Student Profiles

Marlene graduated summa cum laude from Colgate University with high honors in molecular biology and a minor in Chinese. During her time at Colgate, Marlene completed an honors thesis investigating sensory organ development and regeneration in blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) – this project provided the basis for her successful Beckman Scholarship and Goldwater Scholarship. Outside of the lab, Marlene volunteered as an EMT and managed other students as a coordinator for the Southern Madison County Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Additionally, she worked as a head first responder for Colgate Recreation and tutored biology courses.

After graduating from Colgate University, Marlene began her MD/PhD studies at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. While she had always had an interest in molecular neurobiology from her prior research and coursework at Colgate, studying neuroscience and neuroanatomy during her first two years in medical school solidified neurology as her primary interest both clinically and from a research perspective. Specifically, Marlene took an interest in the mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders while shadowing in pediatric neurology and medical genetics.

Under the supervision of Dr. Francis McMahon at the NIMH and Professor Francis Szele at Oxford, she will use human iPSC and organoid models to better understand the genetics underlying developmental neuropsychiatric disorders.