Student Profile

Ana N Strat
[email protected]Department: Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Advisor: Preethi Ganapathy, MD PhD
Profile:
My undergraduate training began with a dual degree in biology and mathematics (Manhattan College), followed by work as a Research Associate in Dr. Eric Nestler’s laboratory at Mount Sinai, and simultaneous completion of a MS in Biology (CCNY). The experience I gained during this time inspired me to pursue a doctoral study in neuroscience. For my PhD I entered the Center for Vision Research at Upstate Medical University, choosing clinician-scientist, Dr. Preethi S. Ganapathy, as my advisor. Under her mentorship, I am investigating the mechanobiology of optic nerve head astrocytes. I have developed a novel 3D hydrogel system to better mimic the native astrocyte morphology and matrix interactions in healthy and diseased cells, facilitating my current studies into astrocyte mechanotransduction, where I aim to understand how glaucoma-associated mechanical strains contribute to astrocyte dysfunction.