Michelle Garcia obtained her B.A. in Chemistry (concentration in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) from Williams College in 2021. Michelle's main interest is studying viral infectious diseases, particularly mechanisms of host pathogenesis and drug development. The COVID-19 pandemic has only reinforced Michelle's conviction to delve into the depths of viral disease mechanisms and help the scientific community be more prepared in future epidemics/pandemics. 

Maria Hayes obtained her B.S. in Psychology from Portland State University in 2019. Maria is interested in the neuropsychology of mental health, stress and affect. Maria hopes to contribute to the work of utilizing clinical science to help provide accessible interventions that aid in healthy neurodevelopment.

Isa Maxwell obtained his B.A. in Biology from Lewis & Clark College in 2021. Isa hopes to study neurobiology and work with developmental and disease models. Isa's ultimate goal is to study ad help further characterize the mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative illnesses. 

Joselinne Medrano obtained her B.A. in Neuroscience (minor in Race, Ethnicity, and Migration studies) from Colorado College in 2020. Joselinne is interested in using molecular approaches to explore social learning and behavior. As an undergraduate Joselinne became captivated with learning what pathways are involved in behavior, such as fear response and reward systems. This has become a curiosity in regards to how neuro networks are formed, and how social epistemologies influence our perceptions and reactions to the world around us. Joselinne wants to contribute to the understanding of the neurological basis of learning and perception to expand upon what that means for resulting behaviors. 

Tony Munoz obtained his B.S. in Biology (emphasis in Neuroscience) from the University of Oregon in 2021. A majority of Tony's research experience has come from working in an olfactory lab at the University of Oregon's Institute of Neuroscience. Moving forward Tony is deeply invested in working in pain research due to his relationship with pain.

Nina Luong is a neuroscience graduate student at Oregon Health & Science University. She obtained her Bachelor's of Science degree in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon in 2019. During her time as a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2020-2021) in Dr. Kevin Wright's lab, she investigated the somatosensory development in Lunatic Fringe mutant mice, as well as the role of a specific transcription factor on developing cells in the retina. Nina plans to continue researching neurodevelopment during her time in graduate school and becoming involved with AAPI outreach. . Contact Nina.

Allie Taylor is a 2020-2021 Neuroscience Post-Baccalaureate Scholar at the Vollum Institute. She received a B.A. in Biology from the University of North Texas in May 2020. During her time in the post-bacc program, she worked in the lab of Kelly Monk studying the development and maintenance of myelin in the peripheral nervous system. In the Fall of 2021, she will be joining the Neuroscience Graduate Program at Johns Hopkins University, where she plans to continue researching myelination and glia-neuron interactions. Contact Allie.

Dennisha King is a neuroscience graduate student at the University of Rochester. She obtained her Bachelor's of Science degree in Neuroscience and Public Health from Agnes Scott College in 2019. During her time as a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2019-2020), she was a research assistant in the lab of Dr. Vivek Unni studying the protein alpha synuclein and its DNA interactions. Dennisha plans to continue practicing translational neuroscience research. Contact Dennisha.

Raquel Miralles - Professional bio coming soon

Yessica Santana is a neuroscience graduate student at Oregon Health & Science University. She obtained her degree in Global Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2017. During her time as a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2019-2020), she investigated the role of a particular transcription factor in the specification and morphological maintenance of the starburst amacrine cell in the lab of Dr. Kevin Wright. Yessica plans to continue her post-bacc project in her graduate years while simultaneously participating in ways to broaden access to scientific research for URMs. Contact Yessica.

Rachel De La Torre is a neuroscience graduate student at Oregon Health & Science University. She obtained her B.S. in Microbiology/Molecular Biology from Portland State University in 2015. During her time as a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2018-2019), she studied the mechanisms used by astrocytes to remodel the nervous system in the lab of Dr. Marc Freeman. Rachel plans to lead her own research as an independent investigator studying healthy and diseased brains with an ultimate goal of influencing policies related to neurological diseases. Contact Rachel.

Katherine Thanyamongkhonsawat is a neuroscience graduate student at Duke University. She obtained her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering (minor in Neuroscience) from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2018. During her time as a postbaccalaureate scholar at OHSU (2018-2019), she studied synaptic transmission in AII amacrine cells of the retina in the lab of Dr. Henrique Von Gersdorff. Katherine plans to continue investigating sensory systems by decoding their circuit.