Morse Scholars

Curriculum Vitae

My research aims to better understand how subtle variations in brain development and connectivity correlate with individual behavioral differences in autistic children. Specifically, I apply advanced neuroimaging methods and behavioral assessments to explore the role of the brainstem in arousal regulation, sleep, sensory processing, and attention in autistic children. I am also very interested in examining how these neurodevelopmental pathways may differ in autistic children with co-occurring conditions like ADHD. Outlining details about these neural pathways is essential to improving our understanding of the unique neurodevelopmental trajectories in autism, which in the future could inform novel diagnostic and subtyping brain biomarkers and contribute to the development of neurobiology-based personalized interventions that may enhance the health and wellbeing for autistic individuals. My long-term goal is to integrate these scientific insights with clinical practice as a physician-scientist, dedicated to advancing care and outcomes for those with disabilities.

Home department: Neuroscience Training Program; Medical Scientist Training Program

Major professor: Brittany Travers, PhD

Disciplines that I pull from in my research: Neuroscience, Psychology, Medical Physics/Neuroimaging

Articles that influenced my research:  

Dadalko, O. I., & Travers, B. G. (2018). Evidence for Brainstem Contributions to Autism Spectrum Disorders. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 12, 47. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2018.00047

Surgent, O., Riaz, A., Ausderau, K. K., Adluru, N., Kirk, G. R., Guerrero-Gonzalez, J., Skaletski, E. C., Kecskemeti, S. R., Dean Iii, D. C., Weismer, S. E., Alexander, A. L., & Travers, B. G. (2022). Brainstem white matter microstructure is associated with hyporesponsiveness and overall sensory features in autistic children. Molecular Autism, 13(1), 48. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-022-00524-3

Singh, K., García-Gomar, M. G., Cauzzo, S., Staab, J. P., Indovina, I., & Bianciardi, M. (2022). Structural connectivity of autonomic, pain, limbic, and sensory brainstem nuclei in living humans based on 7 Tesla and 3 Tesla MRI. Human Brain Mapping, 43(10), 3086–3112. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25836

Salhi, S., Kora, Y., Ham, G., Zadeh Haghighi, H., & Simon, C. (2023). Network analysis of the human structural connectome including the brainstem. PLOS ONE, 18(4), e0272688. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272688

Edlow, B. L., Olchanyi, M., Freeman, H. J., Li, J., Maffei, C., Snider, S. B., Zöllei, L., Iglesias, J. E., Augustinack, J., Bodien, Y. G., Haynes, R. L., Greve, D. N., Diamond, B. R., Stevens, A., Giacino, J. T., Destrieux, C., Van Der Kouwe, A., Brown, E. N., Folkerth, R. D., … Kinney, H. C. (2024). Multimodal MRI reveals brainstem connections that sustain wakefulness in human consciousness. Science Translational Medicine, 16(745), eadj4303. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.adj4303

Curriculum Vitae

My program of research focuses on risk factors for violence and exploitation among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), as well as the role of adverse childhood experiences in physical and behavioral health outcomes among individuals with IDD. My research approach is guided by the following beliefs: (a) research is impactful when the population(s) of interest perceive it as as both important and relevant; and (b) a crucial component of effective research is the active participation of community members. My goal is to develop comprehensive interpersonal violence prevention programming that balances safety and empowerment through consistent community engagement and partnership.

Training mentor: Sigan Hartley, PhD

Disciplines that I pull from in my research: Social Work, Public Health, Sociology, and Education

Articles that influenced my research:

Reid, J. A. (2018). Sex trafficking of girls with intellectual disabilities: An exploratory mixed methods study. Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment, 30(2), 107–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063216630981

Rizo, C.F., Klein, L.B., Chesworth, B.R., O’Brien, J.E., Macy, R.J., Martin, S.L., Crews, M.E., & Love, B.L. (2019). Educating youth about commercial sexual exploitation of children: A systematic review. Global Social Welfare, 6, 29–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-018-0119-7

Rothman, E. F., Heller, S., & Graham Holmes, L. (2023). Sexual, physical, and emotional aggression, experienced by autistic vs. non-autistic U.S. college students. Journal of American College Health, 71(9), 2786–2794. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1996373

Rothman, E. F., & Graham Holmes, L. (2022). Using formative research to develop HEARTS: A curriculum-based healthy relationships promoting intervention for individuals on the autism spectrum. Autism, 26(1), 160–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211024521

Curriculum Vitae

My research focuses on health and public benefit access and efficacy for autistic adults. In doing so, I aim to listen to and collaborate with autistic adults. In my research, I hope to understand autistic adults’ perceptions of and use of public benefits throughout the lifespan. The ultimate goal of this research is to inform more effective and accessible public benefit policies and supports for autistic adults.

Home department: Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work

Major professor: Karla Ausderau, PhD

Disciplines that I pull from in my research: Social Work, Public Policy, Sociology

Articles that influenced my research:

Shea, L. L., Koffer Miller, K. H., Verstreate, K., Tao, S., & Mandell, D. (2021). States’ use of Medicaid to meet the needs of autistic individuals. Health Services Research, 56(6), 1207–1214. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13671

Jariwala-Parikh, K., Barnard, M., Holmes, E. R., West-Strum, D., Bentley, J. P., Banahan, B., & Khanna, R. (2019). Autism Prevalence in the Medicaid Program and Healthcare Utilization and Costs Among Adult Enrollees Diagnosed with Autism. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 46(6), 768–776. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-019-00960-z

Botha, M., & Gillespie-Lynch, K. (2022). Come as You Are: Examining Autistic Identity Development and the Neurodiversity Movement through an Intersectional Lens. Human Development, 66(2), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1159/000524123

Bell, E., Christensen, J., Herd, P., & Moynihan, D. (2023). Health in citizen-state interactions: How physical and mental health problems shape experiences of administrative burden and reduce take-up. Public Administration Review, 83(2), 385–400. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13568

Curriculum Vitae

My research explores the relationship between language development and social cognition in young children. Employing innovative methodologies such as gaze-contingent eye-tracking paradigms, I investigate how toddlers acquire and use the complex social rules governing language use. This approach allows for the study of early pragmatic competencies while minimizing confounding factors like social engagement or language production requirements. By developing and openly sharing novel empirical methods and computational tools, I also seek to enhance research accessibility in developmental psychology. My work aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of language acquisition and social cognition across diverse populations, bridging insights from various disciplines within human development to advance our knowledge of early cognitive and linguistic processes.

Home department: Psychology

Major Professor: Jenny Saffran, PhD

Disciplines that I pull from in my research: Developmental Psychology, Linguistics, Cognitive Science

Articles that influenced my research:

Koenig, M. A., & Woodward, A. L. (2010). Sensitivity of 24-month-olds to the prior inaccuracy of the source: Possible mechanisms. Developmental Psychology, 46(4), 815–826. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019664

Bohn, M., & Frank, M. C. (2019). The Pervasive Role of Pragmatics in Early Language. In Annual Review of Developmental Psychology (Vol. 1, Issue Volume 1, 2019, pp. 223–249). Annual Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121318-085037

Bazhydai, M., Westermann, G., & Parise, E. (2020). “I don’t know but I know who to ask”: 12‐month‐olds actively seek information from knowledgeable adults. Developmental Science, 23(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12938

Raviv, L., & Arnon, I. (2018). Systematicity, but not compositionality: Examining the emergence of linguistic structure in children and adults using iterated learning. Cognition, 181, 160–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2018.08.011

Newport, E. L. (1990). Maturational Constraints on Language Learning. Cognitive Science, 14(1), 11–28. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1401_2

Curriculum Vitae

My research aims to understand how  brain cells develop differently in individuals with Down Syndrome, or trisomy 21. Specifically, I use stem cells generated from individuals with Down Syndrome and tools like RNA sequencing and flourescent microscopy to understand how an additional copy of chromosome 21 alters the transition from stem cell to a particular brain cells called neurons. This approach aims to inform early mechanisms that can be targeted to improve outcomes like language development and motor coordination in individuals with Down Syndrome.

Home department: Medical Scientist Training Program; Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program

Major Professor: Anita Bhattacharyya, PhD

Disciplines that I pull from in my research: Developmental biology, stem cell biology, neuroscience

Articles that influenced my research:

Giffin-Rao Y, Sheng J, Strand B, Xu K, Huang L, Medo M, Risgaard KA, Dantinne S, Mohan S, Keshan A, Daley RA Jr, Levesque B, Amundson L, Reese R, Sousa AMM, Tao Y, Wang D, Zhang SC, Bhattacharyya A. Altered patterning of trisomy 21 interneuron progenitors. Stem Cell Reports. 2022 Jun 14;17(6):1366-1379. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.05.001. Epub 2022 May 26. PMID: 35623352; PMCID: PMC9214050.

Roper RJ, Baxter LL, Saran NG, Klinedinst DK, Beachy PA, Reeves RH. Defective cerebellar response to mitogenic Hedgehog signaling in Down [corrected] syndrome mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Jan 31;103(5):1452-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0510750103. Epub 2006 Jan 23. Erratum in: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Mar 28;103(13):5242. PMID: 16432181; PMCID: PMC1360600.

Sharma V, Nehra S, Do LH, Ghosh A, Deshpande AJ, Singhal N. Biphasic cell cycle defect causes impaired neurogenesis in down syndrome. Front Genet. 2022 Oct 12;13:1007519. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1007519. PMID: 36313423; PMCID: PMC9596798.

Curriculum Vitae

My fundamental drive as a future physician-scientist is to improve the diagnosis, treatment and understanding of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. I aim to accomplish these goals through my research and clinical training in developmental neuroscience. My research aims to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern human brain development and evolution.

Home department: Medical Scientist Training Program; Cell and Molecular Biology

Major professor: André Sousa, PhD

Disciplines that I pull from in my research: Developmental biology, Evolutionary neuroscience, Genomics, Stem cell biology

Curriculum Vitae

My research investigates how prenatal factors, including demographic characteristics and substance exposure, shape infant brain and cognitive development. I integrate quantitative relaxometry and diffusion MRI techniques to assess infant brain microstructure. I aim to associate these imaging findings with validated developmental assessments to better understand how early brain changes relate to emerging cognitive function. This interdisciplinary approach aims to identify early biomarkers of neurodevelopmental risk and inform strategies to improve outcomes for vulnerable infant populations.

Home department: Neuroscience Training Program

Major professor: Doug Dean III, PhD

Disciplines that I pull from in my research: Neuroimaging, Infant development, Prenatal risk assessment

Articles that influenced my research:

Lean RE, Smyser CD, Brady RG, Triplett RL, Kaplan S, Kenley JK, Shimony JS, Smyser TA, Miller JP, Barch DM, Luby JL, Warner BB, Rogers CE. Prenatal exposure to maternal social disadvantage and psychosocial stress and neonatal white matter connectivity at birth. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Oct 18;119(42):e2204135119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2204135119. Epub 2022 Oct 11. PMID: 36219693; PMCID: PMC9586270.

Donald KA, Roos A, Fouche JP, Koen N, Howells FM, Woods RP, Zar HJ, Narr KL, Stein DJ. A study of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on white matter microstructural integrity at birth. Acta Neuropsychiatr. 2015 Aug;27(4):197-205. doi: 10.1017/neu.2015.35. Epub 2015 May 29. PMID: 26022619; PMCID: PMC6465963.

Zhao X, Shi J, Dai F, Wei L, Zhang B, Yu X, Wang C, Zhu W, Wang H. Brain Development From Newborn to Adolescence: Evaluation by Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging. Front Hum Neurosci. 2021 Mar 15;15:616132. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.616132. PMID: 33790750; PMCID: PMC8005551.

Dean DC 3rd, Planalp EM, Wooten W, Kecskemeti SR, Adluru N, Schmidt CK, Frye C, Birn RM, Burghy CA, Schmidt NL, Styner MA, Short SJ, Kalin NH, Goldsmith HH, Alexander AL, Davidson RJ. Association of Prenatal Maternal Depression and Anxiety Symptoms With Infant White Matter Microstructure. JAMA Pediatr. 2018 Oct 1;172(10):973-981. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.2132. PMID: 30177999; PMCID: PMC6190835.