
Zahra Zhu, MD
Medical fellow
Residency in Child Neurology, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
MD, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
BA in Biochemistry, New York University, New York, NY
I am currently in the pediatric neurology residency track. My interests include epilepsy, neurogenetics, and the application of clinical research to improve patient care. Prior to medical school, I conducted research in clinical cardiology and social psychology. During medical school, I designed and studied the effects of musical interventions to address loneliness in the older adult population via a randomized control trial. I also conducted a cross-sectional studying investigating the use of complementary and alternative medicine among pediatric patients with epilepsy. In the Sands lab, I am working on clinical CSNK2B research to better understand the spectrum of clinical manifestations among patients with this neurodevelopment syndrome.
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During my free time, I enjoy making music, reading and spending time with family.

Alex Eaker, BS
Graduate student
Alex is a PhD student in the Pathobiology and Mechanisms of Disease program at Columbia University. He earned his undergraduate degree in Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where he conducted research on spinocerebellar ataxia in Dr. Jonathan Schisler’s lab. After graduating, Alex worked as a research technician in Dr. Katie Baldwin’s lab at UNC, investigating the role of a protein phosphatase in developing cortical astrocytes. Now, as a graduate student in the Makinson and Sands labs, Alex is eager to uncover novel mechanisms regulating neural cells in health and disease. Outside the lab, he enjoys attending live performances in the city, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, and learning to play the piano

Celine Persad, BA
Technician
BA (Physiological Psychology/Biopsychology), CUNY Hunter College, New York, NY
AA (General Psychology), CUNY Queensborough Community College, Bayside, NY
Since my freshman year of college, I began to form a fascination with the study of neuropsychology, primarily in the category of neurodevelopmental disorders. Throughout my undergraduate years to obtaining my BA I spent numerous years in various brain and behavior research. First, starting with a macro level research looking at the rate of cortisol levels and its correlation to rates of suicide in NY state regions. Then I carried on to more animal-based research, investigating pre-pulse inhibition, dendritic integration, and social influence through mechanisms such as electrophysiology, and behavioral investigations in African Cichlids and Goldfishes. As well as looking at decision-making and cognition in Asian elephants. Now I am currently situated in the Sands lab where I am working on genetic causes of neurodevelopmental diseases, primarily epilepsy through mouse models. When I am not in a lab setting I enjoy hanging out with my parents and our family dog, playing video games, and traveling.