Meet the Lab | mysite

Michael F. Salvatore, Ph.D.

Professor, Pharmacology & Neuroscience

Lab Head.

BA, Ohio Wesleyan University, 1988

PhD, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans, 2000

Mentor: John W. Haycock, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral, Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Fellow and Neurobiology of Aging Fellow, University of Kentucky Medical Center

Mentor: Greg A. Gerhardt, Ph.D. (primary)

Current position: Professor, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center-Fort Worth, 2015-

Previous: Associate Professor, LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport 2012-2014

Assistant Professor, LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport 2006-2012

Graduates from the Salvatore Lab:

Brandon S. Pruett, MD, Ph.D.

BS, Northwestern State

PhD, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, 2012

MD, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, 2014

Research Track Resident, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, 2014-2018

Current position: Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, UAB UAB

https://www.uab.edu/medicine/psychiatry/faculty/adult-inpatient/pruett-brandon-scott-m-d-ph-d

Tanya Chotibut, Ph.D.

BS, Swarthmore College

PhD, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, 2014

Current position, Associate Director, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Boston, MA

Jennifer C. Arnold, Ph.D.

BS, Kansas State University

PhD, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, 2016

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neurosurgery, NYU School of Medicine

Current position, Medical Communications, CMC Connect

Ella A. Kasanga, Ph.D.

MPhil, Pharmacology, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

PhD, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 2021

Current position, Postdoctoral Fellow, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Awards Honors:

Society for Neuroscience Trainee Award, 2017, 2019

Visiting Scholar Award, Parkinson’s Foundation, 2020
“Investigating the role of astrocyte- specific glutamate transporters in preservation of
nigral tyrosine hydroxylase following exercise in a rat hemi-Parkinson’s disease
model”, Laboratory of Jason Richardson, Ph.D., Florida Intl. Univ.
• Predoctoral International Fellowship, Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Training Program
• University of Utah, Rising Stars in Neuroscience Symposium
• Harbans Lal Award, Outstanding Graduate Student in Pharmacology & Neuroscience
• Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Online Sciathon First Place

Isabel Soto

BS, University of Houston, 2017

PhD, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 2024

Current position, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan, Michigan Neuroscience Institute

Awards Honors

Movement Disorder Society Pan American Research Training Program, 2024

Neurobiology of Aging Conference, UNT Health Sci Ctr, Best Oral Presentation, 2023

Society for Neuroscience, Neuroscience Scholars Program, 2022

Southern Gerontological Society, Student Travel Scholarship, 2022 Annual Meeting

Southern Gerontological Society, 1st place, Best Student Poster, 43rd Annual Meeting, Palm Beach, Florida

Professional Lab Staff:

Kirby Doshier

BS, Texas Wesleyan University

MS, University of North Texas

Doctoral Candidate: 2023-

Research Interest: Tracking eye movement differences in early-stage Parkinson's disease

Robert McManus

B.S., Texas Wesleyan University, 2021 (Summa Cum Laude), 2021

Current position: Medical student, University of Texas-Houston, McGovern Medical School

About Robert; I like to write code in my spare time and my favorite part about science is making graphs. Studying Parkinson's is important to me because I'm making a direct impact

on an expanding patient population while still learning the skills I'll take with me into my future as a researcher. "