Principal Investigator
Marissa Gogniat, PhD
Dr. Marissa Gogniat is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She graduated summa cum laude from Emory University with bachelor’s degrees in Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology and Psychology. She earned a doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Neuropsychology from the University of Georgia. She completed her doctoral internship at the VA Maryland Health Care System/University of Maryland School of Medicine Psychology Internship Consortium in the VA Neuropsychology Track and a fellowship in Neuropsychology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center through the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center. She is a licensed psychologist and practicing neuropsychologist.
Dr. Gogniat is dedicated to understanding the neuroprotective mechanisms of health and wellness factors in older adulthood. She enjoys mentoring trainees from different backgrounds.
Research Team
Research Assistant
Lindsey Jorda
Lindsey Jorda graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2023 with a BA in Neuroscience and Psychology and a minor in Medicine, Health, and Society. She is currently a study coordinator in the CHAMP lab and a neuropsychometrist at the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. In the future, she aspires to pursue a career in clinical neuropsychology
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Amaya Aranda
Amaya is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh in the Frederick Honors College. She is majoring in Neuroscience, with minors in Sociology and Chemistry, and a certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. She aspires to be a physician and is specifically interested in neurodegenerative diseases.
Bindu Chunduri
Bindu is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh Frederick Honors College, studying Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry and a certificate in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine, on the pre-medical track. She aspires to be a physician, and also has an interest in neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases, specifically their biological and environmental factors.
Shivany Dowlat
Shivany is a Sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, studying Psychology and Biology with a minor in Chemistry and a certificate in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine, on the pre-medical track. She is interested in psychology and neurodegenerative diseases, specifically their biological and environmental factors.
Bella Feather
Bella is a Freshman on the pre-medical track at the University of Pittsburgh Frederick Honors College. She is planning to double major in Anthropology and Biology with certificates in Health Humanities and Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. She is interested in neurodegenerative diseases, specifically their biological and environmental factors.
Brina Ratangee
Brina is an MS1 at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She earned a BA in neuroscience and MA in medicine, health & society from Vanderbilt University, where she researched the association between neighborhood disadvantage and cognition, as well as caregiver mental health and end-of-life care interventions. Her work with the CHAMP Lab investigates sedentary behavior and physical activity as modifiable risk factors of Alzheimer's disease, and her broad interests center on understanding how physical and social environments influence health.
Tarun Srivatsan
Tarun is a Sophomore on the pre-med track at the University of Pittsburgh Frederick Honors College. He is planning to major in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry along with the certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. Tarun is passionate about becoming a neurosurgeon while also researching treatments for slowing the progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
Joseph Storey
Joseph recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Frederick Honors College, majoring in Neuroscience and History & Philosophy of Science. He is applying to medical school in 2025, and is interested in the ways that neighborhood level deprivation affects cognitive health.
Institutional Collaborators:
University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center