Department of Pharmacology and Physiology
Drexel University College of Medicine
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Christina Curran-Alfaro Awarded Mary Hoffman Shaw Travel Award!
December 2024
Congratulations Christina!
Garrett Denney Wins Award at Discovery Day!
November 2024
Garrett (right) was awarded 1st place in the undergraduate student category for his poster, "Effects of Adenosine Modulation on Cocaine-Seeking Behavior in EcoHIV Infected Mice - A Pilot Study", at Discovery Day 2024!
Mitch Nothem Renews Award from Drexel Medical Cannabis Research Consortium!
November 2024
This continued funding will support Mitch in expanding his pilot studies to further investigate the ability of cannabinoid compounds to reduce pain-related behavior and to suppress pain-induced reinstatement of ethanol seeking.
Qiaowei Xie Defends her Dissertation!
October 2024
Congratulations to Qiaowei for successfully defending her PhD Thesis!
NIDA Funded R61/R33!
September 2024
We are excited to begin work on this NIDA funded R61/R33 in a new multidisciplinary MPI award with Zachary Klase, William Dampier, and Joshua Jackson! The project is titled, "Examination of epigenetic spatial architecture in the CNS as a method to understand cocaine relapse in ecoHIV infected mice."
NIDA Funded R21!
August 2024
Built primarily off the research of Laura Giacometti, we are excited to begin work on this newly funded R21, "HIV and estrogen effects on hypothalamic regulation of cocaine-related behavior"
Laura Giacometti promoted to Research Assistant Professor!
July 2024
Congratulations Laura!
Laura Giacometti awarded NIDA A-START grant!
June 2024
Laura's R03, "HIV effects on astrocytic regulation of stress-induced cocaine reinstatement", will investigate the effects of EcoHIV infection and cocaine exposure on astrocytic glucocorticoid receptors in response to stress and stress-induced reinstatement.
Mark Namba's F32 is funded!
May 2024
Mark's F32 will support his work utilizing optogenetics targeting microglia to study the circuit and neuroimmune contributions to HIV-induced reward learning deficits.
Christina Curran-Alfaro delivers keynote presentation at Rutgers' Biology Day
April 26, 2024
Christina was invited to return to her alma mater to deliver the keynote presentation at the annual Rutgers Camden Biology Day. Her presentation focused on her career path and the skills she has brought through each stage of her STEM journey.
Laura Giacometti awarded CNHC pilot grant!
April 2024
Laura's pilot grant, "Top-down mechanisms of estrous cycle dysregulation in EcoHIV infection", will support how EcoHIV infection effects pituitary hormones and medial preoptic area neuron activity.
Christina Curran-Alfaro wins an award at the GRC!
February, 2024
Christina was awarded the Graduate Student Award for her poster, "sex differences in the effects of chronic low-dose ethanol exposure on behavioral response to changes in reward value", at the Gordon Research Conference on Alcohol & The Nervous System.
Rohan Dasari wins award at Discovery Day!
November, 2023
Rohan was awarded 2nd place in the undergraduate student category for his poster, "altered cocaine-seeking behavior and corticolimbic circuit activation in EcoHIV infected mice", at Drexel University Discovery Day.
Rohan Dasari wins award at MAPS!
October, 2023
Rohan was awarded 1st place in the undergraduate student category for his poster, "altered cocaine-seeking behavior and corticolimbic circuit activation in EcoHIV infected mice", at Mid-Atlantic Pharmacology Society meeting.
New review out now! Advancing the preclinical study of comorbid neuroHIV and substance use disorders: Current perspectives and future directions
October 2023
This new review from Mark Namba and Qiaowei Xie emphasizes the importance of integrating substance use disorder and HIV research in preclinical models.
Christina Curran-Alfaro receives the Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship
October, 2023
This fellowship supports URM graduate students in attending their first Gordon Research Conference.
September, 2023
Mitch Nothem receives pilot award
Mitch Nothem has been awarded pilot funding to investigate the analgesic potential of cannabidiol combinations for chronic neuropathic pain. This work will expand our knowledge of how chronic administration of CBD alone or a combination of CBD and other cannabinoids can impact chronic pain behaviors.
September, 2023
NIAAA R21 funded
We are excited to begin work on this newly funded R21, "Prelimbic cortex contribution to ethanol seeking in chronic neuropathic pain", led by Mitch Nothem, which will provide insight into the neurobehavioral niche mediating ethanol seeking and relapse-related behavior under conditions of chronic pain.
August, 2023
Julia Wiafe-Jackson places 3rd in the Quick Pitch Competition!
Julia came in third place for her quick pitch presentation at the end of the STAR scholars program, following an incredible poster presentation.
August, 2023
Christina Curran-Alfaro's F31 is funded!
Christina's funded F31 will support her work investigating chronic low-dose ethanol effects on value-guided decision-making and BLA function.
New work highlights the effects of ethanol exposure in adolescence on reward seeking in adulthood
July 2023
Laura Giacometti's work in this paper demonstrate how adolescent ethanol exposure disrupted nondrug reward taking and seeking in adulthood and altered ethanol consumption in adult male mice. This work was supported by lab members Christine Side, Kelsey Chandran, Sam Stine, Lauren Buck, and Rebecca Wenzel-Rideout.
Katie Bryant's paper featured in eNeuro
May 8, 2023
Katie's new paper, "A history of low-dose ethanol shifts the role of ventral hippocampus during reward seeking in male mice" was selected as a featured article in eNeuro!
Katie Bryant selected as an Enoch Gordis Research Recognition Award Finalist!
June 17, 2023
Congratulations and good luck to Katie!
Katie Bryant earns the Bondi Award!
May 12, 2023
Congratulations to Katie for receiving the Amedeo Bondi, PhD Endowed Graduate Award. This award is given to a graduating PhD student for excellence in research performance during their training experience.
Katie Bryant Defends her Dissertation!
April 17, 2023
Congratulations to Katie for successfully defending her PhD thesis! Katie is the first PhD graduate from the Barker lab, and has set a high bar for all who follow in her foot steps. We can't wait to see the great things she will achieve!
The Barker lab at PCSfN
March 13, 2023
Congratulations are in order to both Katie and Christine! Katie's award winning flash talk was excellent, and Christine took first place for her poster in the technician category at the Philadelphia Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.
Christina Wins 2nd Place at Discovery Day
October 28, 2022
Congratulations to Christina for winning second place in the Outstanding Senior Graduate Student Poster category at the 2022 Discovery Day meeting.
Mark Namba's diversity supplement is funded!
October 28, 2022
Congratulations to Mark on recieving a diversity supplemt from NIDA. This funding will support Mark's innovative work investigating neurobehavioral mechanisms in preclinical models of comorbid HIV and substance use disorder.
Sam Stine defends her master's thesis!
May 10, 2022
Congratulations to Sam for successfully defending her master's thesis investigating binge-like eating following chronic ethanol exposure in female mice.
ASPET Travel Awards
April 4, 2022
Congratulations to Christina and Qiaowei for receiving travel awards from ASPET!
Katie Bryant's F31 is funded!
May 27, 2021
Katie's funded F31 will support her work investigating the role of ventral hippocampus circuits in mediating the effects of low-dose ethanol on reward learning and motivation.
Congratulations to Qiaowei for her successful defense!
June 11, 2019
Qiaowei Xie successfully defended her Master's in Drug Discovery and Development today! Her thesis work on sex differences in compulsive-like ethanol seeking was recently published at ACER - learn more here.
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Qiaowei will start her PhD in Pharmacology and Physiology this fall, and we're sure many great things are yet to come!
NIDA A-START Award Funded!
May 10, 2019
We're very excited to have received a NOA for our NIDA A-START Award investigating aberrant corticostriatal circuit function in a mouse model of HIV infection. This research, in collaboration with the Gaskill Lab, will assess infection-induced alterations in compulsive-like drug seeking and underlying neurobiological substrates.
Qiaowei's research recognized at Drexel's Sex and Gender Research Forum
March 13, 2019
Congratulations to Qiaowei for receiving a poster award at the Drexel Sex and Gender Research Forum. Her research identifies sex-specific effects of chronic ethanol exposure on reward seeking despite aversive experiences.
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Check out our new work on vHipp projections in the maintenance of habitual behavior
January 07, 2019
Welcome to the lab, Fangyi!
November 28, 2018
Fangyi Huang is completing her Master's in Drug Discover & Development Program as part of an undergraduate-graduate cooperation between Drexel University and China Pharmaceutical University.