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Serena-Kaye Kinley-Cooper, ’14 – PhD Candidate in Neuroscience at MUSC

Posted by: shortsd | October 28, 2018 | No Comment |

Serena-Kaye Kinley-Cooper ’14 is currently a PhD candidate in the Neurosciences department at the Medical University of South Carolina working under Dr. DeAnna Adkins. Serena-Kaye’s doctoral research focuses on filling the gap in the current understanding of how brain stimulation can enhance recovery from stroke. This has involved conducting studies that investigate how and when brain stimulation interacts with brain injury and how we can use this understanding to optimize stimulation to enhance functional recovery. The research she will be defending in April 2019 focuses on the effects of inhibitory contra-lesional or excitatory ipsi-lesional brain stimulation in an animal model of stroke. The direction of Serena-Kaye’s research has allowed her to receive several grants that include a TL1 translational training grant and a prestigious F99/K00 award that pays for her graduate funding and three years of postdoctoral funding upon graduation. While attending graduate school at MUSC, Serena-Kaye also serves as a teaching assistant for two undergraduate psychology classes taught by CofC PSYC’s Dr. Jennifer Wilhelm.

While a student at CofC, Serena-Kaye worked with Dr. Michael Ruscio for two years. She says, “This experience was INSTRUMENTAL to my love of research. Working in his lab allowed me to become proficient in not only lab techniques I was utilizing, but also skills such as writing (I did a Bachelor’s essay) presentations and poster making. These are skills that I am still using today after almost 5 years in graduate school. I was also able to be a coauthor on publications and poster presentations, which were great additions to my CV! Just this last year, I gave a talk in Dr. Ruscio’s hormones and behavior class.” Serena-Kaye gave an oral presentations of her research with Dr. Michael Ruscio at the SYNAPSE conference in Asheville, NC (for which she received an RPG grant from URCA) and at the McNair Conference in Atlanta Georgia as a student in the Ronald McNair program. Serena-Kaye won second place in her category for her presentation.

 

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