Over the years, I have been fortunate to have many outstanding students and post-doctoral fellows have contributed to our research efforts, and their names appear on many of our papers.  We are always looking for motivated individuals with a passion to have some fun doing cutting edge research, and who yearn to understand the molecular basis of mental illness and how to improve its treatment.

Past lab members

Graduate Students

• Alain Charest-M.Sc., Pharmacol. Therap., McGill, 1991-92.
  Thesis: Characterization of the 5'-flanking region of the rat 5- hydroxytryptamine 1A receptor gene.
  Present position: Professor, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University
  
  Ya Fang Liu-Ph.D. Pharmacol. Therap., McGill, MRC Scholar, 1989-93
  Thesis: Molecular characterization of G protein coupled receptor signalling in GH4C1 pituitary and Ltk- fibroblast cells.
  Present position: Prof., Pharmacology, Boston Univ., Boston, MA
  
  Paola Lembo, Ph.D., Pharmacol. Therap., McGill, FCAR scholar, Dean's Honours List, 1991-96
  Thesis: Modulation of serotonin receptor signalling by protein kinase activation
  Present Position: Research Director, AstraZeneca, Montreal
  
  Caroline Saucier, Ph.D., Pharmacol. Therap., McGill, 1991-97
  Thesis: Identification, signaling, and agonist-induced down-regulation of endogenous serotonin-2 receptors in fibroblast cell lines: implications for cell growth.
  Present position: Assistant Prof., Anatomie et biologie cellulaire, Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec
  
  Mohammad H. Ghahremani, Ph.D., Pharmacol. Therap., McGill, 1993-2001
  Thesis: G protein specificity of dopamine D2S receptor signaling in cell growth and proliferation.
  Present position: Professor in Molecular Pharmacology, Dept of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran Univ. of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  
  Behzad Banihashemi, M.Sc., Cell. Mol. Medicine, U. of Ottawa, 2000-02
  Thesis: Distinct roles of Gi/o protein subunits in signaling by dopamine D2S receptors in rat pituitary cells.
  Present position: MD
  
  Amanda Cockburn, M.Sc., Cell. Mol. Medicine, U. of Ottawa (NSERC Scholar) 2002-04
  Thesis: Estrogen regulation of the human 5-HT1A receptor gene.
  Present position: Veterinarian, Anima, Montréal
  
  Sylvie Lemonde, Ph.D. Cell. Mol. Medicine, U. of Ottawa (CIHR studentship), 1997-2004
  Thesis: Transcriptional regulation of the human 5-HT1A receptor gene: implication in major depression and suicide.
  Present position: M.D., Radiology, University of Ottawa
  
  Ariel Burns, M.Sc. Neuroscience, U. of Ottawa (NSERC scholar; Award of Excellence), 2004-06
  Thesis: 5-HT1A autoreceptor regulation and functional polymorphisms that modify the serotonin system and their association with depression and schizophrenia.
  Present position: M.D., Dermatology, University of Ottawa
  
  Federico Remes Lenicov, M.Sc. Neuroscience, U. of Ottawa (Award of Excellence), 2004-06
  Thesis: Transcriptional regulation of tryptophan hydroxylase 2.
  Present position: Ph.D. student, National Institute of Microbiology, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
  
  Ariel Wilson, M.Sc. Neuroscience, U. of Ottawa, 2004-07
  Thesis: The effects of TNF-IP, a Gαi3-interacting protein, on dopamine D2S receptor signaling in Balb/c cells.
  Present position: Ph.D. student, Adriana Di Polo (supervisor), U. de Montréal, Montreal, QC
  
  Neena Kushwaha, Ph.D. CMM Program, U. of Ottawa, CIHR Scholar, 1999-07
  Thesis: Characterization of the G-protein coupling domains of the 5-HT1A receptor.
  Present Position: Section Head (Biotechnology) - Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO)
  
  Anastasia Rogaeva, Ph.D. NSC Program, U. Ottawa. CIHR Scholar; OGS Scholar, 2001-07
  Thesis: Freud-1, a Novel Regulator of the Dopamine D2 and Serotonin 1A Receptor Genes.
  Present Position: Manager, Biosafety, Public Health Agency Canada, Ottawa
  
  Houman Nafisi (M.D., Tehran), M.Sc., NSC Program, U. Ottawa. OGS Scholar, 2005-08
  Thesis: RASA3: A novel effector of inhibitory G protein signaling
  Present position: M.D., University of Toronto
  
  Kirsten X. Jacobsen, Ph.D. CMM Program, U. Ottawa, NSERC, OMHF Scholar, 2004-08
  Thesis: Developmental Regulation of the Monoamine Fear Circuitry
  Present Position: Manager, Biosafety Risk Assessment, Pathogen Regulation Directorate, Public Health Agency Canada, Ottawa
  
  Kimberly Galaraga, M.Sc. NSC Program, U. Ottawa, 2005-08
  Thesis: Regulation of 5-HT1A Repressor Human Freud-1/CC2D1A by Calcium/Calmodulin Sensitive Phosphorylation
  Present Position: Teaching
  
  Mahmoud Hadjighassem (M.D., Tehran), Ph.D. NSC Program, U. Ottawa, Iranian Scholarship, 1999-08
  Thesis: Freud-2/CC2D1B, a new member of the family of transcriptional repressors of the 5-HT1A receptor gene.
  Asst. Professor, Cellular and Molecular Research Center (CMRC), Iran University of Medical Science (IUMS), Tehran-Iran
  
  Ben Laliberté, M.Sc. NSC Program, U. Ottawa. NSERC Scholar, 2006-08
  Thesis: Activation of Gαi3 and interacting protein, TNFAIP8, inhibits TNFα-induced death and promotes transformation in mouse fibroblast.
  Present Position: Research Technician, Carleton University.
  
  Jon Urben, M.Sc., NSC Program, OGSST Scholar, 2006-09
  Thesis: Interaction of protein phosphatase 2A with the serotonin-1A receptor.
  Present Position: Environmental Scientist, Stantec, Ottawa
  
  Margaret Czesak, Ph.D., CMM Program, OGSST Scholar, CIHR Scholar, 2003-10
  Thesis: Transcriptional Regulation of the 5-HT1A Receptor Gene by Deformed Autosomal Regulatory Factor 1
  Present Position: Program Director, Aboriginal Affairs, Canada
  
  Yi Yuan Zhou, M.Sc.. NSC Program, UOttawa, 2008-10
  Thesis: Structural determinants of 5-HT1A receptor interaction with Galpha-i subunits
  Present Position: MD
  
  Xun (Carrie) Ma, M.Sc.. NSC Program, UOttawa, 2008-11
  Thesis: RASA3, a key player in Dopamine-D2S receptor-mediated MAPK signaling
  Present Position: Research Assistant, Cancer Centre, Univ. of Ottawa
  
  Tatiana Souslova, Ph.D. NSC Program, (M.Sc., UQAM), OMHF Scholar, 2007-11
  Thesis: Transcriptonal regulatory mechanisms of Freud-1, a novel mental retardation gene.
  Present Position: Research Scientist, Univ. of Texas, Temple
  
  Bianca Plouffe, Ph.D. NSC Program, (M.Sc., USherbrooke), CIHR Scholar, 2011
  Co-Supervisor with Dr. Mario Tiberi
  Thesis: Comprehensive Model of G Protein-coupled Receptor Regulation by Protein Kinase C: Insight from Dopamine D1 and D5 Receptor Studies
  Present Position: Post-doctoral Fellow, Univ. de Montreal
  
  Kim A. Mirédin, M.Sc. NSC Program, 2010-12
  Thesis: The transcriptional repressor CC2D1A/Freud-1 interacts with the chromatin remodeling protein Brg1
  Present Position: Ph.D. candidate, McGill University
  
  Chao Chang, M.Sc. NSC Program, Audrey Grant Fellowship, Parkinson's Research Consortium, 2012-14
  Thesis: Functional Studies of Dopamine-D2S Receptor Signaling through the RASA3 Pathway
  Present Position: Research Assistant, University of Ottawa

• Christine Luckhart, M.Sc. NSC Program. 2012-14
  Thesis: Functional Studies of the 5–HT1A Autoreceptor in Mice
  Present Position: Technical Representative, Noldus

• Irshaad Hashim, M.Sc. NSC Program. 2013-15
  Thesis: The Effect of Freud-1/CC2D1A Knockout on EGF Receptor Activation.
  Sales Associate, STEMCELL Technologies, Vancouver BC

• Tristan Joshua Philippe, M.Sc. NSC Program. 2012-15
  Thesis: Deaf1 and MeCP2 interact to coordinately regulate 5-HT1A receptor gene expression.
  Ph.D. candidate, UBC

• Valerie Cardin, M.Sc. NSC Program. 2014-17
  Thesis: The Role of the 5-HTlA Autoreceptor in Response to Antidepressant Treatment
  Ph.D. candidate, University of Ottawa

• Faranak Vahid-Ansari, Ph.D. NSC Program. 2013-17
  Thesis: Altered serotonin regulation in genetic and post-stroke models of anxiety and depression.
  Post-doctoral Fellow, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

 

 

Post-doctoral Fellows

• Stephen J. Morris, Ph.D., 1993-97
  Present position: Head of Cellular Screening, Aegera, Montreal
  
  Xiaoming Ou, Ph.D., OMHF Fellow, 1997-02
  Associate Professor, University of Mississippi, Jackson, MS Deceased, 8/13
  
  Hamed Jafar-Nejad, M.D., 1999-00
  Present position: Assistant Professor, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX.
  
  Gele Liu, M.D., Ph.D., 2000-02
  Present Position: Senior Research Associate, Carleton Univ., Ottawa
  
  Helen Mao, M.D., Ph.D., 2000-03
  Present position: Drug Evaluation Officer, TPD Oncology, Health Canada.
  
  Christopher Bown, Ph.D., McMaster Univ., OMHF Fellow, 2002-04
  Present position: Patent Law, Gowlings, Ottawa.
  
  Mohammad Farajollahi, M.D., Ph.D., Iranian Fellowship. 2003-04
  Present position: Professor, University of Tehran, Iran
  
  Irit Itzhaki Van Ham, Ph.D. University of Tel Aviv 2004-06
  Present position: Toxicologist, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Toronto, Ontario
  
  Jordanna Bermack, Ph.D. McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, 2004-05
  Present position: Scientific Communications Specialist at Kataka Medical Communication, Montreal
  
  Tera Mosher, Ph.D., University of Alberta, 2006-07
  Present Position: Patents Evaluation, Government of Canada
  
  Brice Le François, Ph.D. University of Ottawa, 2007-13
  Present Position: Senior Research Associate, CUNY
  
  Lina Almarestani, Ph.D. McGill University 2008-09
  
  Mahmoud Hadjighassem, M.D., Ph.D. University of Ottawa, 2008-09
  Present position: Assistant Professor, Pasteur Institute, Tehran, Iran
  
  Laura M. Fiori, Ph.D. McGill University, 2011-13
  Present position: NARSAD Young Investigator, McGill University
  
  Mohammad H. Ghahremani, Ph.D., 2011-12
  Present position: Professor, Iran
  
  Mousa Sahebgharani, Ph.D., 2012-13
  Present position: Professor, Iran
  
  Bernadetta Szewczyk, Ph.D., 2014, 2015
  Present position: Professor, Poland

• Ania Serefko, Ph.D., 2015
  Present position: Professor, Poland

• Ginette Hupe, Ph.D. 2015-7
  Post-doctoral fellow, University of Ottawa