My journey as a substance abuse researcher began as an undergraduate at Western Michigan University, where I worked under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Baker, Dr. Mark Rzeszutek, and Dr. Harmony Risca. I studied the rewarding properties of MDMA combined with synthetic cathinones, better known as ‘bath salts’, in male and female rodents. This work kickstarted my career as a researcher, and I am now a 4th year graduate student in the Cognitive Neuroscience program working under Dr. Michael Bardo. 

My research is focused on developing translational preclinical rodent models of opioid use disorder (OUD) with a focus on escalation of high-potency synthetic opioids and the development of adrenergic adjuncts to traditional fentanyl countermeasures. I am interested in developing novel treatments for substance use disorders and uncovering the neural mechanisms that underpin these behaviors. Moreover, I am uncovering transcriptomic differences related to a phenotype that is prone to escalate fentanyl self-administration. It is my goal to improve upon current rodent models to better mimic the human condition in the hopes of improving clinical treatment outcomes.