Kanagaraj Palsamy, PhD

Kanagaraj Palsamy, PhD (Dr.rer.nat), is a Research Investigator in the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Palsamy began as a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan in 2015. He was promoted to the Research Investigator position in 2021.

Dr. Palsamy earned a Bachelor of Sciences in Agricultural sciences and Master of Science in Biotechnology from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU). He received his doctoral degree in Developmental biochemistry from Georg August University of Göttingen, Germany in 2015 in disease modeling in zebrafish. He completed his postdoctoral training in the lab of Dr. Jack Parent at the University of Michigan in 2021 studying the mechanisms of brain injury, neuroinflammation, brain regeneration and epilepsy disease modeling in zebrafish.

Palsamy’s current research focuses on understanding injury/TBI induced brain regeneration and how immune cells, especially microglia regulate inflammation and inflammation resolution during regeneration. He is also studying epilepsy disease using the zebrafish model for understanding the pathology and for drug screening, aiming to find the differential regulation that promotes regeneration in zebrafish compared to mammalian brain to develop a strategy to improve brain regeneration in human brain. He uses genetic mutants, CRISPR knock-ins, imaging, and behavioral techniques to understand the mechanisms behind regeneration and epilepsy. Dr. Palsamy’s long-term goal is to find the molecules and mechanisms that can promote brain regeneration/repair in humans.

Dr. Peltier’s research deals with functional MRI data acquisition and analysis. Current areas of interest include: 1) resting-state functional connectivity; 2) real-time fMRI; 3) multivariate and data-driven analysis techniques; and 4) multimodal imaging.

Dr. Sachin Kheterpal is the Kevin K. Tremper Professor of Anesthesiology.

As the Associate Dean for Research Information and Technology at U-M Medical School, Dr. Kheterpal is responsible for establishing the vision and strategy to effectively use information technology (IT) to advance the research mission.

Lauren Czerniak is an Industrial and Operations Engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan where she is being co-advised by Dr. Mark Daskin and Dr. Mariel Lavieri. Her research focuses on developing and applying stochastic models to address current challenges in healthcare with applications in pharmaceutical drugs, glaucoma, and concussion management. She is a Rackham Merit Fellow and a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Dr. Ward is a Professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Dr. Ward’s passion is in creating programs that encourage true integration across the disciplines of medicine, engineering, data sciences, and entrepreneurship that accelerate discovery to true patient impact. In addition to founding the Max Harry Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and Innovation, he led the design and implementation of Michigan Medicine’s Fast Forward Medical Innovation program and served as its inaugural Executive Director from 2013-2018.

Dr. Eleanna Varangis is an assistant professor of Movement Science in the Michigan Concussion Center and the School of Kinesiology at the University of Michigan. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Economics from Barnard College of Columbia University. She completed her master’s degree and PhD in Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her dissertation research focused on the long-term effects of football-related concussions on cognitive performance, white matter integrity, and functional connectivity during an episodic memory task in middle-adulthood. Her postdoctoral research with Dr. Yaakov Stern at Columbia University’s Taub Institute explored similar relationships among cognitive performance and functional connectivity during both rest and task periods in healthy adults across the adult lifespan.

Now, her research utilizes cognitive assessments and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) both at rest as well as during a cognitive task in order to probe ways in which mTBI affects neurocognitive function across both short- and long-term timescales. Her training in the analysis of functional and structural MRI in both former athletes and healthy adults informs much of her approach to exploring the effects of mTBI on neurocognitive health in the context of aging. The overall goal of her research is to characterize the ways in which mTBI affects brain health and cognitive function across the lifespan, and to identify individual factors that may protect against or exacerbate deviations from a healthy brain aging trajectory.

Dr. Eleanna Varangis, director of the ATHINA Lab, is seeking a postdoctoral research fellow to begin as early as Summer 2023. Details: myumi.ch/ezXp2. Posting on U-M Jobs site: myumi.ch/JpRbV.

Dr. Eckner received his M.D. degree from Case Western Reserve University and his M.S. degree from the University of Michigan in Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis. His research addresses mild traumatic brain injury in athletes, including concussion prevention through neck strengthening exercise, concussion biomechanics, determining the role of reaction time testing in concussion assessment, long term effects of concussion on neurological health, as well as, in the management and rehabilitation of athletes.

Dr. Eckner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Director of Clinical Research, Michigan NeuroSport and PM&R Concussion Programs, and Director of the PM&R Resident Research Program, in addition to the Michigan Concussion Center’s Research Associate Director.

Dr. Song is Professor of Biostatistics, and Associate Chair of Research, at the Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health since January, 2008. He received his PhD in Statistics from the University of British Columbia in 1996. He has published over 170 peer-reviewed papers. Dr. Song’s research interests include data integration, high-dimensional data analysis, longitudinal data analysis, missing data, spatiotemporal modeling, and methods in precision health. He is ASA Fellow and Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. Dr. Song serves as Associate Editor of Journal of American Statistical Association, Canadian Journal of Statistics, and Journal of Multivariate Analysis.

Stephan F. Taylor is a professor of psychiatry and Associate Chair for Research and Research Regulatory Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry; and an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. His work focuses on psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder) and he uses brain mapping and brain stimulation technologies to understand and treat the pathophysiology of these conditions. He directs the Program for Risk Evaluation and Prevention (PREP), designed to identify youth at risk of serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and conduct research into the early stages of psychosis.

Dr. Mark E. Oppenlander is a board-certified neurosurgeon at the University of Michigan Departments of Neurological Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery. He specializes in complex spinal operations, including spinal deformity, scoliosis, spinal tumors, thoracic disc disease, craniovertebral junction surgery, robotics in neurosurgery, and trauma. Dr. Oppenlander has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and abstracts, and participated in conferences at the state, national, and international level with multiple invited presentations. He serves as faculty for the AANS Coding and Reimbursement Committee and is an Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant for the National Football League (NFL).