DR. LAURA VILLASANA
Laura Villasana is an Assistant Scientist in the Dow Department at Legacy Research Institute and holds an adjunct position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine at OHSU. Her research focuses on understanding how endogenous increases in new neurons (neurogenesis) after brain insults such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) influence cognitive recovery, and the trajectory of healthy aging. Conversely, she is also interested in how TBI affects the integrity of ongoing neurogenesis. Recent research in her lab has implicated impaired neurogenesis as a novel pathology to help explain why repeated TBIs may have worse long-term cognitive outcomes. Laura currently serves as a guest editor on a special call in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience to help increase awareness to the enormous and under-recognized rates of TBIs stemming from intimate partner violence. In addition to her research, Laura is equally as passionate about sharing her enthusiasm and love of science with students. She has previously worked with other organizations such as ABRCMS and SACNAS to offer students greater exposure to careers in the biomedical field. She is now thrilled to serve as a mentor in the McNair program, and looks forward to a very successful collaboration with PSU.