Mentor Monday: David Weinshenker

David Weinshenker is a Professor in the Department of Human Genetics at the Emory University School of Medicine. He is also the Scientific Director of the Emory School of Medicine Rodent Behavioral Core. His research focuses on understanding the neurobiology underlying Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, drug addiction, sleep disorders, depression, and anxiety.  

Using genetics, behavioral experiments, pharmacology, optogenetics, and chemogenetics, Dr. Weinshenker’s work analyzes the role of norepinephrine and dopamine in behavior and neurochemistry using genetically engineered rodents with altered catecholamine systems. Most projects in his lab focus on a brainstem region called the locus coeruleus, the major norepinephrine nucleus in the brain.   

Arielle Segal, a research ambassador with URP shares about working with Dr. Weinshenker: 
“I have learned so much about neuroscience research and myself as an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Weinshenker’s lab. He truly cares about every one of his students’ research experiences and provides a safe, welcoming learning environment. I will always cherish my time in the Weinshenker lab, from the research itself to the wonderful relationships I have formed.” 

To learn more about Dr. Weinshenker’s work, see his profile from the Emory School of Medicine. 

Comments

Pop-Up Books used to ease Child Patients' Anxiety

Holly Cordray is a senior majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She was awarded a Fall 2020 Independent Grant which she used to conduct research at Children's Healthcare Atlanta. My name is Holly Cordray, and I am a senior in the Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology Honors Program. Collaborating with Dr. Kara Prickett, a pediatric ENT surgeon at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, I am currently running a 150-patient clinical trial of an interactive resource I developed for pediatric patient education: an educational pop-up book for children facing surgery. I began this project in 2019 with the support of the SURE program and my mentor in the Art History department, Dr. Tasha Dobbin-Bennett. I wanted to build a resource that would engage children in active learning through hands-on features like flaps, wheels, and pull-tabs, equipping patients with understanding and positive coping strategies as they prepare for surgery. I am hoping this rea...

A Whole New World of Research

Monica Vemulapalli is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She was awarded a Spring 2019 Conference Grant which she used to attend the Experimental Biology Conference . When I found out that my first ever research conference was going to be in my hometown of Orlando, Florida, I was excited! I knew that having an unfamiliar event happen at a very familiar place would make me less anxious. However, the conference turned out to be less stressful and more interesting than I ever thought. I attended Experimental Biology (EB) and presented my very first research poster , a memory that I will definitely cherish forever.

Why Research Wednesday: Aamna's Story

Aamna Soniwala is a sophomore majoring in Human Health (on the pre-dental track) with a minor in Sociology. URP's Research Ambassador Arielle Segal had the pleasure of interviewing Aamna about her research experiences. Here it is: What research do you do on campus? How long have you been doing it? “I work under Dr. K.M. Venkat Narayan with Dr. Jithin Varghese in the Hubert Department of Global Health at Rollins – specifically within the Emory Global Diabetes Research Center. I started during my second semester of my first year, researching global health equity in diabetes precision medicine.” How did you get started in your research? “I took HLTH 210 last spring, and Dr. Narayan was one of our asynchronous guest lecturers. I felt that I resonated with his values and research, so I reached out to him and started working with a post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Varghese.” How has research impacted your undergraduate career? “Research has allowed me to grow as a critical thinker and problem ...

Researchers of Emory

Search This Blog