معرفی
Jessica A. Osterhout, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Her lab investigates immune-brain communication during sickness, focusing on how neural circuits generate sickness symptoms like fever, pain sensitivity, and appetite loss.
- Primary Affiliation: University of Utah School of Medicine
- Postdoc: Harvard University
- PhD: University of California, San Diego
- Undergrad: University of Oregon
Research interests include immune-brain axis mechanisms, hypothalamic circuits in sickness, and gene expression changes in brain regions during immune responses. Techniques involve single-cell transcriptomics, viral circuit dissection, and behavioral models.
Her recent work, including the 2025 Pew Biomedical Scholar award and 2024 Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship, explores how inflammation alters neural circuits. Articles span neurodevelopment (2011-2015) and sickness-induced behavioral changes (2022). Key sub-fields include cadherin/contactin signaling, medial amygdala circuits, and hypothalamic immune sensing.
- 2025 Pew Biomedical Scholar
- 2024 Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship
The lab mentors trainees like graduate student Sophia Andreadis and UROP awardee Sam Hedges. Community involvement includes leadership in Utah Women in Neuroscience (WiN), Committee for Respect, Unity and Engagement (CRUE), and Brain Awareness Week.
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