People

Dr. Scheller has a research background that spans the fields of bone biology, neurobiology, and integrated physiology. She completed a dual DDS/PhD training program at the University of Michigan in 2011, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Ormond MacDougald, prior to transitioning to Washington University in 2016. Dr. Scheller has a directed interest in leveraging high-resolution imaging and other innovative techniques to understand neural regulation of the skeletal microenvironment.

Dr. Brazill is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory. During her PhD at the University of Miami, she established a Drosophila larval model for studying neuronal mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy revealing that larvae exhibit sensory dysfunction that recapitulates aspects of the symptoms experienced by patients. Dr. Brazill is currently studying the impact of genetic ablation of SARM1 on progression of both diabetic neuropathy and skeletal disease.

Alec is a graduate student in bioengineering. During his PhD project, Alec will pursue his interests in medical devices and bioelectrical phenomena to study the acute and chronic effects of bioelectric nerve stimulation on skeletal cells and tissues.

Xiao joined the lab in 2020 as a graduate student in bioengineering. During his project, Xiao will investigate the neural regulation of bone marrow adipocytes and consider their contributions to the skeletal microenvironment.

Madelyn is a certified histology technician. She specializes in advanced processing, imaging and analysis techniques for nerves in musculoskeletal tissues. She also serves as our data wrangler for our SPARC U01 project.

Hero is a research technician in the laboratory. Hero joined the laboratory in 2016 as a sophomore during his undergraduate training at Washington University and has since become a full-time member of the research team. In addition to his work with imaging the bone marrow microenvironment, Hero specializes in human sample acquisition and analysis.

Kristann is a research and veterinary technician. She has extensive expertise with colony management, diabetic models, and surgical techniques and supports all aspects of our work in the lab.

Ivana is an undergraduate researcher in the laboratory. She is currently developing methods for processing and analysis of peripheral nerves from rodents and humans to track the onset and progression of peripheral neuropathy.

Jae is an undergraduate in the laboratory. He is currently learning about projects within the laboratory and has previously examined the role of SARM1 in peripheral adiposity and skeletal changes in a model of type 2 diabetes.

David Shin is currently a junior and was previously majoring in Economics and Accounting at Washington University in St. Louis prior to following the call to change his major to Biology. He is currently studying the impact of the matricellular protein periostin on fracture healing and nerve regeneration.