Amanda C. Kentner

My name is Eric Connors and was a first generation college student who graduated from MCPHS in 2014 with a BS in Health Psychology. I was also the first student to conduct research in the Kentner Laboratory. Using an animal model of behavior, we investigated the impact of environmental enrichment on potentially reversing the effects of prenatal stressors, that can hinder neurological development. During my time in the lab, I was able to present my research at international neuroscience conferences and published two peer-reviewed publications. In addition, Dr. Kentner and I obtained the SURF Supervisor of the Year Award and the SURF Scholar of the Year Award, which are accomplishments that I am still proud of today. 

Training in the laboratory fueled my interest in the clinical implications of neurorehabilitation, among individuals who endured an acquired brain injury (ABI). This fascination influenced me to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, with a focus in both health psychology and neuropsychology. 

Connors, E.J., Migliore, M.M., Pillsbury, S.L., Shaik, A.N., Kentner, A.C. (2015). Environmental enrichment models a naturalistic form of maternal separation and shapes the anxiety response patterns of offspring. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 52, 153-167,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.10.021. 

Connors, E.J., Shaik, N.A., Migliore, M.M., Kentner, A.C. (2014). Environmental enrichment mitigates the sex-specific effects of gestational inflammation on social engagement and the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis-feedback system. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 42, 178-190, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2014.06.020. 

I’m Urma Khan, and I received a Bachelor’s of Science in Premedical and Health Studies with a minor in Health Psychology. When working in the Neurodevelopmental Brain and Behavior Laboratory, I had the opportunity to collaborate with other students and learn about research methods and conduct data processing. The research experience sparked my interest in neurosciences, as a nursing specialty, and inspired me to work towards a preceptorship on a Neurosciences Intermediate Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, as I completed a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at Northeastern University. I worked on a Neurosciences Unit as a Patient Care Technician at BIDMC for several years. I then obtained a Registered Nurse licensure, and now work on in cardiology a BIDMC.

Kentner, A.C., Khan, U., MacRae, M., Dowd, S.E., Yan, S. (2018). The effects of antibiotics on social aversion following early life inflammation. Physiology & Behavior, 194, 311-318. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.06.006. 

My name is Tiffany Macrina. I am currently working as an occupational therapist in Aberdeen Washington, providing both inpatient and outpatient services in addition to providing care to children at some of the surrounding elementary schools. I learned many skills from my experience in the lab that I have carried with me through graduate school. I learned to read research articles, how to observe and evaluate behavior, and how to apply myself to learn outside of the classroom. I learned that the interactions between the environment and other physical, psychological and social factors are important to consider when evaluating a patient's condition, prognosis, and treatment.

MacRae, M., Macrina, T.,  Khoury, A., Migliore, M.M., Kentner, A.C. (2015). Tracing the trajectory of behavioral impairments and oxidative stress in an animal model of neonatal inflammation. Neuroscience, 298,  455-466. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25934038.