My passion for science started at a very young age. My dad was a forensics investigator for the New Orleans police department & after school I would spend time in the lab where he taught me about DNA, fingerprints, & microscopy. I was fascinated by the puzzle of all of it and I made my life goal to be an "ist" (scientist, biologist, paleontologist, etc.). My teachers & professors encouraged my love of science & made sure to emphasize the contributions of women in science, like Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, & Barbara McClintock. I admired the sacrifices these women made in order to help humanity & advance their fields.
I received a scholarship to attend Randolph College where I received a bachelor's of science in Biology & Psychology with a pre-med concentration. There I learned the value of experiments & research from the best professors I have ever met, & was encouraged to pursue a career in research. I was then accepted to Tulane University School of Medicine where I received my PhD in Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Microbiology/Immunology in 2019. I completed my degree at Tulane National Primate Research Center under the guidance of Dr. Marcelo Kuroda, Dr. Woong-Ki Kim, & Dr. Andrew MacLean. My dissertation focused on the neuroimmunology & neurovirology of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders in a simian model, with emphasis on macrophages of the central nervous system, the choroid plexus (blood-CSF barrier), & inflammaging. One of my key projects was the creation of a primary rhesus macaque choroid plexus cell culture for use studying the effects of inflammation on the blood-CSF barrier.
Currently, I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at LSU Health Sciences Center where I work in the Physiology Department in Scott Edwards Lab studying the neurobiological interactions of alcohol, opioids, & pain in rat & simian models. In my free-time I love to spend time with my two dogs, Wishbone & Thor, & going on adventures to try new food with my husband.