MEET OUR BOARD!

Samantha Doran

Co-President

Sam is an undergraduate student from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, majoring in Neuroscience on the pre-medical track. She is currently involved in research with the Assessing Traumatic Head Injury with Neurocognitive Approaches (ATHINA) Lab, where she studies the effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) on neurocognitive outcomes across the adult lifespan. In addition to her research, Sam volunteers at Michigan Medicine and serves as a virtual literacy tutor. Outside academics, she enjoys listening to music, spending time with family and friends, cooking/baking, and staying active.

Temi Okotore

Co-President

Temi is a senior from Toronto, Canada, studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan. She has conducted research on the development of neurodevelopmental disorders in adolescents using mouse models. Temi has also worked in the psychiatric field as a medical assistant and served as the Program Assistant for an art therapy program at Michigan Medicine. In her free time, she enjoys taking long walks outdoors with friends and reading fiction novels.

Angelina Yang

Public Relations Chair

Angelina is a senior studying Neuroscience on a pre-med track from Vancouver, Canada. She is currently involved in research studying ways to implement neuroprotective therapies against cardiac arrest. In her spare time, she enjoys playing video games, listening to music, and taking walks around campus.

Jonathan Marx

Outreach Chair

Jonathan Marx is a Senior studying Neuroscience. His research interests lie in neurodegenerative disease research, data science for dynamic health interventions, and geopolitical structures regarding healthcare structure/implementation. Jonathan enjoys playing guitar, reading, and running in his free time.

Crystal Wu

Volunteering/Fundraising Chair

Crystal is an undergraduate student from Ann Arbor, MI majoring in neuroscience. She is a research assistant for a neurodegenerative diseases lab studying genetic cognitive resilience to Alzheimer’s disease and volunteers at Michigan Medicine. Outside of academics, Crystal enjoys making fun coffee drinks and copy editing.

Olya Brazhnikova

Social Chair

Olya is a sophomore from Mountainside, New Jersey majoring in Neuroscience and Biophysics. She has research experience developing antibody-based medications that target inflammatory mast cell depletion and is really excited to serve as the NSA Social Chair this year! In her free time, she enjoys playing and listening to music, hiking, skiing, and traveling whenever she can.

Aditi Hedaoo

Professional Development Chair

Aditi Hedaoo is a senior from the Bay Area, California, and is studying Neuroscience. She is currently a research assistant at the Hardee Lab, working closely with PhD candidate Savannah Pearson, and an employed researcher at the Kratz Lab studying Multiple Sclerosis development in human patients. The Kratz Lab aims to complete a longitudinal ambulatory study on cognitive dysfunction in MS, helping MS patients better manage their symptoms and prevent worsening developments over time. This semester, she will be publishing her own research! Outside of work, she loves to cook, hang out with friends, and go to the gym.

Elleen Kim

NeuroNews Chair

Elleen is a senior from Seoul, South Korea studying BCN. She has a special interest in applied cognitive neuroscience in relation to the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. She spent her previous gap year at an international medical biotech company as an R&D and Strategy intern. In recent years, she has developed an interest in psychedelic research and is involved with on-campus efforts to advance the field. In her free time, she loves to play squash, watch bad sci-fi movies and play the electric bass.

Nisan Dogu

Journal Club Chair

Nisan is an undergraduate student from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Intergroup Relations (IGR), on the pre-medical track. She is currently a research assistant in the Sleep and Circadian Research Lab, where her work focuses on studying the effects of insomnia therapy in individuals with insomnia and co-occurring substance use disorders. Outside of academics, she enjoys taking film photos, working out and practicing yoga, trying new restaurants, and watching movies.

Kendall Chen

Community and Care Coordinator

Kendall is a sophomore from the Chicago suburbs studying neuroscience with a sociology of health and medicine minor on the premedical track. She is currently a research assistant for the Luker Lab which focuses on molecular imaging of signaling in cancer. Outside of academics, she loves going to concerts, trying new recipes, working out, and hanging out with friends!

Meet The Mentors!

Jonathan Samey

Jonathan is an undergraduate student from Minnesota, majoring in Neuroscience on the pre-medical track. He has done research on Huntington’s disease and brain organoids, where his work earned him the Outstanding Presentation award in Biosciences at the GCURS conference hosted by Rice University. He also works as a Patient Care Tech in the Neurology/Neurosurgery/Stroke Inpatient Unit at Michigan Medicine. His long-term career goal is to pursue trauma surgery or emergency medicine, with an emphasis on critical care and teaching. Jonathan is currently a Resident Advisor in East Quad, he loves to spend time with his family and friends, being out in nature, and has recently taken a liking to gardening!

Pranjal Kashyap

Pranjal is a sophomore from Cleveland, OH studying Neuroscience on the pre-medical track.

She currently volunteers at Michigan Medicine, works as a tutor at the Science Learning Center, and is a research assistant. Outside of class, you can catch Pranjal enjoying her time with friends and family, playing pickleball, cheering at the football games, and listening to music!

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