Roles
Research Assistant Professor
Associate Director, Brain Endowment Bank
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Biography
Dr. Vontell received her PhD in Neurobiology at the School of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Research from King’s College London and Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom. She is Associate Director of the Brain Endowment Bank at the University of Miami.
Her primary research has focused on the inflammatory mediators in the brain and their relation to complex diseases; she has been instrumental in studies that identify potential targets for neuronal inflammation in both infants and adults. She collaborates with Drs. William Scott, Xiaoyan Sun, and Mary Rutherford (King’s College London) to identify factors influencing white matter and neuronal pathology in fetal development and in the ageing population. In addition, she has been involved in developing and implementing educational rotations for the University of Miami Neuroscience Graduate Program. She serves on the editorial board for the journal of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience. -
Education & Training
Education
Post Graduate Training
Licensures and Certifications
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Teaching Interests
My interest involve teaching brain anatomy and pathological changes seen in the aging population. -
Research Interests
My studies have focused on brain injury and white matter malformations that result in cerebral palsy, cognitive impairments and neuronal loss. My doctoral research was on the cellular response to focal injury seen after white matter injury and how it cascades to secondary atrophy in the thalamus and internal capsule. My studies utilize in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical approaches that incorporate microscopic image analysis to demonstrate that an increase in protein expression leads to intracellular signals that regulate cytokine production, excessive autophagy and prolong inflammatory mediators. -
Publications
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