Ayumi Pottenger

“Hey! My name is Ayumi and I am a senior majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona. I have worked in Dr. Helena Morrison’s lab for nearly two years, where I study a treatment for levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinson’s disease. LID is a type of severely debilitating motor dysfunction, and treatment may vastly improve the quality of life for those who suffer from Parkinson’s disease. My work focuses on the effects that this treatment has on microglia—the immune cell of the brain. I am graduating this spring, and in the fall I will be entering the Molecular Engineering PhD program at the University of Washington. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, reading, dancing, and trying new restaurants in Tucson.”