Jayme Mancini completed her Ph.D. research under the direction of her major professor, Dr. William Atchison in June 2006. Jayme investigated the effects of continuous exposure to low concentrations of methylmercury in the cerebellum of rats. Chronic, low-level methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in children has been associated with cognitive deficits that appear to be related to cerebellar dysfunction. Neuropathological studies suggest that the cognitive deficits result from impaired cerebellar granule cell migration. The title of her dissertation is “Mechanisms of cerebellar granule cell migration impairment by methylmercury”.  Jayme is a native of Orchard Park, New York (near Buffalo). She received a Fulbright Scholarship from the University of Southampton, where she graduated with a B.S. in Molecular Biology, and used the scholarship to travel to Iceland for a year of research carrying out studies on mercury levels in seals under the direction of Professor Olafsdottir at the University of Iceland. Jayme is the 2004 recipient of the Dell Endowed Scholarship Award.  Jayme is very active in MedWAR (Medical Wilderness Adventure Races) where wilderness medicine is combined with adventure racing to create unique events designed to teach and test wilderness survival and medical skills

Jayme will do an Osteopathic internship at NYCOM good Samaritan Hospital on Long island and then do one year of general pediatrics. Her plans are to then to enter Boston University's pediatric neurology program at Boston Medical Center.  Following that she wants to do a Fellowship in movement disorders. 

Yanny Lau Phillips completed her Ph.D. research under the direction of her major professor, Dr. Gregory Fink in the Summer of 2006.  Her Ph.D. research focused on pathogenesis of endothelin (ET) dependent hypertension; she examined whether ETB receptor activation causes hypertension by acting directly on the veins causing primary changes in the activity of the central sympathetic nervous system. Her dissertation was entitled “Mechanisms by which acute endothelin type B receptor activation affect the autonomic nervous system in the control of blood pressure”.  Yanny received an international travel award and was invited to present a poster on this research entitled “ETB receptor activation increases blood pressure and sympathetic ganglionic O2- production in the absence of nicotinic ganglionic neurotransmission” at the 15th World Congress of Pharmacology (IUPHAR 2006) in Beijing, China in July of 2006.

Yanny is a native of Cambridge Massachusetts and a Cum Laude graduate of Boston University and Merit Scholar. She received her B.A. in Psychology. Yanny has been pursuing research since she was an undergraduate when she worked as a Research Assistant at Boston University Medical School. She also worked as a Research Assistant at Harvard Medical School Children's Hospital. Yanny is the 2003 recipient of the Dell Endowed Scholarship Award.

Yanny will be doing an internship at Mercy Health Partners in Muskegon, and following that she will begin a surgical residency in Grand Rapids.  Yanny’s plan for the future is to work as a vascular surgeon and continue her PhD research in the area of hypertension. As a physician scientist, she wants to conduct studies in vascular biology, exploring new treatments for cardiovascular diseases.  In January 2007, Yanny and her husband Shaun Phillips of welcomed a daughter, Madeleine Pei Phillips.

Guest Speaker: James Randolph Hillard, M.D.

MSU Associate Provost for Human Health Affairs