GRADUATE STUDENTS, POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS, and ALUMNI
PhD in Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience

2024

Mychal Grames (PhD, Dr. Xiaohong Lu)
Dissertation: A Novel Genetic Approach to Unravel the Pathogenic Role of Environment-Driven Genotoxix Stress in Alpha-synucleinopathy
Current Employment: Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University

Ashton Jorgensen (PhD, Dr. Hugh Nam)
Dissertation: The Role of Neurogranin Expression and Signaling in the Cardiovascular System
Current Employment: Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Maggie Mott (PhD, Dr. Nicholas Goeders)
Dissertation: Sexual Pharmacophysiology of Methamphetamine in Female Rats
Current Employment: Postdoctoral Fellow at University of South Florida

2023

Julie Tobin (PhD, Dr. Kenneth McMartin)
Dissertation: The Key to Diethylene Glycol Toxicity Lies in the Transport of its Toxic Metabolite Diglycolic Acid

2022

Tyler Reekes (PhD, Dr. Elizabeth Disbrow)
Dissertation: Contributions to cognitive dysfunctions in neurodegenerative disease
Current Employment: Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University

2021

Courtney Jamison (PhD, Dr. Kenneth McMartin)
Dissertation: Neurotoxic Effects of Nephrotoxic Compound Diethylene Glycol in vivo, and the Mitochondrial Dynamics of Toxic Metabolite Diglycolic Acid in vitro
Current Employment: Associate Toxicologist at WuXi AppTec

Lailun Nahar (PhD, Dr. Hugh Nam)
Dissertation: Glutamate in ALcohol Use Disorder and GABA-Mediated Glutamate Balance in Reward-Seeking Behavior
Current Employment: Postdoctoral Fellow, Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

2020

Madison El-Saadi (PhD, Dr. Xiaohong Lu)
Dissertation: Genetically Engineering a Viral Sensor to Identify Environmental and Genetic Factors that Converge to Elicit Neuronal Genomic Instability: Implications in Parkinsonism
Current Employment: Biotech Equity Research Associate at Raymond James

2019

Adam Richard (PhD, Dr. Xiaohong Lu)
Dissertation: Pharmacologic and Genetic Targeting of Neural Extracellular Matrix to Restore Neuroplasticity in the Striatum for Normal and Pathologic Aging-Related Cognitive Decline
Current Employment: Study Director, Labcorp

2018

Merve Kasap (PhD, Donard Dwyer)
Dissertation: The Role of Neuronal Leak Channels in the Regulation of Movement
Current employment: Postdoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University

Corie Robinson (PhD, Dr. Kenneth McMartin)
Dissertation: Analyzing the transport and kinetic mechanisms of diglycolic acid as the underlying cause of diethylene glycol toxicity
Current employment: Study Director of Toxicology, Safety Assessment, Covance Laboratories Inc.,

Annapoorna Sreedhar (PhD, Dr. Yunfeng Zhao)
Dissertation: Investigating the Mechanistic Role of UCP2 During Skin Tumorigenesis
Current employment: Program Development (AZ), Office of Entrepreneurship, CCaTS, Mayo Clinic

2017

Elliot Luttrell-Williams (MS, Dr. Kenneth McMartin)
Thesis: Evaluation of the Uptake and Transport of Oxalate Ion and Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate
Current employment: Assistant Research Scientist, NYU Langone Health

2016

Elyse Cornett (PhD, Dr. Nicholas Goeders)
Dissertation: Behavioral and neurochemical effects of 96-hour methamphetamine self-administration in male and female rats: creating, developing and characterizing a novel model of methamphetamine abuse Current Employment: Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, LSU Health Shreveport 

Kasey Jackson (PhD, Dr. Ronald Klein)
Dissertation: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis modeling and therapeutic development
Current employment: Senior Scientist at Decibel Therapeutics

Allyson Spence (PhD, Dr. Nicholas Goeders)
Dissertation: Polydrug Use: The Differential Effects of Alprazolam and Oxazepam on Methamphetamine- and Cocaine- Related Behaviors
Current employment: Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Regis University School of Pharmacy

2015

Jennifer Arnold (PhD, Dr. Michael Salvatore)
Dissertation: Effects of treadmill exercise on nigrostriatal dopamine regulation and aging-related bradykinesia
Current employment: Senior Medical Writer, CMC Connect

Michelle Carroll-Turpin (PhD, Dr. Tammy Dugas)
Dissertation: 4,4’-Methylenedianiline as a novel, sex-specific model of pulmonary arterial hypertension in rats
Current employment: Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Houston College of Medicine

2014

Kendra Bonnett (MS, Dr. Donard Dwyer)
Dissertation: The Role of NALCN in the Regulation of Movement
Current employment: Laboratory Scientist at City of Shreveport 

Tanya Chotibut (PhD, Dr. Michael Salvatore)
Dissertation: Glutamate and Dopamine transporter modulation in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease and Levodopa Induced Dyskinesia
Current employment: Associate Director, Vertex Pharmaceuticals

2013

Greg Landry (PhD, Dr. Kenneth McMartin)
Dissertation: Cytotoxic effects of Diglycolic Acid, the nephrotoxic metabolite of diethylene glycol, and the mechanisms leading to proximal tubule cell dysfunction
Current employment: Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Christopher Schmoutz (PhD, Dr. Nicholas Goeders)
Dissertation: The intersection of metyrapone, inhibitory neurosteroids and cocaine addiction
Current employment: Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA

2012

Jim Kleinedler (PhD, Dr. Tammy Dugas)
Dissertation: Investigating polyphenols as novel therapeutics for drug eluting stints.
Current employment: Senior Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Interventional Cardiology, Boston Scientific Corporation, Maple Grove, MN

Scott Pruett (PhD, Dr. Michael Salvatore)
Dissertation: Targeting the soluble GDNF family receptor alpha 1 in the substania nigra to reverse age-related bradykinesia
Current employment: Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of AL at Birmingham

Delira Robbins (PhD, Dr. Yunfeng Zhao)
Dissertation: Modulation of Manganese Superoxide Dismustase (MnSOD): Effects on cell metabolism, proinflammatory and p53 signaling
Current employment: NBTP Project Coordinator, St. Jude's Children Research Hospital