Joanna Spencer-Segal received her MD from Weill Cornell Medical College and PhD from the Rockefeller University as part of the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD program. She did her PhD thesis research in the laboratory of Dr. Bruce McEwen where she studied the role of estrogen receptors and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in estrogen modulation of hippocampal function and dependent behavior. She completed postgraduate clinical and research training at the University of Michigan, where she worked in the laboratory of Huda Akil. In addition to her research, Dr. Spencer-Segal cares for patients with neuroendocrine disorders in the Multidisciplinary Pituitary Clinic at Michigan Medicine. 

Chih-Lin Chang obtained his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan 2021. He worked in Dr. Christine Canman’s lab as an undergraduate student identifying novel proteins in the translesion DNA synthesis pathway. In 2022, he joined Dr. Joanna Spencer-Segal’s clinical trials as a clinical subjects coordinator and as a research assistant for her lab. In the Spencer-Segal Lab, Chih-Lin design and run experiments while assisting graduate students with their experiments in neural circuitry, brain plasticity, behavior, and stress and the interactions between them. 

Experienced in analyzing and interpreting complex data to drive multiple research areas including computational neuroscience and computational social science. Expertise in using cutting-edge computational methods to study various aspects of neuroscience, including neural networks and behavior. Strong technical skills in Python, R, Databases, and Machine Learning. B.E. in Computer Science and Engineering and M.S. in Computer Science. 

Christen Snyder received her B.S. in Neuroscience and Music from Westminster College, PA. She did her undergraduate thesis work with Dr. Deanne Buffalari where she studied the relationship between commonly used rodent models of anxiety. She then spent two years working with Dr. Aryn Gittis at Carnegie Mellon University where she used optogenetic strategies to investigate how different neuronal subpopulations in the globus pallidus regulate movement, motivation, and reward in a mouse model. Christen is now a graduate student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program investigating how chronic excess glucocorticoid and subsequent withdrawal impact motivated and pain-related behaviors 

After taking a physiological psychology class, Euphemia became fascinated with how the brain works and its complexity. She was only a psychology student at the time but began wondering about how psychological processes have a biological basis, which spurred her to begin studying biology. As engaging as they were, the textbooks and classes never felt satisfying enough. And she thought about the fact that a lot of the brain's mysteries are just that – mysteries –  that much of how the brain works is largely uncovered. With a desire to uncover these mysteries, she decided to pursue a graduate degree in Neuroscience at the University of Michigan’s Neuroscience Graduate Program, under the direction of Dr. Joanna Spencer-Segal. Here, her PhD thesis is unfolding the function of novel neural circuits and how they control both behavioral and biological processes related to anxiety-like behaviors and stress. She hopes that her work can pave the way into understanding a minuscule portion of complexity of the brain. 

Shany obtained her B.S. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2018. She worked in Dr. Dudley Lamming’s lab as an undergraduate student studying the effects of methionine deprivation in metabolic health. In 2019, she joined Dr. Adrian Rothenfluh’s lab at the University of Utah where she examined the role of serotonin in alcohol use disorder using Drosophila melanogaster. She's currently a Ph.D. Candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program and she's interested in studying the role of lipocalin-2 in negative affect in sepsis survivors 

Cara Teixeira is a junior undergraduate student pursuing her B.S. in Neuroscience. She began her research career in 2021 at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute at Michigan Medicine where she was involved in gene therapy research to restore hair cell growth to reverse genetic deafness in the mouse model. She is passionate about mental health and joined the Spencer-Segal Lab in 2022 to become involved in research on the neuroscience and endocrinology relevant to anxiety and other psychiatric illnesses. Cara is also experienced in digital project management and mixed reality research and hopes to pursue a graduate degree that will allow her to make positive contributions to the world of medicine through the intersection of biomedical research and technology. 

Jennifer is a sophomore in LSA studying neuroscience and is interested in the neuronal mechanisms driving anxiety and their relation to disorders such as anxiety and depression. After graduation, Jennifer plans to pursue an MD and/or PhD to further understand how we can better treat these disorders.