Research Staff
Jessica Armand
Laboratory Technician
jessica_armand@urmc.rochester.edu
Jessica graduated in 2018 from Binghamton University with a degree in Biochemistry. She is interested in neuroimmunology. As a member of the spinal cord research team she has taken a particular interest in the role of microglia in spinal cord injury treatment. Jessica hopes to pursue a career in pharmaceutical industry.
Gina Dominice
Laboratory Technician
Gina_Dominice@URMC.Rochester.edu
Gina graduated in 2019 from SUNY Geneseo with a degree in Biology. Gina is a member of the
spinal cord injury research team, aiming to examine new pharmacological interventions for
the acute treatment of spinal cord injury. She is interested in neuroimmunology and hopes
to pursue a graduate degree in the field.
Laura Doody
Laboratory Technician
Laura_Doody@urmc.rochester.edu
Laura graduated from Union College with a degree in neuroscience. She is a member of the
spinal cord injury research team. As part of this work she is investigating the microglial
response to treatment. In addition, she is extending her interest in microglia to examine
the behavior of isolated microglia derived from patient iPSCs. Adding to her former
research background in Autism and Alzheimer's, Laura plans to use her research experience
in preparation for a career in medicine.
Anissa Elahi
Laboratory Technician
anissa_elahi@urmc.rochester.edu
Anissa graduated in 2017 from the University of Rochester with a degree in Neuroscience. As a member of the spinal cord research team, Anissa currently studies novel pharmacological therapies for spinal cord injury. In addition, she has studied motordeficits in animal models of Parkinson’s disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Anissa’s hobbies include international cuisine and politics.
Michiko Feehan
Laboratory Technician
michiko_feehan@urmc.rochester.edu
Michiko graduated in 2018 from University of Rochester with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. Michiko is a member of the spinal cord injury research team. She is interested in the development of regenerative medicine therapies, in particular the response of astrocytes to spinal cord injury.
Nicole Freitag
Laboratory Technician
Nicole_Freitag@urmc.rochester.edu
Kourtney Korczak
Laboratory Technician
kourtney_korczak@urmc.rochester.edu
Kourtney graduated in 2017 from SUNY Buffalo with a degree in Biological Science. She is the head surgical specialist of our spinal cord research team, focusing on the thoracic contusion injury model. Kourtney is interested in testing novel therapeutics to treat spinal cord injury. She is also avid equestrian who loves the outdoors.
Kevin Spath
Laboratory Technician
Kevin_Spath@urmc.rochester.edu
Kevin graduated in 2017 from SUNY Oswego with a degree in Biology and a minor in
Statistics and Chemistry. The most recent recruit to the spinal cord research team after
working at iuvo Bioscience, Kevin is particularly interested in pharmacological therapies
for spinal cord injury as he wants to pursue a career in pharmaceutical research. In his
spare time he plays in a band and enjoys the outdoors.
Adam Visca
Laboratory Technician
adam_visca@urmc.rochester.edu
Adam graduated in 2018 from SUNY Geneseo with a degree in Biology. Adam works as a part of the spinal cord injury research team. He is also interested in the use of stem cells in medicine, including the potential of iPSC-derived astrocyte transplants for treatment of spinal cord injury. A vocalist in his spare time, Adam wants to apply his research experience towards a career in medicine.
Graduate Students
Li Xie
Genetics Genetics, Development, and Stem Cells Ph.D. Program
li_xie@urmc.rochester.edu
Lie Xi joined the Proschel Lab in 2016, and is currently applying his extensive molecular skill towards analyzing the effects of EIF2B mutations in VWM disease on astrocyte function. He also collaborates with the spinal cord research team on investigating the effects of new pharmacological treatments on the Immune response in acute SCI. Lie Xi also became a proud father this year!