Lab Members

Principal Investigator:

Suzanne Moenter, PhD

Fred J. Karsch Collegiate Professor of Physiology

Professor, Molecular & Integrative Physiology

Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology

Professor, Internal Medicine

Research Professor, Reproductive Sciences Program

smoenter@umich.edu

Lab members:

Laura Burger, PhD

Lab Associate

PhD, University of Illinois

llburger@umich.edu

I recognized my interest in Reproductive/Endocrine Physiology as an undergraduate while taking a course to fulfill a biology requirement for my Biochemistry degree. As far as Biochemisty was concerned I never looked back. Though often called the lab "Molecular Biologist" I see myself primarily as a reproductive physiologist with a strong emphasis in animal models. In the Moenter lab, I'm working with prenatally androgenized female mice as model for Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome. I do admit a passion for PCR; in my opinion real time PCR is almost as close to instant gratification as you can get in science. My other passion is coffee... I admit I do judge people based on their coffee habits, though I've discovered I do like many people in spite of their need for sweetened flavored creamers with extra sugar.

Tony DeFazio, PhD

Assistant Research Scientist

PhD, University of Southern California

defazio@umich.edu

I am primarily a patch clamp electrophysiologist. I design and execute experiments to understand the functional roles of ligand- and voltage-gated ion channels in the context of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. I also like bicycles (road, cyclocross, and mountain; singlespeed and geared). To relax, I run the Potowatomi or listen to early Psychic TV. I also hold the tremendous responsibility of brewing coffee under the watchful eyes of the Lab Coffee Director, Dr. Burger.

Elizabeth Wagenmaker, MS

Lab Associate

MS, University of MInnesota, Twin Cities

ewagenma@umich.edu

My area of interest is how stress affects reproduction. Specifically, I’m investigating the effects of psychosocial stress on various aspects of the female reproductive axis such as the pre-ovulatory LH surge and ovulation. Surprisingly, little evidence exists these types of stressors, by themselves, interfere with the ovarian cycle in females. Given the pervasive nature of psychosocial stress in today’s society, it is important to understand how this type of stress may impact reproductive fitness.

Xi Chen, PhD

Research Investigator

xichenum@umich.edu

During my PhD, I studied calcium signaling in the heart using imaging and electrophysiologic methods. For my postdoc, I wanted to adapt these methodologies to the study of neural systems. For decades, neuroendocrinologists have assumed that action potential firing rate is correlated with hormone release. In reality, this has only been measured in the magnocellular system. I'm combining dual electrophysiologic recordings for neuronal activity with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to measure GnRH release to quantify this for the reproductive neuroendocrine system, as well as whether or not this relationship is modified by sex or steroid feedback.

Graduate students:

Chrystian Phillips

BS, University of Michigan

chrystip@umich.edu

I graduated with my B.S. from the University of Michigan in 2018 with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Physics. I spent my post-baccalaureate years as a lab manager where I cultivated my passion for elucidating neural control circuits underlying physiological outputs. In the Moenter Lab, I continue this passion by investigating how the brain controls reproduction. My dissertation project aims to investigate how glial cells, particularly astrocytes, contribute to the regulation of the neuronal network behind reproductive function, with emphasis on gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and kisspeptin/neurokinin B/dynorphin (KNDy) neurons.