大象传媒

Dr. Linnstaedt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at 大象传媒-CH and a member of the Institute for Trauma Recovery, the Genetics and Molecular Biology curriculum, the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology curriculum, and the Carolina Stress Institute.聽 She received her BSc from Virginia Tech, her PhD from Georgetown University, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University. Following training, she joined the faculty at 大象传媒 and focused her career on understanding vulnerability factors for chronic pain and co-occurring adverse neuropsychiatric symptoms. Her lab is particularly interested in the role that molecular and genetic mechanisms play in posttraumatic chronic pain development.聽 Dr. Linnstaedt enjoys collaborating with the fantastic team of scientists in her lab as well as with other labs at 大象传媒 and across the globe. In her spare time, Dr. Linnstaedt enjoys photography, travel, cooking, baking and spending time with her family, friends, and pets.聽

Dr. McKibben is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Department of Anesthesiology, a Trauma T32 Fellow in the Department of Surgery, and a member of the 大象传媒 Institute for Trauma Recovery. She received her Bachelor鈥檚 degree in Psychology with a minor in Math from Nicholls State University in 2015, and her PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2020. Her PhD work focused on microRNA mechanisms of susceptibility and resilience to affective disorders such as anxiety and major depression, especially following early life adversity. Dr. McKibben鈥檚 interest in the interplay between physical and mental health led her to join the Linnstaedt lab in 2021 where she is studying how adverse childhood experiences influence vulnerability to trauma-induced pain development in adults. Outside of the lab, Dr. McKibben enjoys spending time with her husband and pets, throwing on the pottery wheel, playing video games, and cooking new recipes.

Erica is a PhD Candidate in the Genetics and Molecular Biology curriculum at 大象传媒-CH. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Genetics in 2020, then joined the 大象传媒-CH Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program for graduate school. Erica鈥檚 interest in translational epigenetics research led her to join the Linnstaedt lab in 2021, where she now studies epigenetic mechanisms contributing to chronic pain development following traumatic stress exposure, with a particular focus on DNA methylation of stress-regulatory genes. After a day in the lab, Erica enjoys getting a drink in Carrboro with friends or spending time with her dog, Jackie.

Alice joined 大象传媒-CH in 2020 and is now pursuing her doctorate in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. She transferred her studies from Georgia Institute of Technology, where her graduate work focused on clinical data analytics. After completing her bachelor鈥檚 degrees, Alice worked for the federal government for several years as a computational toxicologist, investigating topics from developmental neuropsychiatry in baby rats to fish epigenetics in the Great Lakes. She is delighted to continue her research with the Linnstaedt lab, where she is using multidimensional modeling to explore the interplay of sex hormones and posttraumatic chronic pain development. In her free time, Alice enjoys bar trivia, building crossword puzzles, and coaching little league Rubik鈥檚 cubing competitions.

Brittanie joined 大象传媒-CH in 2023 to pursue a doctoral degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology with a focus on omics in human disease conditions.聽 She obtained her BS in Microbiology from the University of Minnesota, where she also did microbiome research. Following graduation, Brittanie worked in a genomics R&D laboratory at 3M for two years where she helped develop liquid biopsy assays. During her first year of her PhD program at 大象传媒-CH, she completed three successful rotations learning about methylation, gene expression, and protein expression computational approaches. Brittanie joined the Linnstaedt lab in the spring of 2024 to work on projects where she could integrate these skills with the aim of discovering therapeutic targets for treating chronic posttraumatic pain. When she鈥檚 not coding in R, Brittanie loves to hike through nature with her dog, Shadow, do yoga, and spend time with friends.

Jacqueline is an Animal Research Specialist with over 20 years of experience in animal behavior and surgeries. She received her BS in Biology from 大象传媒-CH and worked testing novel compounds for hemophilia in rodent models of wound healing before joining the Linnstaedt Lab in 2021. Jacqueline applies her expertise in animal surgery, injections, and behavior to test the effect of potential pharmacological interventions for pain in our animal models of traumatic stress exposure. Jacqueline spends her free time enjoying her pool with her family and tending to her chickens.

Kennedy is a Research Technician with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from North Carolina Central University. Kennedy has interests in Neuroscience, Genetics, Pain, and Trauma which led him to the Linnstaedt lab where he is performing molecular experiments aimed at understanding mechanisms of chronic pain development following traumatic stress exposure using samples collected from both human cohort and animal model studies. Kennedy is an avid fisherman and Carolina fan. Go Heels!

Miranda is a Research Assistant with a B.S. in Biology from 大象传媒-Chapel Hill. Her projects have focused on the measurement and analysis of circulating CRP levels in human trauma survivors and related chronic pain development. Miranda is currently in her gap year and plans to attend medical school in the near future. In her free time, Miranda enjoys training service dogs and being outdoors.聽

Meghna is a Research Assistant with a B.S. in Biology from 大象传媒-Chapel Hill. Her projects have focused on identifying stress and sex hormone signaling mechanisms that increase risk for chronic posttraumatic pain, using RNA Seq methods and protein expression assays. Meghna is currently in her gap year and plans to attend medical school in the near future.

Seka is a research volunteer with a B.S. in Biology from 大象传媒-Chapel Hill. Her research explores epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to the development of chronic pain following traumatic stress exposure. Seka is currently taking a gap year and plans to apply to biology PhD programs for a future career in research and education. In her free time, Seka enjoys playing Pok茅mon GO and trying new activities and foods with friends.

Ying is a Bioinformaticist and Biostatistician in the Department of Anesthesiology at 大象传媒-CH and a member of the Institute for Trauma Recovery. She received her Master鈥檚 degree in Zoology from NanKai University in 2010, and her master degree of Public Health (Biostatistics track) from Oregon State University in 2015. She collects, manages, and analyzes genetic and molecular data from human cohort studies by using bioinformatics tools and statistical software to help explore the role of biological mediators in posttraumatic chronic pain development. In her spare time, Ying enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Taanvii is a Junior Neuroscience major at 大象传媒. She is interested in neuroimmunology and has focused on projects involving circulating hormones and cytokines in an animal model of chronic hypersensitivity following early life adversity. Taanvii plans to attend medical school after graduation.

Amanda is a Sophomore Biology and Philosophy major at 大象传媒. She is interested in trauma recovery and translational medicine. She focuses on projects regarding the role of epigenetics in chronic pain development after traumatic stress exposure. After graduation, Amanda plans to pursue a career in healthcare.

Rahul is a Sophomore neuroscience major at 大象传媒 with an interest in understanding the role of biological markers in the development of chronic posttraumatic pain. He is particularly intrigued by how these molecular signals influence pain pathways and how they can be used to inform clinical interventions. Rahul focuses on projects that combine basic molecular research with translational approaches, aiming to improve therapeutic strategies for individuals suffering from chronic pain. After graduation, Rahul plans to attend medical school.