Kathryn M Wall, MS, MA

Kathryn earned her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at Union College in Schenectady, NY in 2018. During her undergraduate career she worked in the Healthy Aging and Neuropsychology Lab with Dr. Cay Anderson-Hanley assessing the impacts of a neuro-exergame on cognition among older adults. During her time in the Healthy Aging and Neuropsychology Lab she collaborated with Union College's Dr. Brian Cohen to assess salivary biomarkers cognitive change and University at Albany's Dr. Igor Lednev using Raman Spectrometry to develop a non-invasive saliva based diagnostic tool for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's Disease. Kathryn also completed internships at the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Center in Albany, NY with Dr. Jonathon Carp, the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD with Dr. Okihide Hikosaka, and the Neural Stem Cell Institute in Rensselaer, NY with Dr. Natasha Lowry. She also held long term volunteer positions at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital and Ellis Hospital both located in Schenectady, NY during her undergraduate years. Kathryn completed a term aboard in York, United Kingdom where she worked on visiting student research projects with Dr. William Brackenbury at the University of York and Dr. Alison Laver-Fawcett at York St. John University.

After completing her Bachelor's degree, Kathryn joined the Modern Diet and Physiology Research Lab at Yale as a Research Assistant working with Dr. Dana Small. While working as an RA, Kathryn completed a Master of Science in Biology at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, CT and a Master of Arts in Psychology at American Public University.

Kathryn joined the Yale University Interdepartmental Neuroscience PhD program in the Fall of 2020 and affiliated with Dr. Helena Rutherford's The Before and After Baby Lab at the Yale Child Study Center. She is most interested in the neurobiological, psychological, and behavioral implications of substance use and mental health conditions during the perinatal period on both mom and baby.

Outside the lab, Kathryn is an editor for the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, is working towards earning a Certificate in College Teaching Preparation at the Yale Poorvu Teaching Center, and serves as a McDougal Professional Development Fellow.