Biography
I earned both an Honors Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Science degree from the University of Western Ontario, London Canada. Afterwards, I completed my Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, Toronto Canada with training and expertise in neurophysiology. I completed by Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Division of Fundamental Neurobiology at Toronto Western Hospital at the Unversity Health Network in Toronto Canada. In 2009, I was recruited as an Assistant Professor at Albany Medical College, Albany NY and over the past 15 years, I was promoted to Associate Professor and Professor. During my time there, I held several key positions including my most recent role as Interim Chair in the Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics since 2022. Now, I am incredibly excited to be the Professor and Chair of the Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology here at the University of Louisville, Louisville KY.
Research Interests
My lab focuses on three major areas of research: 1) neural control of movement and aberrant neuronal signaling underlying the pathophysiology of movement disorders, including Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Ataxias, 2) investigating the mechanism(s) and utility of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in animal models of selected neurologic and metabolic diseases and, 3) mechanisms of disrupted electrophysiologic homeostasis in epilepsy and identification of novel antiepileptic treatments. In each area, my lab has garnered recognition as an expert with electrophysiological techniques employing in vivo and/or ex vivo model systems spanning 19 & 25 years, respectively, to examine activity in single cells and neuronal networks. We complement this with animal behavioral testing, immunocyto-histochemistry and more recently, gene-modifying technology. In the last few years, my lab has also been collaborating with scientists and engineers at General Electric Research (GER), the R&D branch of GE, to examine how non-invasive focused ultrasound (FUS) can be a technology for alleviating neurological, inflammatory and metabolic diseases by modulating central and peripheral nervous system signaling. With another team of researchers at GER and at the University at Albany, we recently began developing screening tools for animal research using artificial intelligence and machine learning. To pursue these lines of research, my lab has successfully received funding from Federal, Foundation, Industry and Philanthropic sources.
Research Labs
Degrees and Certifications
University of Toronto, Toronto, , 1999-2005
Western University, London, , 1996-1999
Western University, London, , 1992-1996