Dr. Adamson has close to 20 years of experience directing large diverse teams to develop and implement several multi-site and longitudinal studies revolving around Alzheimer’s disease and brain injuries, especially in the Veteran population. Dr. Adamson is a world-class neuroscientist and neuroimaging expert, whose research interests include the neurological effects of COVID-19, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and pain. She’s a leader in healthcare innovation, entrepreneurship, and translational neuroscience. Her expertise and interests span employing translational neuroscience methodologies for diagnostic and neuromodulation treatments such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for frequent health problems in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), psychiatric problems, and Alzheimer's disease. Melissa A. Munn-Chernoff, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders in the Department of Psychiatry. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of eating disorders and behavioral genetics. Dr. Munn-Chernoff has four primary programs of research: (1) identifying genetic vulnerability to eating disorders and their symptoms; (2) explicating the comorbidity of eating disorders and substance use disorders from a genetic epidemiology perspective; (3) investigating eating disorder and comorbid psychopathology in underrepresented populations; and (4) exploring health and well-being in college students. To complete this work, she has received grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In 2021, Dr. Munn-Chernoff was elected as a Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders.
Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Joy is the Senior Medical Director for Wellness and Nutrition at Intermountain Healthcare, where she also practices family and sports medicine. She is a past President of the American College of Sports Medicine. Her research and writing interests include diabetes prevention, physical activity promotion and the Female Athlete Triad.
Dr. Luye Qin is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota where she has been a faculty member since 2021. She earned her M.D. from Zhengzhou University and Ph.D. from Peking University, China. She completed her postdoc trainings at Burke Neurological Institute, Weill Medical College of Cornell University and SUNY at Buffalo. She is particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms and developing potential therapeutic strategies for neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy. She seeks combined cutting-edge approaches including chemogenetics and optogenetics to pursue her research interests. She hopes that what she has done and what she will do can help patients with neurodevelopmental disorders at some point. Thayne A. Munce, PhD, FACSM is an Assistant Scientist / Manager in the Environmental Influences on Health & Disease Group and Director of the Athletic Health and Performance Lab at Sanford Research (Sanford Health, Sioux Falls, SD). Dr. Munce is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine and has a Graduate Faculty appointment in the Division of Kinesiology and Sport Management at the University of South Dakota. He is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and serves on several sports medicine leadership boards, including the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for the South Dakota High School Activities Association, the Leadership Board of the National Youth Sports Health and Safety Institute (NYSHSI), and the Medical Advisory Panel for USA Football. Dr. Munce’s research mission is to perform high-impact, innovative sports science research that has practical applications for athletic health and performance. A primary focus of his work is the First Down Project, which is dedicated to improving the health, safety and performance of football players through sports science research and education. The seminal work of the First Down Project is a multi-year study investigating head impact exposure and brain health in youth football players. Dr. Munce and his team also perform research that addresses key issues in brain health, athletic readiness, injury surveillance and thermoregulation in many athletic populations.Dr. Mo, (Melissa Dittberner), PhD, CPS, PS, LMT, is a lecturer in the Addiction Counseling and Prevention department at the University of South Dakota. She has a Ph.D. in Counseling and Psychology in Education, a master’s in Addiction Studies and a bachelor’s in Health Sciences. Dr. Mo is a prevention specialist. She does research on college students’ substance use, pedagogy, addiction, trauma, body brokering and harm reduction. Dr. Mo has worked on grants surrounding substance use disorders, harm reduction, continuing education, telehealth, recovery support, recovery and much more. Dr. Mo is a person in long-term recovery and her mission is: to help people learn to help themselves.Melissa Pratt
SPURA Student 2014
Mentor: Dr. Cliff Summers, Biology
Melissa joined the Weimer Lab at Sanford Research in 2018 where she currently works as a Research Supervisor and Project Manager. She leads a large team of researchers and projects focusing on small molecule drug screening as well as biomarker discovery efforts for rare neurodegenerative diseases. She is in the process of applying for a Masters program in Business and Science which she plans to complete remotely while remaining full time in her role at Sanford Research.