The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Principal Investigator
Lawrence T. Reiter, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Neurology
Adjunt Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Adjunct Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Ph.D. Cell and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, 1997
B.S. in Molecular Biology, USC, 1991
Office: (901) 448-2635
Email: lreiter@uthsc.eduu
Office Address: Link Building, Room 431
Graduate Students
Ben Geier
Ben received his B.A. in Biology from Wabash College. Ben's research focuses on using Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) to identify potential Dube3a substrates and their relationship to downstream molecular cascades involved in gliopathic epilepsy.
Email: bgeier@uthsc.edu
Tayler Hedgecock
Tayler received his B.S. in Biology from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Tayler's research focuses on using dental pulp stem cells to study the rare neurogenetic disease Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS) and identify transcription factor PHOX2B-regulated candidates of the disease.
Email: taylerh@uthsc.edu
Postdoctoral Fellows
Kaitlyn Victor
Kaitlyn received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UTHSC in 2023. Her current research focuses on using dental pulp stem cells to study the molecular causes of Prader-Willi syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders.
Email: kvictor@uthsc.edu
Technicians
Kathryn Franks
Kathryn is the lab tech responsible for both fly husbandry and cell culture maintenance.
Email: kfranks6@uthsc.edu
Former Members
Kevin Hope, Ph.D.
Kevin was a graduate student in the lab from 2015-2019. He published 5 first author and several co-author papers while in the lab. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Clement Chow at the University of Utah.
Current Email: khope@genetics.utah.edu
Nora Urraca, M.D., Ph.D.
Nora was a postdoc in the lab from 2009-2014. She published 5 first author and several co-author papers while in the lab. She is currently the director of Clinical Genetics at LeBonheur Children's Hospital.
Current Email: nurraca@uthsc.edu
Maria Asuncion-Chin
Maria was the head lab manager responsible for both fly husbandry and cell culture maintenance. She is currently living her best life.
Email: masuncio@uthsc.edu
Sarita Goorha
Sarita was a technician in the lab from 2013-2017. She was critical in developing DPSC as a resource in the lab for the study of neurogenetic disorders. She is currently enjoying her retirement from UTHSC.