Lab Members
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.
Current Members
Faranak Vahid-Ansari, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Fellow
Min Zhang, M.Sc.
Ph.D. Candidate, Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery Studentship
Queen Elizabeth II graduate Scholar in Science and Technology (QEII-SST)
Mireille Daigle
Research Technician
UOttawa Faculty of Medicine Award of Excellence 2008
Sara Asgharzadeh, M.Sc.
Ph.D. Candidate
Margherita Bastianelli
Undergraduate Honours/Summer Student
Mylène Therrien
Summer Student, M.Sc. Candidate
Past lab members
Graduate Students
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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
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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
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Ania Serefko, Ph.D., 2015
Present position: Professor, Poland
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Ginette Hupe, Ph.D. 2015-7
Post-doctoral fellow, University of Ottawa