Brian Corbett, PhD
Senior Postdoctoral Fellow
Brian Corbett received his PhD in Neuroscience from Thomas Jefferson University. He is interested in how individual differences in response to stress affect behavior. In particular, he studies anti-inflammatory genes in parts of the brain that are susceptible to inflammation following stress. He has found that reducing inflammation in key brain regions during stress can reduce the likelihood of developing depression- or anxiety-like behavior.
Andre Curtis, PhD
Research Associate
Links to publications lists: PubMed, ResearchGate, Google Scholar
Fred Hitti, MD, PhD
Neurosurgery Resident
Fred received his MD, PhD from Columbia University and is currently a neurosurgery resident at the University of Pennsylvania. He is interested in studying stress and depression in the lab. In particular, he is focused on developing models and therapies for treatment resistant depression (TRD). He plans to employ gene therapy in the form of chemogenetics to manipulate the activity of the lateral habenula to ameliorate depression-like symptoms in a mouse model of TRD.
Brittany Osborne, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Brittany Osborne received her PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Delaware in 2019. She is interested in the interaction between stress and the neuroimmune system. In particular, she is investigating the cellular and molecular events that underlie vulnerability to stress as it relates to sex differences in the orexin system.
Valerie Estela-Pro, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Valerie received her PhD in Neuroscience from Brown University in 2020. During her dissertation work, she used in vivo electrophysiology to examine hippocampal and parahippocampal regions of the rodent brain during a novel complex spatial memory task, and is now interested in studying how chronic stress affects fear learning and memory.
Adrienne Jo
Graduate Student
Adrienne was born and raised in Los Angeles, where she graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a degree in Neuroscience. As a Pharmacology Ph.D. student, she hopes to explore the relationship between stress response phenotypes and drug reward. During her free time, Adrienne enjoys learning about the Universe and space exploration, strolling by the Schuylkill River, and finding new electronica music.
Stephanie Bowles, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Stephanie received her PhD in Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry from Georgia State University in 2020. Her dissertation work aimed to dissect the function of a uniquely expressed glia specific bHLH transcription factor, HLH-17, in C.elegans astrocyte-like glia and to probe the function of glia in regulating complex behavior. She is currently interested in studying the transcriptional control of orexin cells and how orexin signaling regulates BAT thermogenesis and metabolism in states of obesity.
Sandra Luz
Laboratory Manager/Research Assistant
Sandra Luz is the lab manager and chief research assistant at the Bhatnagar lab and has been in the lab since 2007. Mastering techniques ranging from bench work to animal behavioral protocols and animal surgery, she routinely trains new lab members on various lab procedures. She is also a dedicated parent and Cowboys fan.
Jay Arner
Research Technician
Jay Arner is a research technician who graduated from Boston University's Neuroscience Program in 2011. Previously, he worked in the laboratory of Dr. Rita Valentino, on projects related to stress, reward salience, and development. He also recently has worked with Dr. Melvin Bates and Dr. Andre Curtis, using electrophysiological methods to identify neural regions and pathways associated with stress, and to analyze the changes in local field activity in these regions before and after exposure to stress.
Jason Yan
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Biology and Healthcare Management, University of Pennsylvania Neuroscience Program
Jake Freedman
Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Pennsylvania Neuroscience Program
Haeyn Lim
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Earlham College, Neuroscience
