September 2007: PhD in Developmental Genetics from Skirball Institute, NYUSOM.
May 1998: B.A. with honors in Biology from Brown University
Interests
While in Gord's lab, I worked on multiple projects ranging from
early telencephalic pattering events to the specification of mature cortical
interneuron subtypes. My thesis, entitled " Mechanisms for the Development
of Cortical Interneuron Diversity within the Developing Mouse
Telencephalon," focused largely on fate-mapping work, done in collaboration
with Dr. Simon Butt, linking cortical interneuron subtype with their region
of origin within the ventral telencephalic eminences. My research
incorporated diverse techniques including transgenic mouse design,
ultrasound-guided embryonic cellular transplants, conditional gene ablation
and acute-slice whole cell electrophysiology recordings. My medical
interests include psychiatric illnesses (in particular, obsessive-compulsive
disorder and major depression/bipolar disorder) and their genetic
underpinnings. In the future, I hope to combine mouse genetics with
physiological studies of synaptic transmission and neuromodulation of
forebrain-specific neural circuits implicated in major psychiatric
disorders.
