2024 Scholars

Dr. Eric Isaac Elliott obtained his MD and PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in 2018. His research was conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Fayyaz Sutterwala and Dr. Suzanne Cassel on Nucleotide-Binding Leucine Rich Repeat-Containing Receptors (NLR) that form inflammasomes; central to his thesis work was the regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activation by mitochondria and the novel role for the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin in NLRP3 and caspase-1 recruitment. His research interests remain focused on innate immune mechanisms for sensing pathogens and cell stress, and how activation or dysregulation of these systems relate to infectious disease susceptibility and auto-immune/inflammatory disease processes. Select Publications:Elliott EI, Miller AN, Banoth B, Iyer SS, Stotland A, Weiss JP, Gottlieb RA, Sutterwala FS, Cassel SL. Cutting Edge: Mitochondrial Assembly of the NLRP3 Inflammasome Complex Is Initiated at Priming. J Immunol. 2018 May 1;200(9):3047-3052.Ulland TK, Jain N, Hornick EE, Elliott EI, Clay GM, Sadler JJ, Mills KA, Janowski AM, Volk AP, Wang K, Legge KL, Gakhar L, Bourdi M, Ferguson PJ, Wilson ME, Cassel SL, Sutterwala FS. Nlrp12 mutation causes C57BL/6J strain-specific defect in neutrophil recruitment. Nat Commun. 2016 Oct 25;7:13180.Elliott EI, Sutterwala FS. Monocytes Take Their Own Path to IL-1β. Immunity. 2016 Apr 19;44(4):713-5.Elliott EI, Sutterwala FS. Initiation and perpetuation of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and assembly. Immunol Rev. 2015 May;265(1):35-52.Iyer SS, He Q, Janczy JR, Elliott EI, Zhong Z, Olivier AK, Sadler JJ, Knepper-Adrian V, Han R, Qiao L, Eisenbarth SC, Nauseef WM, Cassel SL, Sutterwala FS. Mitochondrial cardiolipin is required for Nlrp3 inflammasome activation. Immunity. 2013 Aug 22;39(2):311-323.

My interest in neuroscience and understanding the neurobiology of psychiatric diseases began when I worked the University of Pennsylvania for several years prior to medical school. I worked in a translational neuroscience laboratory using cell lines derived from patients with psychiatric disorders to identify disease- and treatment-specific molecular changes in glucocorticoid signaling pathways. During this time, I became particularly interested in MDD and in understanding the heterogeneous symptomatology of this disorder. As an MD-PhD candidate, my dissertation research focused on effects of GABAergic neurotransmission and subsets of GABAergic neurons on anxiety- and depression-related phenotypes using rodent models. I also studied the role of GABAergic transmission in ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects. Upon entering the NRTP at Yale, I became interested in the neurobiological mechanisms of psychedelics and their use as potential therapeutics for depressive disorders. I’ve been fortunate to benefit from the input of several mentors including Alex Kwan, Marina Picciotto and Al Kaye. My current work focuses on structural plasticity in the mouse frontal cortex with psychedelic compounds. I’m generally interested in the effects of psychedelics on circuits and brain regions important for depressive disorder and what drives the timescale of their clinical effects. Clinically, I am interested in interventional psychiatry and mood disorders. In my free time, I enjoy biking, rock climbing, playing touch rugby, and spoiling my two cats.

Olivia N. Kachingwe, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Public Health in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale School of Public Health. Her research focuses on understanding how healthcare providers, peers, family members (particularly fathers), and technology can better support the sexual and reproductive health of Black youth and young adults, with an emphasis on health disparities rooted in systemic racism and discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities. A central component of Dr. Kachingwe’s research is strong partnerships with community-based organizations and providers. She has expertise in qualitative methods and community-engaged research. Dr. Kachingwe received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Behavioral and Community Health and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Maternal and Child Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health. Dr. Kachingwe’s most recent projects include (1) a qualitative exploration of parent-child sexual health communication among Black LGBTQ+ young adults and (2) the evaluation of an evidence-based parenting intervention implemented among Black fathers and fathers on probation, parole, and supervised release.

Andrew Loza is a physician-scientist whose research focuses on predictive analytics and population health. He received his PhD from Washington University in St. Louis in biophysics studying mechanisms of collective cell migration using time lapse microscopy coupled with computer vision methods and simulation. He completed his MD degree at the Yale University School of Medicine and residency in Internal Medicine – Pediatrics also at Yale. During this time he contributed to development of a COVID-19 census prediction model and conducted research on the effect of COVID-19 on routine pediatric outpatient care. He is currently a Clinical Informatics fellow in the ACGME Yale/VA program led by Dr. Edward Melnick with clinical work at the Yale Internal Medicine – Pediatrics Clinic.

Dr. Prust received his MD from Harvard Medical School. He completed residency training in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham & Women's Hospital, where he served as chief resident in his final year, and completed fellowship training in neurocritical care at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Prust is dedicated to providing the best care to patients and their families who are suffering from acute neurologic illnesses such as brain hemorrhage, stroke, seizure, and traumatic brain injury. His research interests lie at the intersection of neurology, critical care, and global health, and he is passionate about finding ways to improve outcomes from neurologic emergencies in resource-limited settings.

Dr. Ringel received her bachelor’s degree in Biology with a Specialization in Neuroscience from Boston University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with College Honors. She then spent several years working in international development prior to starting her medical career.  She received her MD from Harvard Medical School, and completed Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at New York University and Bellevue Hospital, where she earned several academic and teaching awards. She then completed her Urogynecology/Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) fellowship at Georgetown University School of Medicine/Medstar Health, where she also completed a Masters in Clinical and Translational Research. She is a board certified Obstetrician Gynecologist through the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and is a fellowship-trained subspecialty surgeon in FPMRS.   Dr. Ringel has published numerous peer-reviewed publications, several book chapters, and has presented her research at many academic conferences. She has held national leadership positions and is an active member of leading medical societies in her field. Her areas of expertise include vaginal, robotic and laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, and pelvic fistula.