Bachstetter lab Alumni
Colleen Garnett, Ph.D.
Colleen grew up in Pittsburg, PA. Graduated from Allegheny College in 2017 entering the IBS graduate program at the University of Kentucky. She joined the Bachstetter lab in 2018. Her areas of study included TBI, IL-1, and endothelial cells. While she is continually learning new skills, her favorite skill that she has learned in the lab is vessel painting. She became interested in TBI due to the concussions she and others received while playing lacrosse. Colleen enjoys research and being able to share her knowledge with others. Colleen’s favorite lab memory was ax throwing with Dr. Bachstetter!
Colleen graduated from UK with her PhD in May 2022 and moved to Alabama to become an assistant professor at the University of Alabama.
Outside of research her interests include her dog, Bailey, photography, and art.
Join her on twitter @colleenbodnar to follow her and her cute dog Bailey.
Danielle N. Lyons, PhD, DMD
Danielle was a Post Doc in the Bachstetter lab from November 2015 - July 2017
Danielle is currently working in a private dental practice.
Rachel M. Brakeville
As an undergraduate, Rachel was in the lab from May 2017 - May 2018. After leaving the lab, she completed her MBA.
Cassidy Carter
Cassidy was a UK undergrad neuroscience major. She was in the lab from June 2018- May 2020.
Cassidy’s lab project was to study the effects of traumatic brain on the optic nerve.
Cassidy continued on to attend the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and she is currently in the Psychiatry Residency Program.
MaKayla L. Beechman
MaKayla was a UK undergrad neuroscience major. She was in the lab from 2017 - 2018.
Makayla completed her Honor College Capstone project in the lab:
Systematic Review of Interleukin-1 Regulated Neuroinflammation following a Central Nervous System Injury
MaKayla continued on to University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and she is now an Emergency Medicine resident at the Ohio State University.
Katrina Kozak
Katrina is from Reno, Nevada. She worked as an undergraduate in our laboratory from 2018 – 2019. She worked on microscope image analysis and histology.
She graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2020 and went on to receive her masters in Physiology at Case Western Reserve University.
Bella Deaton
Bella worked in the lab from January 2022 to December 2024. She is studying Neuroscience and Pharmacology, and she plans on applying to PA school. She is from Indianapolis, IN, and she is part of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority at UK.
Marissa Harris
Marissa worked in the lab from May 2023 to December 2024. She studied Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics. She is currently applying to medical school.
Ryan Shahidehpour, Ph.D.
Ryan joined the Bachstetter lab in 2019. His research focused on the role of dystrophic microglia in neurodegenerative disorders. Ryan is fascinated by the differences in pathological vulnerabilities and their clinical correlates in disease and injury. His main interests are neuropathology in TBI and neurodegenerative disorders.
Ryan is from Naperville, IL. He attended UW-Platteville for his undergraduate studies and IIT for his masters’ degree. His interests include lifting weights, playing lacrosse, crocheting, building classic motorcycles, and archery.
Ryan graduated from UK with his PhD in August 2024. Ryan is now a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Pete Nelson’s lab at UK College of Medicine.
Slane Steen
Slane worked in the Bachstetter Lab from December 2022 to May 2023. She graduated in May 2023 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience, and she is currently working as a Targeted Case Manager at 2nd Chance PLLC.
Samantha Stone
Sam worked in the lab from August 2022 to May 2023. She studied Neuroscience and Pharmacology.
Lydia Sanders
Lydia joined the Bachstetter Lab in Jan 2021 as an undergraduate student. Upon graduating in May 2022 with a BS in Biology and a BS in Neuroscience, she started working in the lab as a laboratory technician. Her hobbies include art, spending time with her cat, and labeling everything. If you see a label in the lab, she made it.
Lydia will be attending Johns Hopkins University starting fall 2023 to pursue a PhD in Human Genetics. She will be sorely missed by everyone in the Bachstetter lab. She definitely did not write this page.
Chloe Embry
Chloe worked in the lab as an undergraduate researcher from 2021 to 2023. She continued on to attend University of Kentucky Medical School.
Lilly Meekin
Lilly worked in the lab as a student researcher from 2019 - 2023. Her favorite activity was cleaning slides. She is currently attending UK College of Medicine.
Nolan Abdelsayed
Nolan worked in the lab from 2021 to 2023. He is originally from California and returned there after graduating from UK to pursue his graduate education at George Washington University School of Medicine and and Health Sciences.