Community - About Us

Bio: Nicole Baganz, Ph.D., earned her master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Midwest College of Oriental Medicine in Chicago. She went on to earn her doctorate in physiology from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio. Beginning with her doctoral studies, and continuing through her postdoctoral studies in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Baganz has pursued research into the mechanisms by which chemical signaling in the brain can be impacted by the immune system and early-life stress, with a specific interest in alterations in the action of the chemical serotonin. In addition to her scientific interests, Baganz has engaged extensively in community outreach to educate the public as to the promise and progress of brain research. She is currently assistant director and director of community engagement and programming at the Florida Atlantic Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute.

Bio: David Cinalli studies how the brain encodes, consolidates, and recalls different forms of memory in laboratory mice. "I learn about how memory system function can help us develop treatments for disorders like Alzheimer's disease. Now if only I could remember where I left my car keys."

Bio: Alexandra “Aly” Paz is a postdoctoral fellow working with the Advancing STEM-Community Engagement through Neuroscience Discovery (ASCEND) program at Florida Atlantic Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute. Paz earned her doctorate in Integrative Biology in Neuroscience from Florida Atlantic University. Her interest in neuroscience stems from a curiosity about the connection between neurological processes and animal behavior. Paz discovered her passion for neuroscience education while volunteering for the ASCEND program. Now a full-time member of the ASCEND team, Paz supports the program’s communication and community outreach efforts, unraveling the complexities of neuroscience to inspire young people to take an interest in STEM.

Bio: Cássio Morais Loss, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow at Florida Atlantic Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute in the lab of Henriette van Praag, Ph.D., an associate professor, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. A native of Brazil, Loss earned his doctorate in biological sciences from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. His current research focuses on how neurogenesis, spontaneous or induced by physical activity, in the adult rodent brain affects cognitive behaviors.

Bio: The role of diet and exercise in modulation of adult neurogenesis, neuroinflammation and amyloid-beta pathology in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Bio: Daniel Nemeth, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Ning Quan. Bio: I am working with Dr. Ning Quan to dissect the functional mechanisms of cell type specific Interleukin-1 Receptor 1 (IL-1R1) in the central nervous system (CNS). My primary focus is determining if neurons can encode an immunological signal into changes in neuronal connectivity via IL-1R1, which we term as "Immune to Neural Memory". My line of research will dissect how neural encoding of immune signals can lead to the manifestation of either aberrant or beneficial behaviors. Ultimately, I aim to unveil neuro-immune related mechanisms of affective disorders and cognitive decline. Additionally, I am working with a model of sub-chronic peripheral inflammation that dynamically alters microglia, the resident tissues macrophages of the CNS.