Gator NeuroScholars Postdoc Fellowship

I am driven by a deep curiosity to explore the intricate relationship between the cardiorespiratory system and neurologically mediated conditions and uncover the profound impact of these conditions on cardiovascular and respiratory function.

I investigate neuro-immune interactions in the sympathetic nerves that control inflammation.

I’m driven by the desire to know more and make meaningful contributions to the field of drug discovery and development to treat secondary inflammatory effects of ischemic strokes.

My drive is looking at metabolic risk factors: How can we change nutrition, aspects of obesity, and Type 2 diabetes in a way that it will impact dementia progression down the line?”

I’m fascinated by the learning and memory process. In my Ph.D., we worked a lot on the learning process — how we store our memories and how we integrate our previous memories into current life. That’s the amazing part.

I want to make a difference in the lives of my patients, both through direct clinical work as a neurosurgeon and through research in the lab to provide new treatment avenues for currently incurable neurodegenerative disorders.

“Throughout high school and college, I volunteered with physical therapists in long-term care hospitals, supporting patients with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. Witnessing the progress patients achieve through different neurorehabilitation strategies sparked my interest in the science and in how I might contribute to advancing these approaches.”

“I have always been motivated to understand how something works. Not just understand, but utilize this to ideally improve the way it works. I started studying psychology because I was always interested in human perception and how we make sense of the world. I’m interested in how human experiences are shaped, and how problems evolve.”

“My mom is a nurse, and growing up I was inspired by her desire to help people. I realized that what I really enjoy doing is math and computers. So when I learned about biomedical engineering, I thought that’s my way of combining what I’m talented in — math and computers — with my desire to help people in the healthcare setting.”

“In second grade, we had to write this ‘All About Me’ book, and I drew a picture of myself in a white coat. There’s no one in my family in science, but my thought was I’d be a great scientist because I love to learn new things.”

My goal is to improve the lives of those affected with diseases, specifically Parkinson’s disease, for which we have a resounding unmet need for better treatments, diagnostics and improved understanding of the fundamentals of disease.

A former member of the Tansey Lab, Dr. Merchak studies the interplay between the immune system, the gut, and the brain. She is now an Assistant Research Professor of Neurology at Indiana University.