Currently a doctoral student in the Blakely lab, Allison is working on the connection between neuropsychiatric disorders and altered serotonin signaling, with a special emphasis on the presynaptic serotonin transporter (SERT) and neuroinflammation. Her research interests in neuroscience are, broadly-speaking, the interaction between our environment, genetics, and health. Previously, she earned a graduate degree in public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a focus on environmental health. Later she pursued graduate research in the Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience program in Germany at the University of Regensburg. It was during this time in Germany that Allison honed her passion for better understanding the molecular and genetic underpinnings of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Outside of the lab, she enjoys yoga and time at the beach.