Megan S. Johnson

 

Megan is a 2004 – 2008 Self Fellow pursuing a Ph.D. in anatomy and cell biology. She received a B.A. (2002) in biology, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Truman State University with minors in English, Spanish, and psychology. Megan's research focuses on disorders of sensory nerves, specifically diabetic neuropathy. Her current projects examine how diabetes affects different subpopulations of neurons innervating the skin. She is using immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, and laser capture microdissection combined with RNA microarrays to examine the differential vulnerability of these subpopulations to diabetes, with the goal of identifying potental therapeutic targets. Megan is a member of the Society for Neuroscience and has presented twice at the SFN national meeting. Megan has written one journal publication, four abstracts, and was awarded the Best Overall Graduate Student Presentation at the 2005 University of Kansas Medical Center Student Research Forum. Megan received an NCAA Division II Degree-Completion Award and was a five-time All-American in NCAA Division II track and field. Mentor: Doug Wright, Professor, Anatomy and Cell Biology