Trainees
2022
Megan Beaver
mb2318@georgetown.edu
Thesis Research: I study dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, a population known to degenerate in Parkinson’s disease, primarily utilizing ex vivo patch clamp electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and immunohistochemistry.
Advisors: Dr. Rebekah Evans and Dr. Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss
Research Interests: Neurodegeneration, Neuropharmacology, Synaptic Plasticity
Education:
Northeastern University, B.S., Behavioral Neuroscience, 2014
Georgetown University, M.S., Pharmacology, 2019
Prior Research: Before entering the PhD program at Georgetown, I worked for Seracare Life Sciences in their Product Development and Custom Manufacturing teams, producing custom control and reference materials for diagnostic testing. While completing my Master’s degree at Georgetown, I worked in the laboratory of Dr. Dan Pak developing new GFP and Luciferase-based assays to be used in understanding the roles of Alzheimer’s Disease risk factors APP and tau. As an undergraduate, I worked at Harvard Medical School in the lab of Dr. David VanVactor studying the role of microRNA’s in neuromuscular development in Drosophila melanogaster. I also worked in the Laboratory for Neurogenomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital under Dr. Clemens Scherzer analyzing samples for the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Biomarker Study.
Rotations:
Dr. Rebekah Evans
Dr. Tingting Wang
Joos Berghausen
jhb109@georgetown.edu
Thesis Research: I study the Ether-a-go-go (EAG) potassium channel, which, when impaired, has been
linked to neurological disorders and cancer. Utilizing cell culture experiments,
electrophysiology, and zebrafish xenografts, I am characterizing the effect of the newly
identified ligands on the EAG channel, as well as its clinical relevance as a potential
therapeutic in cancer treatment.
Advisor: Dr. Tinatin Brelidze
Prior Research: After graduating from the University of Freiburg in Germany, I worked in the Laboratory of Neurogenetics as a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow at the NIH. Here, I studied genetic
risk factors for Parkinson’s Disease using genotyping experiments and GWAS.
Education: Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, B.Sc., Pharmaceutical Science, 2019
Rotations:
Dr. Mark Burns
Dr. Anton Wellstein
Dr. Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss
Dr. Tinatin Brelidze
Eric Witherspoon
ejw68@georgetown.edu
Thesis Research: I use behavioral and molecular techniques to understand the acute and chronic outcomes of anti-seizure drugs on brain development
Advisor: Dr. Patrick Forcelli
Research Interests:
neurodegeneration, neurotoxicity, neuroinflammation, neuropharmacology
Education:
Morehouse College, B.S. in Biology, 2017
Prior Research: Eric graduated from Morehouse College with a B.S. in Biology in 2017. During his undergraduate matriculation he joined the lab of Dr. Kennie Shepherd where he studied the effects of fumaric acid (FA) on cell induced toxicity and dopaminergic neurodegeneration in a Parkinson’s Disease mouse model. Following graduation, Eric participated in the Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at the University of South Carolina where he worked under the supervision of Dr. Marlene Wilson. His project focused on using a combination of molecular techniques to characterize acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) levels in subjects previously tested for fear extinction. Eric started his PhD at Georgetown University in 2018 and has several ongoing projects. He is currently examining the toxicity profiles of next-generation anti-seizure medications (ASMs) on brain development, and his doctoral thesis investigates the underlying mechanisms of how early life inflammation influenes anti-seizure medication associated toxicities.
Rotations:
Dr. Gerard Ahern
Dr. Tingting Wang
Dr. Patrick Forcelli