Principal Investigator
Jaime Imitola, MD FAAN., FANA
Professor of Neurology
Vice-Chair Neurology Research
Chief-Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology
Director of UConn Health MS Center
Dr. Imitola is a Board certified Neurologist with specialization in MS/Neuroimmunology focusing on progressive MS and rare neuroimmune disorders. He completed fellowships in MS/Neuroimmunology, and Stem Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, trained at the Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital in collaboration with the Chris Walsh lab. He studied Neural stem cells and oligodendrocyte progenitors in models of MS. He was Instructor in Neurology and Affiliated faculty of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and HMS until 2008. He trained in clinical neurology and Multiple sclerosis at Temple and Jefferson Hospitals in Philadelphia. Prior to establishing the Comprehensive MS program at UConn Health Dr. Imitola was the founder of the Progressive MS Clinic, the Scarlet and Gray Multiple Sclerosis community and education symposium at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association and the current Vice-Chair of the education committee of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). He has multiple accolades among them, he was awarded the 2023 UConn student nominated graduate faculty career mentor of the year. Learn more.
Current Scholars
Fumihiro Watanabe, PhD
Dr. Fumihiro (Fumi) Watanabe received his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Tokyo in Japan. His thesis was titled "Anatomical and behavior for cerebellar Purkinje cell specific-FAK deficient mice (PC-FAK Mutant). Dr. Watanabe is developing new three-dimensional human cultures and organoids to model aspects of human neurodegeneration seen in in patients with MS and glioblastoma. In addition to studying new candidate molecules identified from genomic analysis that may mediate the impact on inflammation on the genetic programs of human and neural stem cells.
Dr. Fumihiro (Fumi) Watanabe received his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Tokyo in Japan. His thesis was titled "Anatomical and behavior for cerebellar Purkinje cell specific-FAK deficient mice (PC-FAK Mutant). Dr. Watanabe is developing new three-dimensional human cultures and organoids to model aspects of human neurodegeneration seen in in patients with MS and glioblastoma. In addition to studying new candidate molecules identified from genomic analysis that may mediate the impact on inflammation on the genetic programs of human and neural stem cells.
Shivam Patel, MD (c)
Shivam is currently a MSIV at the UConn School of Medicine, he has worked in the lab for the last 2.5 years in the application of DIR imaging technique to visualize MS lesions and he crating educational tools for medical students and patients to increase awareness of MS. He has published two first authors papers from while in the lab. He is interested in Neurology and he will start Neurology residency in July 2024 at Tufts University in Boston.
Publications
Shivam is currently a MSIV at the UConn School of Medicine, he has worked in the lab for the last 2.5 years in the application of DIR imaging technique to visualize MS lesions and he crating educational tools for medical students and patients to increase awareness of MS. He has published two first authors papers from while in the lab. He is interested in Neurology and he will start Neurology residency in July 2024 at Tufts University in Boston.
Publications
MS Society Clinical Medical Student Mentorship Program
The goals of this program is to raise awareness of the challenges experienced by people with MS and to generate interest in a career in MS care, for more information.
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2024-Victor O Adedara
Victor is currently a 3rd year medical student at St George's University School of Medicine, True Blue, Grenada, and a first year MPH/MBA student at the University of Suffolk/East London University. He is from Brooklyn, New York, and began working in the lab in June 2024 while participating in the National MS Society mentorship program. 2002 - Sharlene Choi
Sharlene is currently a 3nd year medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine , Bronx NY, and began working in the lab in June 2022, while participating in the National MS Society mentorship program |
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2023-Saloni Chadha
Saloni is currently a 2nd year medical student at LECOM in Bradenton, Florida. She is originally from Buffalo, NY, and began working in the lab in June 2023, while participating in the National MS Society mentorship program under Dr. Imitola. |
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Clinical Research Coordinator:
Emily Carrizzo, RN
Department of Neurology,Clinical research Coordinator
Residents and Fellows:
Brenda Pulgarin, MD PGY-3
2025 MS fellow at UVA
Jordan Siegel, MD MPH PGY-3
Graduate Students:
Rotating students
UConn Biomedical Science Graduate program
- Jake graduated from Cornell University in 2021 with a B.S. from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. While at Cornell, he spent two years on the Men’s Golf Team and spent a short time conducting research in the August Laboratory. He then obtained his M.S. from New York University in 2023, where he conducted his master’s thesis in the Sahni Laboratory at the Burke Neurological Institute in White Plains, NY. His research in the Sahni Lab consisted of developing a new transgenic mouse model for studying corticospinal neuron axon growth and guidance, as well as using this mouse model to investigate the role of novel genes in re-directing corticospinal neuron axons to novel spinal targets. Prior to his undergraduate and graduate studies, he raised over $40,000 for the Connecticut Chapter of the National MS Society through a series of golf-based fundraisers.
Undergraduates
Richard Ginocchio
Brooke Cyr
Laura Aquino
Alumni & Current Positions
Timothy Nolan, MD 2020-2022
Internal Medicine Resident Brown University
Timothy (Tim) Nolan is a medical student interested in improving three-dimensional cultures of organoids to improve research in demyelinating diseases, such as MS. Tim has previously researched direct neuronal reprogramming from oligodendrocyte precursor cells, reproductive toxicology, and identifying highly conserved transcripts between rat, mouse and human sperm. Outside of research, Tim has written materials for and taught classes on the MCAT since 2017 and stays active by lifting weights and running.
Internal Medicine Resident Brown University
Timothy (Tim) Nolan is a medical student interested in improving three-dimensional cultures of organoids to improve research in demyelinating diseases, such as MS. Tim has previously researched direct neuronal reprogramming from oligodendrocyte precursor cells, reproductive toxicology, and identifying highly conserved transcripts between rat, mouse and human sperm. Outside of research, Tim has written materials for and taught classes on the MCAT since 2017 and stays active by lifting weights and running.
Dr. Charanpreet Padam MD 2019-2021
Neurology Resident UConn Neurology Program
Neurology Resident UConn Neurology Program
Katie Julian, MD 2015-2020
Internal Medicine resident, University of Colorado
Internal Medicine resident, University of Colorado
Widjan Rai, MD 2015-2019
MS and Neuroimmunology Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Sanford Health MS and Neuroimmunology attending
MS and Neuroimmunology Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Sanford Health MS and Neuroimmunology attending
Ethan Hollingsworth, MD., PhD Candidate
University of California, Irvine MSTP Program GRII (2015-2018) pursuing graduate thesis in the Kvon Lab in genetics and Genomics at UCI.
University of California, Irvine MSTP Program GRII (2015-2018) pursuing graduate thesis in the Kvon Lab in genetics and Genomics at UCI.
Dominic Julian, MD.,PhD Candidate
University of Arizona, Phoenix working in the Sattler lab in RNA editing in ALS
University of Arizona, Phoenix working in the Sattler lab in RNA editing in ALS
Thomas Mengesha MD (c) 2016-2019
MS I Ohio State University School of Medicine
MS I Ohio State University School of Medicine
Gianna D'Apolito 2016-2019
Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience major at The Ohio State University
Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience major at The Ohio State University
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Austin Schoeffler (2015-2018)
MD Candidate at The Ohio State University College of Medicine (MSI) Rahil Desai (2016-2018) DO Candidate at Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Arizona (MSI) Nicholas Yuhasz (2017-2018) Physiology Master's Student at the University of Cincinnati Tushar Goswami (2016-2017) Natalie Squires (2017) MD Candidate at Northwestern University Medical School (MSI) Chelsea Skinner (2015-2016) MD Candidate at The Ohio State University College of Medicine (MSIII) Jacob Vaughn MD Candidate at the University of Toledo College of Medicine (MSIII) Josh Orack, BS Nicholas Roe, BS Sriram Suvardula, BS International Visiting Scholars Luay Mrad, MD 2020 Pain Medicine Fellowship, University of Vermont Jamil Khoury, MD 2020 Family Medicine, Case Western Cleveland. |