Research

Research Overview

Martha Bickford - The Bickford lab studies synaptic circuits involved in transmitting visual signals and initiating appropriate motor responses to visual stimuli. We are particularly interested in pathways that involve the superior colliculus, pretectum and visual thalamus.

Bart Borghuis - Our research concentrates on the synaptic and circuit mechanisms for parallel processing in the mouse visual system. Parallel processing makes the brain more efficient, because each pathway can be optimized for encoding a specific class of information. While functional differences between parallel pathways are well established, many of the underlying cell-intrinsic and circuit mechanisms remain unclear.

 Jennifer Brueckner-Collins - Brueckner-Collins's scholarly work focuses on developing and evaluating innovative approaches in teaching the anatomical sciences. She co-directs the Distinction in Medical Education track in the School of Medicine.  Her scholarly interests include incorporating humanities and mindfulness into anatomy education.

Brian Davis - Davis is interested in the evolution, systematics and paleoecology of Mesozoic mammals, as well as the role early mammals played in the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems through the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous.

Erin Davis - Davis is an epidemiologist interested in evaluating environmental exposures and health disparities within the field of maternal and child health. Her research focuses on assessing the differences in nutritional and environmental exposures, access to care and the development of negative health outcomes among those that are pregnant, of reproductive age, adolescents and children. Davis also conducts research in medical and dental education, utilizing her background in study design and biostatistical methods. 

Gerard Guillot - Guillot’s scholarly work focuses on developing and evaluating visual approaches that enhance the teaching and learning of the anatomical sciences and the physical exam. He is part of the multi-institutional team that is developing a more diverse set of teaching images for anatomical educators. He has also developed an approach to study medical school faculty cohorts by describing sets of faculty roles that are defined by how they spend their time.

Nicole Herring - Herring's current research interests are focused on utilizing innovative teaching techniques in medical education. Additionally, she is interested in learning and teaching styles among multi-generational classrooms and teaching teams and the outcomes on team productivity, retention of material and the overall learning experience. Herring is a member of the teaching team for both the medical and dental gross anatomy courses. She is also involved with the fresh tissue prosections and demonstrations for Anatomy in the Evening for the first year medical students.

Charles Hubscher - Hubscher’s research involves a multidisciplinary approach geared toward understanding the circuitries and neural mechanisms underlying urinary, bowel and sexual functions.  Translational studies since 2014, through collaborations at the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center at Frazier Rehab Institute, have involved pre-clinical and clinical experiments being done in parallel. 

Robin Krimm - Taste bud cells play a crucial role in detecting chemical information, such as sweetness or saltiness, in the food we consume. These cells connect to peripheral sensory neurons, transmitting taste information to the brain. While taste bud cells come in various types, each responsible for transducing specific chemicals, the classification of peripheral sensory neuron types remains unclear. Our research focuses on elucidating the relationships between genetic expression, morphology and function of different peripheral gustatory neuron types. 

 Robert Lundy Jr - Lundy's lab is interested in determining the neural processes that mediate our ability to assign value to sensory stimuli. His research model--the gustatory system--has some notable advantages for studying the neural basis of hedonic value. 

Mariajose Metcalfe - At the Metcalfe Lab, we are committed to advancing the understanding of neurological recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI), with a focus on developing innovative strategies for axonal regeneration. Our research explores gene and protein manipulation, including therapeutic approaches like PTEN inhibition, to stimulate axonal growth and restore function.

J. Partick Moore - Our laboratory is interested in the regulation of pituitary hormones, particularly the sex regulating hormones, the gonadotropins. The gonadotropins, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), are both produced and secreted from the same cell type however, the secretion of one gonadotropin often predominates. Our laboratory has previously observed that the neuropeptide pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) differentially affects LH and FSH secretion and subunit gene production in vitro. We propose that PACAP may be important in the normal maturation and function of the pituitary-gonadal axis. 

Jeffrey Petruska - In terms of biological principles, we investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating anatomical and electrophysiological plasticity of neurons, focusing on the peripheral nervous system and spinal cord. We are particularly interested in the interaction between and co-regulation of, the anatomical and electrophysiological properties of neurons. We study these principles in the context of spinal cord injury and the spinal pain system (particularly in the context of damage to peripheral tissue which is a common and chronic issue for the SCI population and is an etiological factor in the development of chronic pain).

Guillermo Rougier - The focus of Rougier’s research is the early evolution of mammals. Phylogeny, biogeography and morphological transformations are the major topics being developed. Several sources of data are employed to gather information on past evolutionary history—prominent among them are fossils and embryos. A dynamic field program includes/included fossil collecting in USA, Argentina, Bolivia, Japan and Mongolia.

Chad Samuelsen - Samuelsen's lab investigates the neural substrates underlying the integration of smell and taste (flavor) and how physiological/psychological state modulates this multisensory processing. We explore these fundamental network and circuit mechanisms using a combination of awake-behaving electrophysiology, optogenetics, anatomical tracing and behavior. Our long-term goal is to better understand these complex interactions in order to address eating-related diseases, including eating disorders, obesity and diabetes.

Damian Shin - Shin's lab aims to characterize the aberrant neuronal signaling underlying Parkinson's disease and other neurological and metabolic disorders at the cellular and network level. This will help to reveal novel targets for engagement for therapeutics such as neuromodulation involving non-invasive focused ultrasound and/or deep brain stimulation.

Beatrice Ugiliweneza - Ugiliweneza's research interests are Clinical Trial Analytics Research (CTAR), Health Outcomes and Economics Research (HEOR), Health Services Research (HSR), Health Analytics Research (HAR) and Real-Word Evidence Research (RWER) in neurological injuries and diseases, their treatments and outcomes. She is also paving her way into Explainable Machine Learning Research (EMLR) applications in these fields.