Principal Investigator

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Heath D. Schmidt, Ph.D.

Dr. Heath D. Schmidt is the Killebrew-Censits Chair of Undergraduate Education and a Professor of Neuroscience & Pharmacology in the Schools of Nursing and Medicine at Penn. As a neuropharmacologist and Director of the Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Dr. Heath D. Schmidt approaches research on addictive drugs in several ways: 1) to understand the neurobiological mechanisms underlying addiction-like phenotypes and their co-morbid disorders; 2) to identify novel druggable molecular targets that could be used to develop new medications to treat substance use disorders; and 3) to screen the efficacy of novel anti-addiction pharmacotherapies and therapeutic approaches. Dr. Schmidt’s multi-disciplinary approach combines preclinical models of addiction with molecular biology, single cell, circuit specific, viral-mediated, chemogenetic, and in vivo calcium imaging techniques to understand how the brain encodes motivated behaviors including voluntary drug-taking and -seeking behaviors.Dr. Schmidt also explores how food, especially the Western diet consisting of foods high in sugar and fat, changes the brain to produce aberrant food-seeking behaviors that can lead to obesity.
hschmidt@nursing.upenn.edu  

Graduate Students

Rae Herman, Ph.D.

Neuroscience Graduate Group

Rae is a fifth year student in the Neuroscience Graduate Group. Before arriving at Penn, she graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2018 with a BS in Cognitive-Behavioral Neuroscience. Afterwards, she spent a year researching the neural basis of nicotine relapse at the VU Medical Center in Amsterdam. She is interested in understanding the neural circuits of addiction to uncover novel treatments. Outside of lab, she enjoys live music, powerlifting, and exploring Philadelphia restaurants. rherm@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Ricardo Petrilli Fortuna

Neuroscience Graduate Group

Ricardo is a second year graduate student in the Neuroscience Graduate Group. Before joining Penn’s PhD program in 2024, he graduated from Temple University also in Philadelphia in 2022 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. For the next two years, Ricardo worked studying the neurocircuitry of cocaine-context memory at the Center for Substance Abuse Research at Temple University Medical School. He is interested in the behavioral and molecular mechanism of substance abuse disorders and assessing novel treatments for such disorders. Besides science, he is passionate about going to concerts, running on the Schuylkill river trail and playing soccer. rfortuna@pennmedicine.edu

Yoonjae Lee, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

PhD Student, Penn Nursing

Yoonjae Lee is a third-year PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing), where she is mentored by Dr. Schmidt. Originally from South Korea, She earned her BSN from Ewha Womans University in South Korea and her DNP from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in 2023. She is a licensed Family Nurse Practitioner in Pennsylvania with nearly ten years of RN experience. Before starting her PhD, she gained extensive clinical experience and developed a strong interest in the prevention of opioid-related adverse outcomes while ensuring optimal pain management. For her dissertation, she is using machine learning and natural language processing methods to identify and prevent persistent opioid use and subsequent problematic opioid use after surgery. Outside of research, Yoonjae enjoys playing tennis and traveling. yoonjael@nursing.upenn.edu

International Scholars

Christian Edvardsson

University of Gothenburg

Christian is a PhD student in the Jerlhag lab at the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He holds an MSc in pharmacology and focuses on appetite-regulating peptides in substance use disorders, particularly how GLP-1 and GIP receptor drugs alter neurochemical signaling underlying drug-seeking behavior. Christian collaborates with the Schmidt Lab to investigate whether these neurochemical changes reduce drug-seeking and drug-taking in preclinical behavioral pharmacology models.christian.edvardsson@gu.se

Research Specialists

Antonia Caffery, B.A.

Research Specialist
Antonia graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience before joining the Schmidt Lab. Her senior thesis examined sex differences in stress responses to classical music exposure in rodents, sparking her interest in animal behavior research. Originally from San Antonio, TX, Antonia enjoys cooking and painting in her free time.acaff@upenn.edu

Grace Zhang, B.A.

Research Specialist
Grace graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 2024 with a double major in Neuroscience (with honors) and Psychology. She also spent significant time studying chemistry and data science. During her undergraduate years, she explored the field of cognitive neuroscience in humans, including analyzing EEG and fMRI data, competitive need studies with mice, and sex differences and stress responses in rats. Grace is interested in combining computational work with animal behavior research and neuronal activity analysis. Outside the lab, Grace enjoys watching anime and playing Steam games.zxinming@upenn.edu

Megan Dalalo, B.A.S.

Research Specialist
Megan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2025 with a major in Biomedical Science and a minor in Medical Sociology on the pre-med track. As an undergrad, she worked on immunology research in the Henrickson Lab at CHOP, and she’s excited to gain new experiences contributing to translational neuroscience research! In her free time, she enjoys going on long walks and cafe hopping.megandalalo@gmail.com

Ethan Wolf Eskin, B.A.

Research Specialist
Ethan graduated from Colby College in 2026 with a B.A. in Psychology: Neuroscience. As an undergraduate, he learned under Rae Herman in the Herman Lab for Behavioral Neuroscience, examining the effects of GLP-1s on nicotine withdrawal, with a focus on immunofluorescence microscopy. Outside of the lab, Ethan composes and performs music, and enjoys live music of all sorts. ethanwe@nursing.upenn.edu

Satoria Ayer Zagorski, B.S., A.S.

Research Specialist
Satoria graduated from Temple University in 2026 with a degree in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (with academic distinction in major) and a certificate in American Sign Language (ASL). She also spent time from 2021 to 2023 earning an associate degree in biomedical sciences from Bucks County Community College. During her undergraduate career at Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine – Center for Substance Abuse Research, Satoria investigated the effects of psilocybin and ketamine treatments on rat models of opioid self-administration, examining how neural inflammation influences opioid craving. Furthermore, Satoria is interested in animal work, particularly in expanding her rodent surgical skills and investigating behavior in drug‑exposed animals. Outside of the laboratory, Satoria enjoys cooking, perfecting her espresso shot, and watching reruns of her favorite TV show, M*A*S*H*. zagorsk1@nursing.upenn.edu

Undergraduate Students

Micah Ford ’27

Undergraduate Research Assistant
 Micah is an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania planning to pursue a B.A in Neuroscience on a pre-med track. Micah became fascinated with neuroscience after making a biology research project that examined the effects of stress on sleep (and vice versa) with his peers. He joined the Schmidt Lab in May of 2023, when he completed his high school senior capstone project in the lab. Micah’s interest in the injustices of the War on Drugs and Mass Incarceration led to his desire to join a lab that helps people dealing with drug-use disorders. Outside the lab, Micah spends his time lifeguarding, wrestling, and hanging out with friends. micahf@sas.upenn.edu

Mmachi Ezigbo ’27

Undergraduate Research Assistant

 Mmachi is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania pursuing a B.A. in Neuroscience and minors in Creative Writing and Medical Sociology. She joined the Schmidt Lab in the Fall of 2025 and is currently on the pre-medical track. Her interest in substance use disorders sprang from her field experiences as an EMT, and she is excited to contribute to research in treating them. Outside of the lab, Mmachi can be found watching her favorite comfort movie, cooking rice dishes, or drafting her next story. mmachie@sas.upenn.edu

Amelie Leu ’29

Undergraduate Research Assistant

 Amelie is a first-year undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania planning on majoring in neuroscience on a pre-med track. She became drawn to the Schmidt Lab through her interest in addiction and psychiatry, specifically focusing on early cognitive and emotional markers. Her broader research interests center on clinical and biological topics such as genetics and neurodevelopment. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, playing the guitar, and all things animals! ame1ie@sas.upenn.edu

Lab Alumni

Post-doctoral Fellows

  • Yafang Zhang, PhD
    • Senior Scientist; WuXi Advanced Therapies

Graduate Students

  • Dr. Rae Herman, PhD
    • Visiting Professor; Colby College
  • Dr. Nicole Hernandez, PhD
    • Equity Specialist; CA Institute for Technology & Sciences

International Scholars

  • Cajsa Aranäs, PhD
    • University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Visiting Scholars

  • Lucy Olcott, 2024 (Syracuse University)
    • Pharmacology graduate student, UPenn
  • Camille Carthy, 2021 (Lafayette College)
    • MD/PhD Student, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Research Assistants

  • Riley Merkel, 2021-2024
    • Neuroscience graduate student, Stanford University School Of Medicine
  • Kael Ragnini, 2019-2021
    • Clinical Psychology graduate student, Harvard University
  • Christopher Turner, 2015-2018
    • Post-doctoral fellow at the University of Michigan
  • John Maurer, 2014-2017
    • Senior Consultant in Life Sciences at Guidehouse
  • Duncan Van Nest, 2014-2016
    • Medical Doctor: Orthopedic Specialist Surgeon
  • Adrian Arreola, 2012-2014
    • Dentist
  • Dr. Thomas Hopkins, M.D., 2010-2011
    • Medical doctor
  • Dr. Blake Kimmey, Ph.D. , 2011-2013
    • Postdoctoral researcher in the Corder Laboratory at Univ. of Pennsylvania
  • Rachel Schassburger-Panas, M.S., 2009-2011
    • Research Compliance Specialist, Penn State College of Medicine

Undergraduate Students

  • Suraj Neelamagam, B.A. Univ.of Penn ’26
  • Oscar Wong, B.A. Univ.of Penn ’29
  • Tanisha Johri, B.A. Univ.of Penn ’27
  • Austin Pothikamjorn, B.A. Univ.of Penn ’25
    • Research Assistant, Harvard University
  • Victoria Chinaka, B.A. Univ. of Penn ’24
    • Medical Student, University of Pennsylvani
  • Enzo Lavecchia, B.A. Univ. of Penn ’24
  • Jennifer Ben Nathan, B.A. Univ. of Penn ’23
    • MD/PhD Student at Penn State College of Medicine
  • Sana Zeb, B.A. Univ. of Penn ’22
  • Suditi Rahematpura, B.S. Univ. of Penn ’21
    • Georgetown University School of Medicine ’26
  • Riley Merkel, B.A. Univ. of Penn ’21
    • Graduate student at Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Kamryn Stecyk, B.S. Univ. of Penn ’21
    • MD student at Rochester Medical School
  • Amanda Moreno, B.A. Univ. of Penn ’21
    • Harvard Medical School ’26
  • Michelle Kahng, B.S. Univ. of Penn ’20
    • Medical student, Univ. of Minnesota Medical School
  • Vanessa Weir, B.S. Univ. of Penn ’19
    • Medicine at Penn
  • Jordan Wolfheimer, B.S. Univ. of Penn ’17
    • Medical student, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
  • Dr. Kelsey Ige, M.D., B.S. Univ. of Penn ’14
    • Medical doctor: Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Specialist
  • Alycia Lee, B.S. Univ. of Penn ’12
    • Medical student, Heidelberg University
  • Blake Kimmey, Ph.D. , B.S. Univ. of Penn ’11
    • Postdoctoral researcher in the Corder Laboratory at Univ. of Pennsylvania
  • Dr. Michael McMullen M.D., B.S. Univ. of Penn ’10
  • Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins M.D., B.S. Univ. of Penn ’10