Beth Habecker, Ph.D. 


Professor

I grew up in Michigan and did my undergrad at Spring Arbor University there, majoring in Chemistry and Biology. I went to grad school at the University of Washington in Seattle, doing a Ph.D. with Dr. Neil Nathanson in the Department of Pharmacology where I worked on muscarinic receptors in cardiac myocytes. Then I moved to Cleveland for postdoctoral training in Neuroscience with Dr. Story Landis at Case Western Reserve University, where I worked on sympathetic neurons. During my time with Story, the lab moved to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, MD. I came back to the pacific northwest to take a faculty position at OHSU, and I’ve been here ever since.  In my spare time, I enjoy reading, baking, and traveling (when there is not a pandemic happening). 

 

Courtney Clyburn, Ph.D.
AHA Postdoctoral Fellow

After growing up in southern Maine, I received my Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry at Arcadia University. My undergraduate research experiences exposed me to a broad range of techniques and instilled a passion for neuroscience and physiology. Following my graduation in 2015, I moved on to the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine to pursue my Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Here I worked with Dr. Kirsteen Browning to understand how high fat diet exposure affects neural control of gastric functions. After defending my dissertation, I moved to OHSU as a postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Beth Habecker. My research will focus on understanding the plasticity within stellate ganglion following myocardial infarction. I will utilize several in vivo and in vitro methods including whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology in intact stellate ganglia. Outside of the lab I enjoy camping and kayaking with my family.

 

Arianna Scalco, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Researcher

After growing up in a little town called Bassano del Grappa in Northeast Italy, I completed my master’s degree in medical biotechnology and went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Padova. During my doctoral studies, my research interest focused on unveiling the role of the sympathetic nervous system in the morpho-functional changes of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy. By conducting this study, I developed a passion for understanding the complex interplay between the nervous system and the heart and how these two systems interconnect and communicate with each other.

Driven by my passion for this field, I moved to Portland where I joined Dr. Beth Habecker's lab as a postdoctoral researcher. Here, I will focus on investigating the changes in neuronal density and activity, following heart failure induced by hypertension.

Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, experimenting with new cooking recipes, wine tasting, and cuddling with my cat.


 

Minghua Li, Ph.D.

Senior Research Associate

After obtaining my PhD in Neuroscience and Pharmacology, and MS in cardiac physiology/pharmacology in China, I came to the US for postdoctoral training. As a postdoctoral fellow, I focused on the mechanisms underlying brain injury due to stroke/ischemia, and later studied the effects of drug abuse on neuronal plasticity and descending pain modulation circuits. My expertise centers around ion channel physiology and pharmacology, with additional training in molecular biology and fluorescence imaging techniques.

In 2021, I came back home to Portland and joined the Habecker lab. My current research focuses on elucidating the synaptic mechanisms of sympathetic neuroplasticity in disease.

 

Michelle Sorensen


Research Associate

I have a degree in Biology from the Robert C. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon, and a strong research background with extensive experience in Cell and Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Neuroscience. My skill set encompasses nearly everything wet lab-related: from primary cell and tissue culture to animal colony management to histology, microscopy, and imaging. I recently took a break from research to be a crusader for social justice in the non-profit sector, but my love of science brought me back to the lab. I’m a silversmith in my spare time, and my work is featured at the Alberta Street Gallery in NE Portland, as well as in select retail locations in town.

 

Morgan Johnson
Research Assistant

I entered undergrad strictly on a pre-med track but developed an equal passion for research after studying a novel targeted cancer therapy. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Linfield College in May 2020. I have always been fascinated by cardiac illness, and after a detour to Emergency Department medical scribing, I am eager to deepen my knowledge of cardiac pathology as a part of the Habecker Lab. Some of my hobbies include reading, photography, hiking, and caring for my large family of houseplants

 

Bill Woodward, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus

I am a Professor Emeritus in Neurology. I received my Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Oregon and did a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Neurobiology where I studied the lobster nervous system under Edward Kravitz and the visual system under Torsten Wiesel and David Hubel. I have collaborated with Beth Habecker since 1997 using my expertise in HPLC chromatography to measuring catecholamines for various projects in the lab.

 

Riley Omonaka
Undergraduate

I am a current undergraduate at Linfield University where I am double majoring in Biology and Journalism and Media studies. At Linfield I am also a member of the Linfield Women’s soccer team and wrestling team. In addition, I am the editor-in-chief of The Linfield Review. I joined the Habecker lab through the Murdock Scholars’ program, and I am researching the effects of a drug on Norepinephrine release following myocardial infarction. In my spare time I like to read, crochet or knit, and sew.

 

Ethan Lee
Undergraduate

I am a current undergraduate at Pomona College, where I am a 2 year starter on the men’s tennis team. Previously, at the University of Arizona-College of Medicine, I spent 2 years exploring bioengineering organs for transplantation. I joined the Habecker Lab through the CPB-SURP program where I’ve developed an interest in cardiac pathology. Here, I will focus on mapping cardiac sympathetic innervation in mice following heart failure. In my free time, I enjoy physical fitness, listening to music, and watching the New Orleans Saints.

Past Graduate Students

Suzan Dziennis, Ph.D.
Graduated 2003

Christina Lorentz, Ph.D.
Graduated 2010

Xiao Shi, Ph.D.
Graduated 2012

Ryan Gardner, Ph.D.
Graduated 2014

Matthew Blake, Ph.D.
Graduated 2022

 

Past Post Doctoral Scientists

Walter (Chip) Robertson, MD/Ph.D.
Cardiology Fellow

Michael Pellegrino, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher

Dustin Johnsen, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher

Michael Olaopa, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher

Ryan Gardner, Ph.D.
AHA Postdoctoral Fellow

Paul Nkadi, MD
Pediatrics Fellow

Wohaib Hasan, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher

Richard Bayles, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher

Quin Denfeld, Ph.D.
Cardiovascular Medicine T32 Fellow

Joe Sepe, Ph.D.
Cardiovascular Medicine T32 Fellow