• Born in Caracas, Venezuela, raised in South Florida

• College @ the University of Miami - dual major in Biology and Philosophy

• MD/PhD program @ the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Funding: Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study)

• Pediatrics & Child Neurology @ the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Instructor Funding: NINDS R25, NICHD K12)

• Favorites: wandering Philadelphia, traveling, gelato, World Cup futbol, chasing my toddler and cockapoo.

Post-Doctoral Research Fellows

We are looking for a post-doctoral fellow to join the team!

Preeti Chauhan, PhD (she/her)

• Research training experience from Michigan State University, Michigan, USA, (Post-Doctoral Research Associate) and Banaras Hindu University, India (Ph.D.).

• Joined the Cristancho lab in July 2022

• Project: 1) Determining the long-term effects of hypoxia on synaptic density and function. 2) Establishing neuronal cell culture models of in vitro correlations.

• Beyond research: Traveling and exploring new places/cultures.  Love being around family, friends, and loved ones.

Graduate Students

We look forward to being able to welcome graduate students soon! Ana just joined the Penn BGS Neuroscience Graduate Group and hopes to also welcome students from the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group soon!

Staff

We are looking for a senior technician to join the team!

Ethan Gadra

• Haverford College (class of 2022): major in biology & dual minors in chemistry & environmental studies

• Started working in the Cristancho Lab summer of 2021 as an undergraduate. Now a great technician!

  • Thesis investigating the potential neuroprotective effects of histone variant H3f3b.

• Project: continuing research into the effects of H3f3b on the pathophysiology of prenatal hypoxia.

• Beyond research: Haverford College pole vault record holder, enjoys hiking, animals, & spending time with friends & family

Undergraduate & Post-Baccalaureate Students

We welcome undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students. Look out for the lab entry in the CURF Research Directory! Work-student students are welcome!

Caroline Dannacher

• student at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Neuroscience with an anticipated graduation date of May 2025.

• started working in the Cristancho Lab since the very beginning (Summer ‘22)

• Project: working to understand the effects of prenatal hypoxic injury on neuronal migration.

• Beyond research: enjoys being on the Penn Sailing team, listening to Broadway show tunes, and exploring Philadelphia with friends.

Bianca Rodriguez

• student at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Neuroscience with an anticipated graduation date of May 2025.

• started working in the Cristancho Lab since the Summer ‘22

• Project: bioinformatic approaches to correlating preclinical models to human developmental disorders

• Beyond research: true crime stories, horror movies, and good food.

Isabella Sobejano

• student at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry.

• has been working at CHOP since Fall 2020, and joined the Cristancho Lab since the Summer ‘22

• Project: working to understand the effects of prenatal hypoxic injury on the blood brain barrier

• Beyond research: enjoys reading neuroscience books (Oliver Sacks, V.S. Ramachandran), traveling, trying out new restaurants in Center City, Philadelphia, and spending time with her Himalayan cat, Bean.