Team
Lab Members:
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Sarah RossAssociate Professor
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Aihua SuLab Manager
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Tayler SheahanPost Doc
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Kelly SmithResearch Instructor
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Charles WarwickResearch Assistant Professor
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Ruby HollandMSTP Student
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Talia AdiMSTP Student
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Maria Fernanda Juarez AnayaPhD Student
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Isabel BleimeisterMSTP Student
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Abby Yilin CuiPhD Student
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Vijay James PerryResearch Technician

Sarah Ross
Associate Professor
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
E-MAIL: saross@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-624-9178 EDUCATION:- B.S. University of Western Ontario
- Ph.D. University of Michigan (MacDougald Lab)
- Post-Doc Harvard Medical School (Greenberg Lab)

Aihua Su
Lab Manager
RESEARCH TECHNICIAN
E-MAIL: ais24@pitt.edu EDUCATION:- (previous education)

Tayler Sheahan
Post Doc
POST DOC
E-MAIL: tayler.sheahan@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 WEBSITE: taylersheahan.com
EDUCATION:
- B.S. Marquette University
- Ph.D. Washington University in St. Louis

Kelly Smith
Research Instructor
RESEARCH INSTRUCTOR
E-MAIL: ksmith5@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182
EDUCATION:
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B.Biomed Sci - University of Newcastle
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PhD - University of Newcastle

Charles Warwick
Research Assistant Professor
RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
E-MAIL: warwickc@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182
EDUCATION:
- PhD, Pharmacology, University of Iowa
- B.S. Biology and Spanish, Iowa State University

Ruby Holland
MSTP Student
MSTP STUDENT
E-MAIL: rah143@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who chew with their mouth open
ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Brazil
ITCHIN' TO TRY: Playing the guitar

Talia Adi
MSTP Student
MSTP STUDENT
E-MAIL: adi.talia@medstudent.pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 EDUCATION: BA Molecular Neuroscience & Physiology, Hampshire College
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: people who interrupt you mid-sentence & fake phone calls
ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: The Maldives & New Zealand
ITCHIN' TO TRY: salsa dancing & baking my own bread

Maria Fernanda Juarez Anaya
PhD Student
PhD STUDENT
E-MAIL: maj167@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 EDUCATION: B.S. Biology, St. Bonaventure University THINGS THAT ITCH ME: rainy weekends in the summer ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Machu Picchu & the Amazon rainforest ITCHIN’ TO TRY: Backpacking
Isabel Bleimeister
MSTP Student
MSTP STUDENT
E-MAIL: ISB30@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 EDUCATION: B.S. Neuroscience, Carnegie Mellon University THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Spiders ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Alaska ITCHIN’ TO TRY: CampingAbby Yilin Cui
PhD Student
PhD Student
E-MAIL: YIC135@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 EDUCATION:-
B.A. Neuroscience, Smith College
Vijay James Perry
Research Technician
Research Technician
E-MAIL: VJP15@pitt.edu Education: B. A. Neuroscience University of Pittsburgh THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Dirty snow slush in the winter ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Pyramids in Egypt ITCHIN' TO TRY: Ice fishingPart Time:
Madeline Fontana
Research Assistant
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: maf315@pitt.edu EDUCATION:- (previous education)
Former Trainees:
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Adam KardonCurrent Neurologist @ University of Maryland Medical Center
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Lindsey SnyderCurrent VP of Research & Development @ Farmaceuticalrx
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Junichi HachisukaCurrent Senior Neuroscience Lecturer @ University of Glasgow Scotland UK
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Huizhen HuangCurrent Anesthesiologist @ Peking Union Medical College Hospital China
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Marissa KuzirianCurrent Patent Agent @ DAL Piper
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Yu OmoriCurrent Senior Scientist @ Toray Japan
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Michael ChiangCurrent Resident @ Harvard Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
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Eileen NguyenCurrent Resident @UCLA Medical Center
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Catherine RuffCurrent Senior Scientist @ Genentech
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Haichao ChenCurrent Resident @ Perking Union Medical College Hospital China

Adam Kardon
Current Neurologist @ University of Maryland Medical Center
Research Assistant
E-MAIL: adkardon@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 EDUCATION:- B.S. Vassar College

Lindsey Snyder
Current VP of Research & Development @ Farmaceuticalrx
Ph. D Student
E-MAIL: mccleml@gmail.com PHONE: 412-624-8182 EDUCATION:- B.S. Allegheny College
- Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh

Junichi Hachisuka
Current Senior Neuroscience Lecturer @ University of Glasgow Scotland UK
Research Assitant Professor
EDUCATION:- B.S. Nagoya University, Japan
- M.D. Nagoya University, Japan
- Ph.D. Kyushu University, Japan

Huizhen Huang
Current Anesthesiologist @ Peking Union Medical College Hospital China
Tsinghua MD/PhD Scholar
E-MAIL: huh12@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-624-8182 EDUCATION:- BS/MD, Tsinghua University, China

Marissa Kuzirian
Current Patent Agent @ DAL Piper
Post Doc
E-MAIL: mkuzirian@plsg.com PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Slow technology ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Italy ITCHIN' TO TRY: Synsepalum dulcificum (miracle berry) SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Marissa is now the Investment Manager at the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse
Yu Omori
Current Senior Scientist @ Toray Japan
VISITING SCHOLAR
E-MAIL: yuomori@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 EDUCATION:- B.S. Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University
- Ph.D. University of Toyama (Kuraishi Lab)

Michael Chiang
Current Resident @ Harvard Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
MSTP Student
E-MAIL: MichaelCChiang@gmail.com PHONE: 412-624-8182 EDUCATION:- B.S. University of California, Berkeley
- MD/PhD University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh

Eileen Nguyen
Current Resident @UCLA Medical Center
MSTP Student
E-MAIL: ekn11@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 EDUCATION:- B.S. Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles
- NIH Postbaccalaureate Research Fellow
- MD/Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh

Catherine Ruff
Current Senior Scientist @ Genentech
PhD STUDENT
E-MAIL: car147@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 EDUCATION:- B.S. University of Iowa
- M.S. Cornell University
- D.V.M. Purdue University
- Anatomic Pathology Residency Purdue University
- Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh

Haichao Chen
Current Resident @ Perking Union Medical College Hospital China
Tsinghua MD/PhD Scholar
E-MAIL: haichaoc@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-684-8182 EDUCATION: Tsinghua University Medical School
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Gaining weight but still want to eat and no exercise
ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Korean food??I guess
ITCHIN' TO TRY: Baking and traveling
Former Staff:

Xiaoyun Cai
Former Staff
FORMER STAFF
E-MAIL: ificcy@gmail.com PHONE: 412-648-8182 EDUCATION:- B.S. Nankai University, China
- Ph.D. Fudan University, China

Monica Domaracki
Former Staff
FORMER STAFF
PHONE: 412-648-8182 EDUCATION:- B.S. University of Adelaide, Australia
Former Undergrad Students:
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Thomas SmithFormer Lab Manager and Webmaster
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Sofina ShekharFormer Undergrad Student
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Angelique HaleFormer Undergrad Student
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Lauren BrucksteinFormer Undergrad Student
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Louis FanienFormer Undergrad Student
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Allison ManaloCurrent Post-baccalaureate@NIH
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Carlisle TurnerFormer Undergrad Student
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Nathan SchuermanFormer Undergrad Student
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Precious JacksonFormer Undergrad Student
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Brittany HumenskyFormer Undergrad Student
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Stephanie BuerkFormer Undergrad Student
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Stephanie FultonFormer Undergrad Student
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Zeyu HuFormer Undergrad Student
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Michael LeeFormer Undergrad Student
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Luiza Arieta Frota de SouzaFormer Undergrad Student
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Dylan BurbeeFormer Undergrad Student
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Erica KundrickFormer Undergrad Student
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Chris FanFormer Undergrad Student
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Eric BurrageFormer Undergrad Student
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Gregory HemenwayFormer Undergrad Student
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Damian DiCostanzoFormer Undergrad Student
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Andrzej DubielFormer Undergrad Student
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Cassie NelsonFormer Undergrad Student

Thomas Smith
Former Lab Manager and Webmaster
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT, LAB MANAGER, AND WEBMASTER
E-MAIL: tjs99@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-684-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: slow internet and slow drivers ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Australia ITCHIN' TO TRY: adopting a baby kangaroo and caribou hunting
Sofina Shekhar
Former Undergrad Student
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: sks95@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-684-8182
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Disorganization and bugs
ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Bali, Indonesia
ITCHIN' TO TRY: Meditation silent retreat

Angelique Hale
Former Undergrad Student
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: anh161@pitt.edu PHONE: 216-551-6721
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who move slow, Humble bragging, People who are rude, People in general (sometimes)
ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Madagascar
ITCHIN' TO TRY: To climb Mount Everest

Lauren Bruckstein
Former Undergrad Student
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: leb127@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-684-8182
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who skip the line
ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Iceland
ITCHIN' TO TRY: Snowboarding a black diamond

Louis Fanien
Former Undergrad Student
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: LGF8@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-468-8182
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Close talkers
ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Alaska, Japan
ITCHIN' TO TRY: Attend the World Cup one day

Allison Manalo
Current Post-baccalaureate@NIH
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: @pitt.edu PHONE: 412-468-8182
THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Slow walkers when I'm trying to get to class ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATIONS: Anywhere in Asia ITCHIN' TO TRY: Surfing

Carlisle Turner
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: crt43@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Slow walkers and American cheese ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands ITCHIN' TO TRY: Sky diving SCRATCHIN’ AN ITCH: Carlisle is a current senior studying civil engineer with a concentration in transportation engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Expected graduation is 2020.
Nathan Schuerman
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: njs59@pitt.edu PHONE: 724-396-2399 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who don't know the difference between irony and coincidence ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Spain ITCHIN' TO TRY: Scuba Diving SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Nathan is currently working as an electrical engineer at JNE CONSULTING
Precious Jackson
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-Mail: pnj4@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Spiders ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Maldives ITCHIN' TO TRY: Skydiving
Brittany Humensky
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: beh52@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: When bicyclists riding on the road don't obey stop signs or red lights ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: There are so many rich cultures! Greece and Japan are my top choices ITCHIN' TO TRY: Sailing
Stephanie Buerk
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: smb202@pitt.edu PHONE: 814-594-6561 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who chew obnoxiously and loud phone conversations in public places ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Australia and New Zealand ITCHIN' TO TRY: Zip lining in a tropical rainforest
Stephanie Fulton
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: saf78@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: reality television, The Heartbreak Kid, mints ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Italy, Greece, and Egypt for the ancient history ITCHIN' TO TRY: Whale watching in Alaska
Zeyu Hu
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: zeyuh@andrew.cmu.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: why there are never enough hours in the day and fully immersive virtual reality ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Japan. I have never been there, but I always wanted to ITCHIN' TO TRY: Going camping with friends
Michael Lee
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: rosslab@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: how much time I have to spend sleeping each day. People who don't get into the right lane ahead of time and merge at the last second. ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Hong Kong, China and Athens, Greece ITCHIN' TO TRY: skydiving, paragliding, and water-skiing
Luiza Arieta Frota de Souza
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: lua5@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: annoying childish pop stars and their completely meaningless songs; obnoxiously loud gum-chewers and food-eaters ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: I would love to spend at least a month in Europe and tour as many different countries as possible, particularly Italy, Germany, Austria, England, Ireland, Holland, and Greece ITCHIN' TO TRY: Scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Luiza is attending the University of Pittsburgh's School of Dentistry
Dylan Burbee
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: dlb77@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People who run or bike on busy sidewalks ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Norway to see the Fjords ITCHIN' TO TRY: Skydiving
Erica Kundrick
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: erk40@pitt.edu PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: People walking down the street talking on their Bluetooth, you never know if they are talking to you or not ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: I want to see the world, I've never left the country, so I just want to go somewhere and experience a new and different culture ITCHIN' TO TRY: Taking a week to go backpacking or camping in the mountains
Chris Fan
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
E-MAIL: chrisfan52@gmail.com PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Street preachers who attack you on the street with flyers and pictures that are not hanging straight ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Japan, I spent one night there and I would love to have been able to explore the area more ITCHIN' TO TRY: I love cars and driving at an auto cross or track event would be extremely fun SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Chris is currently in the Master of Biology Sciences program at The Commonwealth Medical College
Eric Burrage
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Bad drivers and traffic ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Scandinavia ITCHIN' TO TRY: Golfing SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Chris had worked as a web development intern for the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Gregory Hemenway
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: City parking and chicken/egg salad ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: I want to ski the world, Whistler, the Alps, so everywhere there is snow ITCHIN' TO TRY: Riding an ATV and fly fishing CONTRIBUTION TO TEAM ITCH: I did undergraduate research for credit in the Ross Lab. Damian and I worked together to design experiments and test whether mice lacking Bhlhb5 respond normally to cold SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Gregory had applied to medical school
Damian DiCostanzo
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: Loud headphones in the library and groups of 3 or 4 people across walking (blocking) the sidewalk ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: World Cup-Brazil 2014 ITCHIN' TO TRY: Skydiving and backpacking through Europe CONTRIBUTION TO TEAM ITCH: I did undergraduate research for credit in the Ross Lab. Greg and I worked together to design experiments and test whether mice lacking Bhlhb5 respond normally to cold SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Damian was planning on going to dental school
Andrzej Dubiel
Former Undergrad Student
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
PHONE: 412-648-8182 THINGS THAT ITCH ME: egocentrism ITCHY-FOOT DESTINATION: Fiji ITCHIN' TO TRY: Skydiving CONTRIBUTION TO TEAM ITCH: I designed the original Ross Lab website as well as making some of the figures that you can see in some of the Ross Lab publications SCRATCHIN' AN ITCH: Andrzej works for Yellow Bridge Interactive now
Cassie Nelson
Former Undergrad Student