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430 Clinical Research Building | 415 Curie Blvd. | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia PA 19104-6145
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Lisa PfeiferGraduate Student Department of Biology |
Abstracts and Conference Proceedings Invited Lectures and Presentations |
Education
Present: Doctoral candidate, Biology (Concentration – Genetics), Department of Biology, University of Maryland College Park, (UMCP) and NSF-IGERT Human Evolutionary Biology Doctoral Program. Dissertation advisor: Sarah A. Tishkoff, Ph.D.
2004, M.S., Biology, Department of Biology, UMCP. Primary advisor: Sarah A. Tishkoff, Ph.D.
2001, M.A.A, Anthropology (Concentration – Biological Anthropology), Department of Anthropology, UMCP. Primary advisor: Fatimah L.C. Jackson, Ph.D. (Anthropology), Internship advisor: C. Sue Carter, Ph.D. (Biology)
1998, B.A., Major: Biological Basis of Behavior (Concentration – Neuroscience), Minor: Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, College of Arts & Sciences
Honors and Funding History
Graduate
UMCP Ann G. Wiley Dissertation Fellowship, 2007/8
NSF IGERT Predoctoral Traineeship, Spring 2001 to Summer 2007
NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, 9/01/2005 to 8/31/2006
1st Place, Poster Competition, American Institute of Biological Sciences Annual Meeting, 2007
2nd Place, UMCP Graduate Research Interaction Day (GRID), 2007
UMCP Graduate Student Government Presidential Service Award, 2007
UMCP Michelle Y. Angyelof Award, 2007
UMCP Graduate School Jacob K. Goldhaber Travel Award, 2006
AAAS Science Program for Excellence Award, 2005, 2006 and 2007
UMCP Graduate Student Distinguished Service Award, 2005
UMCP College of Chemical and Life Sciences Travel Award, 2004 and 2007
1st Place, 12th Annual UMCP GRID, 2002
1st Place, 11th Annual UMCP GRID, 2001
UMCP MAA Scholar Award, 2001
Undergraduate
National Merit Scholar
Academic Scholarships - Marquette University, Boston University, Rice University
Distinguished Scholar Award (full tuition) - University of Nebraska at Omaha
Reinert/Condon and Centennial Scholarships - Creighton University
Research Experience
2001 – present: Graduate Student Researcher, University of Maryland, Department of Biology, College Park, MD. PI: Sarah A. Tishkoff. Performed DNA extractions, PCR, sequencing on an ABI 3100 or 3730xl automated sequencer. Designed and optimized primers and learned how to use a variety of software packages for population genetics and statistical analyses (e.g. Fast PHASE, Sequencher, DnaSP) on Windows and Unix platform. Assisted with laboratory organization, database entry, and supervision of undergraduate students. Served as lab manager for 6 weeks in October/November 2006.
2004 – present: Guest Researcher, Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, NICHD, NIH, Poolesville,MD. Director: Steven Suomi, Ph.D. Supervisor: John Newman, Ph.D. Consult on molecular genetic studies in nonhuman primates and construction of an on-site molecular genetics laboratory.
2002 – 2003: Guest Researcher, Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, NICHD, NIH, Poolesville, MD. Director: Steven Suomi, Ph.D. Supervisor: R. Lucille Roberts, Ph.D. Collected and analyzed data on the social behavior of captive non-human primates. Developed non-human primate enrichment strategies adopted by the NIH Primate Center.
1999 – 2002: Research Assistant, Laboratory of Epidemiology, Biometry and Demography, Neuroepidemiology Office, NIA, NIH, Bethesda, MD. Lab Chief: Richard Havlik, M.D. Supervisor and Office Head: Lenore J. Launer, Ph.D. Generated and tested research hypotheses on the clinical and pathological manifestations of dementia. Built statistical models to examine gene-environment interactions in unique human populations.
2001: Cooperative Researcher, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, NIAAA, NIH, Rockville, MD. PI: David Goldman, M.D. Supervisor: Pascale Guillot, Ph.D. Assisted with research design, SNP detection, sequencing, and genotyping for a project focused on the genetics of aggressive and antisocial behavior in non-human primate males. Created a comprehensive database with demographic, behavioral, and physiological information on non-human primates.
2000 – 2001: Research Assistant, Department of Biology, Behavioral Endocrinology Laboratory, UMCP. PI and Supervisor: C. Sue Carter-Porges, Ph.D. Assisted PI with formulating a research program to explore the developmental effects of oxytocin in mammals. Designed, analyzed, and performed experiments with prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).
1995 – 1999: Clinical Research Coordinator, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Neurology, Philadelphia, PA. Supervisors: Jacqueline A. French, M.D. and Marc A. Dichter, M.D., Ph.D. Supervised all aspects of clinical trials of new and experimental antiepileptic drugs (Phase 1 - Phase 4). Wrote consent forms, summarized investigational drug brochures, submitted IRB documents and budgets. Also served as a patient advocate/educator and a member of the Catamenial Epilepsy Collaborative Project (Thomas Jefferson University, Harvard University, and Columbia-Cornell Medical Center).
Teaching Experience
2004 – present: Faculty member, 2004 United States Biology Olympiad (USABO) Training Program, Center for Excellence in Education (held at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA).
2003: Teaching Assistant, Department of Anthropology, UMCP. Supervisor: Fatimah L. C. Jackson, Ph.D. Responsible for supervising six undergraduate assistants and teaching three weekly lab sections (60 students total) for ANTH 220, Introduction to Biological Anthropology. Specific duties included: grading lab reports, lab practical exams and essays; providing assistance to students during office hours or via email; and proctoring didactic examinations.
2001 – present: Volunteer, Montgomery County Public Schools Connection Resource Bank. Volunteers serve as guest speakers and hands-on science facilitators for children in grades K-8.
1999: Teaching Assistant, Department of Anthropology, UMCP. Supervisor: Marilyn London, MS. Responsible for all facets (discussion, grading, etc.) of weekly laboratories for ANTH 220.
1995 – 1999: Patient Educator, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Philadelphia, PA. Supervisor: Joyce D. Liporace, M.D. Created educational materials, established a lending library for patients and their families.
Consulting Experience
2002 – 2003: Contract Researcher, Neuroepidemiology Office, NIA, NIH, Bethesda, MD
1999 – 2001: Intelligex, Inc., Philadelphia, PA (acquired by MindBranch, Inc. in 2001- www.mindbranch.com )
1998: Astra Pharmaceuticals, West Chester, PA
1998: Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals, Radnor, PA
1995 – 1999: Office of Health Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Peer Reviewed Publications
Bales KA, Lewis-Reese AD, Pfeifer LA, Kramer KM and Carter CS. Early experience affects the traits of monogamy in a sexually dimorphic manner. Developmental Psychobiology, 49(4):335-342 (2007).
Saczynski JS, Pfeifer LA, Masaki K, Laurin D, White L, Launer LJ. The effect of social engagement on incident dementia: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. American Journal of Epidemiology 163:433-440 (2006).
Bales KL, Pfeifer LA, Carter CS. Sex differences and developmental effects of manipulations of oxytocin on alloparenting and anxiety in prairie voles. Developmental Psychobiology 44:123-131 (2004).
Pfeifer LA, White LR, Ross GW, Petrovitch H, and Launer LJ. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy and cognitive function: The HAAS autopsy study. Neurology 58: 1629-1634 (2002).
Book Chapters
Saczynski JS, Pfeifer LA, Masaki K, Laurin D, White L, Launer LJ. The effect of social engagement on incident dementia: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. In: Research and Practice in Alzheimer’s Disease, ed. Gray C. (Paris: Serdi Publisher, 2007).
Liporace JD and Pfeifer LA. Epilepsy in Women of Childbearing Age and Pregnancy. In: Medical Management of Epilepsy, ed. Sperling M. (New York: Marcel Dekker, 1999).
Sperling MR and Pfeifer L. Hormonal Changes After Seizures. In: Epileptic Seizures: Pathophysiology and Clinical Semiology, eds. Luders HO and Noachter S (Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1999).
Abstracts and Conference Proceedings
Nucleotide sequence variation and signatures of selection at neuropeptide receptor loci in ethnically diverse human populations. Poster presentation, Annual Meeting of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CA. June 2007.
Nucleotide sequence variation of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) locus in ethnically diverse human populations. Poster presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Philadelphia, PA. March 2007.
Genetic variability and signatures of natural selection at the human vasopressin type 2 (AVPR2) receptor locus. Poster presentation, Gordon Research Conference on Genes and Behavior, Ventura, CA. February 2006.
Nucleotide sequence variation and signatures of selection at the Arginine Vasopressin Type II Receptor (AVPR2) gene in ethnically diverse human populations. Poster presentation, Maryland Bioscience and Technology Review Day, UMCP, November 2004.
Nucleotide sequence variation of the Arginine Vasopressin Type II Receptor gene (AVPR2) in ethnically diverse human populations. Poster presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, Toronto, Canada. October 2004.
Nucleotide sequence variation of the Arginine Vasopressin Type II Receptor (AVPR2) gene in globally diverse human populations. Poster presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Tampa, FL. April 2004.
Nucleotide sequence variation of the Arginine Vasopressin Type II Receptor Gene (AVPR2) in ethnically diverse East Africans. Poster presentation, Maryland Bioscience and Technology Review Day, UMCP, November 2003.
Effect of environmental enrichment on social behavior in captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus jacchus). Oral presentation, 13th Annual GRID, UMCP. April 2003.
Effect of social engagement and productive activity on incident dementia: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Oral presentation, 12th Annual GRID, UMCP. April 2002.
Neonatal manipulations of oxytocin affect the development of monogamous traits in male prairie voles. Poster presentation, Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA. October 2001.
Neonatal manipulation of oxytocin affects alloparental behavior in male prairie voles. Poster presentation, Annual Meeting of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Scottsdale, AZ. June 2001.
Alloparental behavior in juvenile male prairie voles. Oral presentation, 11th Annual GRID, UMCP. April 2001.
Neonatal oxytocin and behavioral development in Microtus ochrogaster: E-vole-lutionary Implications. Oral presentation, Department of Anthropology Graduate Colloquium, University of Maryland, College Park. December 2000.
Association between cerebral amyloid angiopathy and dementia: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Oral presentation, American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. May 2000.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy and dementia. Poster presentation, NIA Annual Retreat, Baltimore, MD. March 2000.
Support group for women with epilepsy: An effective teaching tool. Poster presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society, San Diego, CA. December 1998.
Invited Lectures and Presentations
The Evolution of Human Birth. Lecture for Introductory Biological Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, UMCP. March 2006.
From Bones to Behavior: Using Paleopathological Evidence to Study Hominid Social Interactions. Lecture for Special Topics in Biological Anthropology - Paleopathology and Paleodemography, Department of Anthropology, UMCP. March 2006.
Molecules to Morphology: What Does the Evidence Say About Human Evolution? Lecture for Principles of Evolution, Department of Biology, UMCP. August 2005.
Genetic tools for the study of human evolution. Lecture for Introductory Biological Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, UMCP. September 2004.
Does paleopathology provide evidence for empathy and compassion in early hominids? Lecture for Introductory Biological Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, UMCP. July 2003.
Genetics, behavior and hormones: an integrated research approach. Lecture for Primatology, Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, DC. November 2002.
Behavioral endocrinology in human and non-human primates. Lecture for Primatology, Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, DC. April 2002.
Primate brains - is bigger better? Lecture for Introductory Biological Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, UMCP. April 2001.
Hallmarks of hominid evolution. Lecture for Introductory Biology, Department of Biology, UMCP. November 2000.
Building the primate brain. Lecture for Introductory Biological Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, UMCP. November 1999.
The semiotics of medical advertising. Lecture for Marketing and Management, Department of Marketing, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. April 1999.
Special considerations for women with epilepsy. Lower Bucks Hospital, Department of Neurology, Bucks County, PA. November 1998.
Women and epilepsy: From menarche to menopause and beyond. Neurology preceptorship, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. April 1998.
The experience of epilepsy in western society. Lecture for Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Illness and Disability, Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania. March 1998.
Hormonal factors and epilepsy. Epilepsy Foundation of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. November 1997.
Mentoring Experience
2004 – present: American Society of Human Genetics Mentor Network
2004 – present: Esther Whitlock, UMCP, Anthropology Honors Program
2004 – 2005: Rachel E. Hines, UMCP, Anthropology Honors Program. Honors Thesis Committee member, Honors thesis: “A biocultural and evolutionary perspective on the manifestation of eating disorders in college-aged women”.
2003-2004: Hawaa Almansouri, UMCP, Biology Honors Program, HHMI Undergraduate Research Fellow. Honors thesis: “A study of the frequency and origin of Familial Mediterranean Fever in Mediterranean Populations”.
2003-2004: Katayoun Deljoui, UMCP, Biology Honors Program, HHMI Undergraduate Research Fellow. Honors thesis: “Patterns of nucleotide variation in the human factor 8 (F8C) gene, which is associated with hemophilia”.
2003-2004: Sarah M. Hall, UMCP, Biology Program.
Professional and Community Service
2007: Member, UMCP University Senate Nominations Committee (2007)
2007: Member, Organizing Committee, UMCP Graduate Research Interaction Day (GRID)
2006/7: Member, UMCP University Senate Committee on Committees
2006/7: Chair, UMCP University Senate Student Conduct Committee
2006 – present: Special Advisor to UMCP Graduate Student Government (GSG) President
2006/7: Member, GSG Student Affairs Committee
2006: Chair, GSG Transportation Task Force
2006: Judge, American Society of Human Genetics “DNA Day Essay Contest”
2006: Member, UMCP University Senate Committee on Committees
2006 – present: Volunteer, Partnership for Animal Welfare, Inc
2005 – present: Board Member, Paws Across the Border, Inc.
2005 – 2007: Graduate Student Senator, UMCP University Senate
2004/5: Member, UMCP College Advisory Board, College of Life Sciences
2003 – 2007: Member, Graduate Policy Committee, UMCP Department of Biology
2003 – present: Question writer/grader, USA Biology Olympiad national exams
2002 – 2007: Graduate Student Representative, UMCP Department of Biology
1997 – 1999: Speakers Bureau, Epilepsy Foundation of America
Professional Associations
American Association of Physical Anthropologists; American Society for Human Genetics; American Society of Primatologists; Association of Women in Science (Bethesda chapter); Graduate Women in Science (Omicron chapter); Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology; Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society (University of Maryland chapter, full member); Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
