel’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
For my current project, I am imaging two G protein coupled receptors, galanin receptor 1 and neurokinin 1 receptor, in the periaqueductal gray to see if they co-localize. We want to know if these receptors form heteromeric complexes with each other. Receptors in heteromeric complexes interact with each other in ways that change their properties. By studying these receptors, we will know more about their properties, which will enhance their viability as drug targets for conditions such as substance use disorder.

HUMAN INTERESTS
LGBTQ+ advocacy, diversity in the sciences

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience and to pursue a career in biomedical research.

FAV QUOTE
“Science is the acceptance of what works and the rejection of what does not. That takes more courage than we might think.” -Jacob Bronowski

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
In my free time, I like to sing with my friends, take long walks, and play Dungeons and Dragons!

View Corinne’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Supramammillary Nucleus, Motivated Behavior, Self Drug Administration, Neuropharmacology, Lateral Habenula, Imaging

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
Earning a Ph.D. in neuroscience to attain a career in pharmaceuticals or bioengineering

FAV QUOTE
“If the Universe has no purpose, then we get to dictate what its purpose is.”-Kurzgesgat

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS: 
Running / Hiking / Video Games

FAV PART OF BEING AN SDFDR SO FAR/WHY YOU WANTED TO BE IN THE SDFDR PROGRAM
I was inspired to join the SDFDR program because my university had a similar fellowship program, and it helped succeed in my academic career. Being a part of SDFDR program will give the support I need to complete my goals in my post-bac journey.

PUBLICATIONS/ABSTRACTS/POSTERS
Mendoza J, Gibbons J, Arima Y, and Ikemoto S. Median raphe GABAergic neurons regulate reward and compulsive behavior. NIH Poster Day, April 26, 2022.

View Jorge’s profile page

RESEARCH/HUMAN INTERESTS
Some of my research interests are physical health, cellular/neuronal health, and cancer treatment. I’m pre-medicine and interested in providing everyone quality healthcare, keeping people healthy in the long run, and decreasing health disparities. I am also passionate about diversity, inclusion, and respecting all people of any cultural backgrounds!

Some of my other interests are physical health, cellular/neuronal health, and cancer treatment. I’m pre-medicine and interested in providing everyone quality healthcare, keeping people healthy in the long run, and decreasing health disparities. I am also passionate about diversity, inclusion, and respecting all people of any cultural backgrounds!

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
I aspire to study medicine and be a general practitioner and my goal is to make a positive difference in my community.

FAV SONG
Song: Good Time by Niko Moon

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES
I love sports, video games, and good food

View Ceiveon’s profile page

RESEARCH
My research involves the synthesis and evaluation of novel substrates that bind to an atypical conformation of the dopamine transporter, which is heavily implicated in cocaine dependence. As a research fellow, I think critically about the structure-activity relationship of designed compounds on the monoamine transporters and test the affinity of varied structures for the transporters naturally present in rat brain tissue using radioligand binding assays towards the goal of developing a small molecule drug that can assist in the treatment of cocaine use disorder.

HUMAN INTERESTS
My interests include youth literacy – my first introduction to research actually came from a book that I read in elementary school. Reading allows for us to dream and teaches us new perspectives, and I love to share my passion for reading with young students.

I am also invested in the decriminalization of addiction and of poverty, and I am interested in the general shift away from both private and public prison systems, which have consistently been more punitive than rehabilitative, towards effective and innovative solutions to social problems with long term benefits for individuals and for our society.

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
After the completion of my fellowship, I plan to attend medical school. I look forward to incorporating the knowledge and perspectives I’ve gained on drug use and addiction medicine into my career as a physician and to serving diverse, urban populations, similar to those in my hometown of Queens, NY.

FAV QUOTES
Say to the down-keepers, the sun-slappers, the self-soilers, the harmony-hushers, “Even if you are not ready for day, it cannot always be night.” – Gwendolyn Brooks

The future never just happened. It was created. – Mae Jemison

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES
In my free time, I enjoy reading novels and memoirs, thrifting, trying out different restaurants in the city, attending events at Patterson Park and traveling domestically and internationally.

View Amarachi’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Generally, my research interests are in understanding the neurobiological and behavioral mechanisms that underlie drug reward and drug seeking. Currently, the lab is working on examining unique molecular alterations specific to drug-cue-activated ensemble neurons in the infralimbic cortex.

HUMAN INTERESTS
– Promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM and cultural competency in research
– Addressing health disparities in underrepresented populations
– Developing and providing support services for first-generation, low-income college students
– Destigmatizing addiction and mental illness

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
My goal is to conduct research that contributes to understanding brain-behavior relationships in addiction and informs evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders. To achieve this, I am currently interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience.

FUN FACTS/FAV QUOTE
“A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
In my free time I enjoy reading, drawing, baking, singing, and playing the guitar! I also recently started learning how to crochet.

FAV PART OF BEING AN SDFDR SO FAR/WHY YOU WANTED TO BE IN THE SDFDR PROGRAM
My favorite part of being in the SDFDR program so far has been the cohort. I am thankful to have people to talk about my struggles, achievements, and growth with.

View Diana’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Functional neuroscience and its implications in both neurodegeneration and substance use disorders.

HUMAN INTERESTS
The development of science as an open space for underrepresented individuals is a major interest for me. There are still many spaces within STEM where it is dominated by an overbearing majority, limiting the capabilities for development of young People of Color within the field. Science is not an area to be monopolized by any one group, and instead requires strong diversity to properly answer many of the inquiries we are making as a society today.

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
For my career, I have a desire to pursue trauma neurosurgery while conducting research on either neurodegenerative diseases or the neurological implications of severe substance use disorder.

FAV QUOTE
I’m a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar. – Hoban “Wash” Washburne

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
Volleyball, Basketball, Super Smash Bros, hiking, slacklining, climbing, spikeball, board games, and Dungeons & Dragons.

View Kayden’s profile page

RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research interests include pharmacology and substance use, cancer biology, oncology therapeutics, gut-brain axis and pharmacology, health disparities, and minority mental health.

HUMAN INTERESTS
My human interest include providing all people with affordable housing, healthcare, and education.

CAREER ASPIRATONS/PLANS
I plan on pursing a M.D./Ph.D. and specializing in oncology or pathology. I’d also like to provide opportunities for historically underrepresented groups to have more access to careers in research and medicine. 

FUN FACTS/FAV QUOTE
“The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as when you came in” – James Baldwin

HOBBIES/FREE TIME ACTIVITIES or ORGANIZATIONS
I enjoy hiking, plants, music, lifting, and hanging out with friends.

PUBLICATIONS
Muchhala KH, Koseli E, Gade AR, Woods K, Minai S, Kang M, McQuiston AR, Dewey WL, Akbarali HI. Chronic Morphine Induces IL-18 in Ileum Myenteric Plexus Neurons Through Mu-opioid Receptor Activation in Cholinergic and VIPergic Neurons. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2022 Feb 2:10.1007/s11481-021-10050-3. doi: 10.1007/s11481-021-10050-3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35106734; PMCID: PMC9343479.

View Kareem’s profile page