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Michele Saul Accepts Faculty Position at St. John Fisher

Monday, September 1, 2014

Michele Saul, PhD

Michele Saul, PhD

Dr. Michele Saul has accepted a position as Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology beginning this Fall. Michele was a popular instructor in ANA 258 here at the UR, where she worked with Dr. Martha Johnson-Gdowski. In addition to her new faculty position, she will continue part-time as a Postdoctoral student in our Fudge lab developing her studies on adolescent stress models in rodents.

Make sure to congratulate her!!

Summer Scholars Head Home

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Photo of Alyssa ChaplinAlyssa Chaplin, a rising senior at University of Minnesota, joined our lab this summer. Her project entitled, Stressed adolescent rat behavioral testing: How much does investigator presence matter? examined the effects of human presence and proximity during several types of behavioral assays. In addition to her behavioral experiments, Alyssa also tried her hand at immunocytochemistry, mounting brain sections, and developing slides for in situ hybridization. Best wishes as she heads into her senior year!

Michele Saul, PhD!

Monday, April 7, 2014

Congratulations to Michele Saul for successfully defending her thesis, Changes in Exploratory Behavior and Cell Proliferation in the Amygdala Following Repeated Variable Stress in Male Rats: Focus on Adolescence, on April 7, 2014. Michele now begins a year of postdoctoral study with us in which she will follow up on some of the findings from her thesis project.

She has also taken an Adjunct faculty position with Finger Lakes Community College.

And in Alumni News….

Monday, November 4, 2013

Youngsun Cho, a first year Psychiatry resident at Yale University, was recently awarded the Detre Award, which will help fund new research studies on the role of working memory and reward. Very best wishes!!

Congratulations Danielle de Campo!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

On November 1, 2013, Danielle de Campo successfully defended her thesis entitled An Extended Amygdala Path with Implications for Early Life Stress. After popping the champagne cork, and a fun dinner with friends and family, Danielle continues onto third year of medical school. We miss her and wish her the best.

Bringing the Science of Adolescent Brain Development to the Rochester Community

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Dr. Dana Helmreich and colleagues in the Department of Psychiatry have won a Center for Community Health Mini-Grant to develop a curriculum on adolescent brain development and function for the larger Rochester community. The curriculum will be developed collaboratively with parents, teachers, and other community members so that is relevant to a variety of topics in adolescent development.

Hjertelig tillykke!*

Monday, June 24, 2013

Many congratulations* to Nancy Bui, a University of Rochester junior, for winning a place in the Take Five Program. The Take Five Program is a competitive academic program that allows students an additional semester or year out to study a topic outside of their major. Nancy is a Neuroscience major, who will travel to Denmark after her senior year to take part in an internship and classroom program in Sustainability with a focus on Anthropology.

It’s Yale for Youngsun

Friday, April 12, 2013

The results of the residency match are in, and Youngsun Cho will be starting her Psychiatry Residency at Yale University. She was accepted into a specialized training program that incorporates clinical and research training. It’s a great match for both Youngsun and Yale!

Michele Saul: Learning and Teaching Neuroanatomy

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Since the time of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, scientists have worked to understand how the brain’s structure dictates its many functions. The University of Rochester has rich history of neuroanatomy teaching expertise, beginning with the basics of human brain dissection. Following in this tradition, and learning by doing, graduate student Michele Saul is beginning a teaching apprenticeship this summer under Martha Johnson Gdowski, Ph.D.

Michele Saul wins a travel award to International Society for Developmental Psychobiology Annual Meeting

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Michele, an NBA graduate student in the Fudge Lab, has just received a stipend to travel to New Orleans and present her work entitled, Differential numbers of bromodeoxyuracil (BrdU) positive cells in the amygdala of normal adolescent and young adult rats. This work shows that cell proliferation is one mechanism of plasticity in the rat amygdala, and that it occurs at a higher rate in young animals.

Danielle deCampo is Awarded NRSA Individual Fellowship

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Congratulations to Danielle, who is in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), for receiving NIMH Fellowship support for her project, An Extended Amygdala Path with Implications for Early Life Stress. Using a variety of techniques, Danielle is examining a pathway through the amygdala that appears plays a role in development of stress responses and is affected by early life stress. Her project is an outgrowth of collaborations with Dr. Judy Cameron (University of Pittsburgh) and Dr. Karoly Mirnics (Vanderbilt University), and previous support of the URMCCTSI Pilot Program.

Danielle deCampo wins Travel Award to ACNP

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Danielle has won a highly competitive travel award to the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). This meeting brings together basic and clinical scientists in the field of psychiatric research, and is a wonderful opportunity to see the latest work in the field. Congrats!

Congratulations and Good Luck, Youngsun!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Youngsun Cho successfully defended her thesis entitled, Defining Limbic Subsystems: Examining a Functional Reward Network and Cortico-Amygdala-Striatal Anatomic Circuits, on June 11, 2012. She is now off to complete her fourth year of medical school, and life beyond. Very best wishes!

Welcome Nanette Alcock

Friday, June 1, 2012

Nanette Alcock, Lab Tech IV, joined our laboratory in May, bringing a wealth of expertise in histology and animal care. Her organizational skills keep us humming along.

Dan Tylee to Begin MD-PhD Program

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Dan Tylee, the ‘go-to’ guy in our laboratory for the last two years will be attending the Medical Scientist Training Program at SUNY Upstate Medical Center. Congratulations to Dan whose many accomplishments include being a ‘Strong Star’, co-publishing a paper on how ‘coping with stress’ influences rodent behavior and corticosterone, organizing a TED conference, and getting pretty good at soccer. Join us in wishing Dan well!

Welcome Summer Undergraduates!

Friday, March 30, 2012

We will be having two undergraduates joining the lab this summer: Ben Berg (Allegheny College) and Hannah Bazarian (University of Rochester). Both are exploring options for future studies in Neuroscience. Projects to be determined!

Youngsun Cho’s work in running for Society of Biological Psychiatry Top Poster Award

Friday, March 30, 2012

Youngsun’s recent abstract is one of 35 selected (from among 800 submissions) for the Society for Biological Psychiatry’s Top Poster award. Her poster, entitled The Functional Stations of the Amygdala, Based on Cortico-Amygdala-Striatal Circuits, will be presented on May 5, 2012 at the meeting in Philadelphia. The theme of this year’s meeting is Systems Neuroscience: Application to Psychiatric Illness. Congratulations and good luck!

Kyeesha Becoats Takes the Hippocratic Oath

Monday, August 29, 2011

Kyeesha Becoats, our former lab technician, has completed her Master degree, and is moving into Medical School. She recently received her 'white coat' to begin her next steps at SUNY Stony Brook Medical School. Congratulations!

Beatriz Guerrero, Summer Scholar '11, Presents Poster

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Does being an adult have benefits in terms of weathering late effects of stress? Beatriz (Betty) Guerrero spent the summer with us looking (and waiting) for the answer to this question. She stressed adult rats to see if they had similar or different behavioral effects compared to animals that had received the same exposure as adolescents. She'll present results on in the Summer Scholars Poster Session, Thursday August 4th, MRB Atrium, at 9:30-11:30 AM. Her poster is entitled: Is Adulthood a 'Stress Sensitive' Period in Rats?

Danielle deCampo Passes Qualifying Exams

Friday, June 24, 2011

Danielle deCampo passed her Qualifying Exams on June 21, 2011, proposing continued work on a unique project that combines microarray techniques, in situ hybridization, and tract tracing studies. Preliminary data for her project The Paralaminar Nucleus of the Amygdala: Substrate for Effects of Early Life Stress was supported through a Pilot studies grant through the Center for Translational Studies Institute at the URMC, and involves collaborations with laboratories in Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Nashville. Congratulations!!

Welcome Summer Undergraduates

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

We are happy to have Beatriz ‘Betty’ Guerrero from the University of Puerto Rico and Ben Berg from Allegheny College, Pennsylvania in the laboratory this summer. Betty is part of the Summer Graduate Education in Biomedical Sciences (GEBS) program, and Ben is increasing his skills in wet lab work.

Michele Saul Passes Qualifying Exam

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

After completing two years in the laboratory collecting a significant amount of preliminary data, Michele passed her Qualifying Exams in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy on June 7, 2011. Her mom, dad, sister Rachel, and fiancé Eric joined us for a celebration lunch. Congratulations, Michele!

A Strong Star in Our Midst

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Who knew? Dan Tylee, our technician by day, also volunteers during the evening at Golisano's Children's Hospital. On his first night as a volunteer, Dan caught the staff’s attention for his kindness and attentiveness to a child enduring a very long hospitalization. Way to go!

Good news from Kyeesha Becoats…

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Kyeesha Becoats our former laboratory technician has completed the first semester of her MS-MD Program at SUNY Stony Brook. Kyeesha's first semester GPA was an impressive 3.75! Keep up the great work Kyeesha!

Youngsun Cho (MSTP) Takes the Reins at the ACNP Annual Meeting

Monday, January 24, 2011

MSTP student Youngsun Cho was the recipient of an NIMH-sponsored Travel Award to this year's American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) Annual Meeting in Miami, Florida, in December. In an unexpected twist, she graciously stepped in to present data for our panel entitled, How Does Anxiety Take Hold? Anatomical and Functional Connectivity in Adolescents and Adults, organized by Drs. Monique Ernst and Julie Fudge. Earlier in the meeting, Youngsun also presented a poster of recent work collected and analyzed during her NIMH 'mini-sabbatical'. She is examining the functional connectivity of prefrontal-amygdala-striatal circuits in adolescents and adults, and her presentation was entitled Neural Differences in Adolescents and Adults in Response to Monetary Anticipation.

We're looking forward to having Youngsun back in Rochester during the month of February!

Youngsun Cho is Awarded NRSA Individual Training Grant

Friday, June 11, 2010

Youngsun Cho, a first year MSTP student in the Fudge Lab was recently awarded a Ruth Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F30) for three years of training. Youngsun's proposed studies involve examining circuitry that may underlie modulation of approach behavior in anxious adolescents. She will first detail connections between specific regions of the prefrontal cortex the amygdala in animals, based on her work in Rochester. This data will then be used to design studies investigating functional connectivities between these regions in anxious adolescents. The latter studies are being conducted in partnership with Dr. Monique Ernst at the NIMH intramural program.

Kyeesha Becoats goes to Medical School!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Kyeesha Becoats, our star laboratory technician and all-around lab team member is on her way to medical school at SUNY Stony Brook this fall. The program is a five year one in which Kyeesha will earn an MS and her MD. Since graduating from UR with a BS in Biology, Kyeesha has been single-handedly running the lab, participating in Journal club as a regular member, and co-authoring a paper with us. We’ll miss her but look forward to great things!

MD/PhD student Youngsun Cho leaves to begin "mini-sabbatical" training at NIMH

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Youngsun Cho, an MD/PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Julie Fudge, leaves to begin "mini-sabbatical" training in functional MRI and studies in anxious adolescents at with colleagues at NIMH. Youngsun is interested in structural and functional brain connections that influence reward and punishment anticipation in adolescents, and she will take anatomical studies from the laboratory to the next phase of her training with Dr. Monique Ernst in the Section on Mood and Anxiety Disorders at NIMH.

NBA Students Win First Prize at 8th Annual Collier Mental Health Poster Session

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Michele Saul (NBA graduate student) and Dan Tylee (undergraduate assistant) each won first prize honors at the 8th Annual Collier Mental Health Poster Session, sponsored by the Department of Psychiatry. Michele presented new work on the effects of stress on amygdala development in adolescent animals. Dan's showed that a coping behavior during stress ameliorates subsequent anxiety behavior in adult animals.

MD/PhD Student Danielle deCampo Wins URMC CTSI Travel Award

Friday, February 5, 2010

Danielle deCampo, an MD/PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Julie Fudge, has won a URMC CTSI Travel Award. Danielle will now be able to pursue training opportunities in performing laser capture microscopy and microarray analysis with collaborators at University of Pittsburgh. This is an opportunity to add to her "technical toolbox" as she tries to characterize specific neuronal populations that may play a role in mood disorders.

Dr. Julie Fudge co-authors an article in the August edition of Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Julie Fudge, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurobiology & Anatomy and Psychiatry has co-authored an article in Nature Reviews Neuroscience with Walter Kaye and Martin Paulus. Fudge's lab studies the anatomy and neurochemistry of brain regions associated with symptoms in major psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and mood disorders.

Read More: Dr. Julie Fudge co-authors an article in the August edition of Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

Dr. Julie Fudge featured in a Washington Post report

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

A report in the Washington Post cites Dr. Julie Fudge's comments that some people, thanks to their genes, are more susceptible to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder than others.

Read More: Dr. Julie Fudge featured in a Washington Post report

Crystal McClain Earns BS with Research Distinction

Friday, June 1, 2007

Crystal McClain, an undergraduate Neuroscience student in the laboratory of Dr. Julie Fudge has received her BS with research distinction.