Team Members

Martin Picard, PhD ⎢ Principal Investigator
Martin is the Herbert Irving Associate Professor  of Psychiatry and Neurology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and a Research Fellow of the Columbia Aging Center. He trained as a physiologist in neuroimmunology, then in aging mitochondrial biology, psychosocial oncology, and systems biology at McGill University in Canada. As a postdoc fellow he worked with cellular and animal models of mitochondrial disease with Doug Wallace at the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenetic Medicine (CMEM), and on stress physiology with Bruce McEwen. Beyond his passion for mitochondria and transdisciplinary research, outside the lab Martin enjoys electric cars and renewable energy, photography, and spending time in nature with family.

Kalpita Karan, PhD⎢Postdoctoral Researcher
Kalpita received her PhD in human molecular genetics from Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, India. Her doctoral work involved understanding the molecular and genetic basis of a rare form of epilepsy known as hot water epilepsy, where she used whole-exome sequencing to identify a rare variant in the glutamate transporter SLC1A1 gene. Currently, Kalpita combines pharmacological and genetic approaches to understand the role of mitochondrial function and signaling in cellular stress responses, particularly pro-inflammatory activation. Her translational work in the MiSBIE study includes assessment of mitochondrial functions and of cellular stress responses in leukocytes of patients with inherited mtDNA disorders. Outside the lab, Kalpita enjoys cooking, blogging and painting. 

Caroline Trumpff, PhD⎢Postdoctoral Researcher
Caroline received her PhD in Psychological Sciences from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. She completed her doctoral research at the Belgian Scientific Institute of Public Health (WIV-ISP) in the Department of Epidemiology in the “Surveys, Lifestyle and Chronic Illnesses” team. Caroline currently coordinates the psychosocial assessments in the MiSBIE Study and applies statistical models to understand the interplay of psychological stress exposure and mitochondrial biology. In collaboration with the Monk Lab, she also investigates the effect of diet during pregnancy on placenta DNA methylation and mitochondrial function. Outside the lab, Caroline is an avid reader of literature and psychoanalysis, has a passion for the arts, and enjoys travelling and cooking. 

Gabriel Sturm, BSc ⎢Research Assistant 
Gabriel is an alumni of the AMGEN Scholars Program and graduate from Yeshiva University’s Honor’s program in Biology and Computer Science. Gabriel is currently leading the ‘Cellular Lifespan Study’ which focuses on the how the mitochondrion may be the timekeeper of biological age. The project addresses questions of how the mitochondrion allow cells to perceive time, coordinate responses to neuroendocrine stressors, and signal cellular senescence. Gabriel also leads the leukocyte bioenergetic assessments of the MiSBIE Study. Gabriel’s main scientific pursuit in biogerontology research aims to use multi-omic InSilico models of cell systems to advance our understanding of human aging. Outside the lab, he enjoys reading existential philosophy, virtual art, and wandering in nature.

Marlon McGill, BSc⎢Laboratory Manager
Marlon is a research scientist with background utilizing molecular biology techniques in clinical and bench research. He was the recipient of a NIMH NRSA grant  studying brain development as an undergraduate, and subsequently worked at Cornell University where he investigated serotonin and dopamine signaling related to depression and Parkinson’s disease, and then worked with the post-traumatic stress team at the Bronx V.A. where he implemented various molecular assays in human samples. Marlon manages lab operations and the MiSBIE biobank, performs cell purification, and measures the mitochondrial health index in blood leukocytes. Outside the lab, Marlon is a sports performance coach who is also passionate about art, and enjoys bird watching.

Marissa Cross, BA⎢Study Coordinator
Marissa completed her BA in Psychology at Oberlin College, where she studied neuropsychiatry and the social development of children and teens. After college, Marissa studied anhedonia and reward pathways in adolescents at risk for depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Marissa is currently the MiSBIE study coordinator and uses MRI to collect data on brain structure and function. She has a passion for studying the neural processes at play in life-altering disorders and hopes to one day utilize this knowledge in treatment. Outside of the lab, she enjoys singing, playing guitar, and baking.

Johanne Fortune, RN⎢Research Nurse
Johanne is a registered nurse working in cardiology. As part of the MiSBIE study, she  works with the team and uses her IV skills and warm personality to collect serial blood draws at different points of the study protocol. She also processes self-reported psychosocial and well-being data.

Grace Liu, MA⎢Data manager
Grace is the data manager in the Division of Behavioral Medicine. Grace provides comprehensive data services for our lab and the Division including data collection design, data quality checking, data reporting and data customization utilizing SAS, Excel/VBA, and other analytical packages. She maintains and updates the REDCap software/database for the MiSBIE study. Grace Liu holds a M.A. in Geographical Informational Systems and previous worked as analyst in nonprofit sector.

Shannon Rausser, BSc⎢Research Assistant
Shannon's background is in Neuroscience and Art. She received her BSc in Neuroscience from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her main interests include the creative mind, neural networks, and mental health. Her long-term goal is to complete a PhD in Neuroscience to continue research on stress and mental health disorders. Shannon’s current work in the lab focuses on longitudinal psychobiological assessments to evaluate the effects of stress and aging on mitochondria and hair. Outside of the lab, Shannon enjoys biking, creating art, and traveling.​

Jeremy Michelson, MSc⎢Graduate Student
Jeremy earned his Bachelor’s Degree at Tulane University, where he studied the impact of stress and early life experiences on infant development with Stacy Drury. After graduation, he worked at UCSF Institute for Human Genetics, where he helped manage the Program in Prenatal and Pediatric Genome Sequencing (P3EGS) with PIs Pui-Yan Kwok, Mary Norton, Barbara Koenig, and Neil Risch. Jeremy matriculated to the Nutritional and Metabolic Biology PhD program at Columbia with the aim of integrating genetic, neuroscientific, and metabolic approaches to understanding human disease. He is interested in the contribution of mitochondrial dysfunction to disease risk and the factors affecting mitochondrial network morphology.​ 

Alex Junker, BSc⎢Graduate Student
Alex earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of South Carolina, where he studied the contribution of ROS generation in the nucleus accumbens to anxiety behaviors during acute nicotine withdrawal. Following graduation, he worked at Cleveland Clinic where he investigated connections between cardiac and systemic metabolism. He is currently an MPH student in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. His work in the lab involves coordinating a meta-analysis on sexual dimorphism in human mitochondrial function. In the future, Alex hopes to pursue a PhD to further understand the biological mechanisms underlying maladaptive responses to psychological trauma.

Ayelet Rosenberg, BSc⎢Research Worker
Ayelet completed her BA in Neuroscience and behavior at Barnard College in 2019, and completed her senior thesis on her work in the lab. She has worked on two main projects including a novel method to profile hair pigmentation patterns and documenting  the reversibility of hair graying, and she now is studying the effects of stress on mitochondria in mouse brains and tissues. Outside the lab, Ayelet enjoys drawings and spending time outdoors.

Natalia Bobba, MSc ⎢ Graduate Student
Natalia Bobba completed her BSc in Human Biology and her MSc in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the Universidad de la República (UdelaR) in Uruguay, carrying out her dissertation research at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE) and the Institut Pasteur Montevideo (IPMon), respectively. She was then awarded a Fulbright Foreign Scholarship for Graduate Students that brought her to the PhD program in Nutritional and Metabolic Biology at Columbia University. Her main scientific interest involves understanding how mitochondrial function influences gene expression regulation and its implications in human disease. Outside the lab, Natalia enjoys listening to music and playing the guitar, playing soccer and practicing yoga, as well as taking long walks around the city.

Visiting scholars

Carla Basualto, MD, PhD⎢Visiting Scholar
Carla is a visiting postdoctoral fellow from Universidad de Chile (Santiago, Chile). She completed her MSc in Biomedical Sciences and her PhD in this same institution. As a medical doctor, her interest has always been centered on translational research. Her MSc was focused on the effect of high altitude on human physiology. In her PhD thesis, she started to work with cellular models, investigating the intracellular pathways activated by testosterone, to induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Currently during her postdoc, in collaboration with a clinical research group, they are working with patient samples, studying whether different types of skeletal muscle diseases (congenital or acquired) have a mitochondrial component. Outside the lab, Carla enjoys sports (fencing and crossfit), trekking and photography. 

Atif Towheed, PhD⎢Visiting Scholar
Atif received his PhD under the supervision of Michael Palladino, University of Pittsburgh where he evaluated techniques to genetically modulate mitochondria in a fly model of mitochondrial disease. He then joined the laboratory of Doug Wallace at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a UMDF Postdoctoral Fellow. In the Wallace lab, Atif further developed a gene therapy strategy for mitochondrial diseases (LHON, mtND6) by targeting RNA into the mitochondria. Working closely with mitochondrial disease patients during his research, Atif recognized the need for physicians specializing in the field of mitochondrial medicine and he joined TouroCOM, Middletown, NY as a medical student. In the lab, he is currently working both on a cellular lifespan project to investigate the temporal dynamics of gene expression in aging, and on developing data-driven phenotypes from the MiSBIE study. Outside the lab, Atif helps patients in the clinic with their molecular diagnosis. 

---

Undergraduate students

Rachel Haahr
Barnard College

Lily Van Petten
Barnard College

Snehal Bindra
UCLA