Professor

Dr. Jankowski is principal investigator and a professor for the Division of Pain Management in the Department of Anesthesia at Cincinnati Children's within the UC Department of Anesthesiology. His lab uses a multidisciplinary experimental approach to study the primary afferent based mechanisms of pain development from neonates to adulthood.

Aaditya obtained his BS in zoology at the University of Delhi and MS in medical physiology at the AIIMS, India where he worked on deciphering the role of neurotrophic factors in endometriosis-associated pain. He joined the Jankowski lab as a graduate student in the Cincinnati Children's Molecular and Developmental Biology Program. He is studying the role of TACAN channels in muscle afferent mechanosensory function.

Post-doctoral Fellow

Adewale obtained his masters of biochemistry from University of Lagos, Nigeria, and his PhD in biotechnology at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa. Adewale had his first post-doctoral research fellow in nanotechnology in the Department of Biotechnology UWC. His experience spans from various fields of Natural science focusing on the in silico drug design, biomarker discovery, medicinal chemistry, and nanotherapeutics. Currently, Adewale is deploying the aforementioned skills with techniques in neuroscience to uncover possible/novel mechanism(s) of pain in neonates.

Research Assistant I

Megan obtained her degree at the University of Cincinnati in veterinary technology with a certificate in biotechnology. She currently is responsible for mouse husbandry, genotyping and other molecular biological assays in addition to administrative duties for the Jankowski Lab.

Senior Research Assistant

Renita obtained her Bachelor of Chemistry from Denison University, Master of Biochemistry from Youngstown State University and continued graduate studies at Miami University of Ohio. Renita is currently working on gathering data on how Slc10a6 sensory neuron expression mediates somatosensation/nociception from muscles, and it’s function in developing hypersensitivity after nerve injury.

Kendall obtained her BS in chemistry from Creighton University in Omaha Nebraska in 2021. She started the medical-scientist training program at UC in 2021 and joined the Jankowski Lab as a graduate student in the Cincinnati Children's immunology program in 2023. She is co-mentored by Mike Jankowski and Marc Rothenberg and studies neuro-immune interactions in allergic diseases, including eosinophilic esophagitis and asthma. Specifically, Kendall looks at how esophageal peripheral neurons change in structure and function during allergy and how this impacts severity of inflammation and symptoms.

Graduate Student

Meranda obtained her bachelor’s of science degree in biomedical science from Eastern Kentucky University. She is a student in the neuroscience graduate program and is a member of the Yates Fellowship Program. She is currently working on sex specific mechanisms that induce prolonged effects after repetitive ischemia and reperfusion injury.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Namrata obtained her PhD in Molecular Biology from Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX where she researched the signaling pathways of RhoA and Rac1 and its role in the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. She now continues her research in the development of nociception in neonates and how it progresses in adult using different molecular techniques and epigenetics analyses.

Kourtney obtained her BS in animal bioscience at The Ohio State University and MS in biochemistry and molecular biology at Wright State University. She joined the Jankowski Lab as a graduate student in the Cincinnati Children's Molecular and Developmental Biology Program. She studies neuro-immune interactions at key developmental times that play a role in peripheral sensitization. Specifically, Kourtney looks at sensory neuron derived interleukin 34 and how that potentially primes macrophages for later in life hypersensitivity. She utilizes neonatal c57 mice in this project and performs behavioral assays throughout adolescence. Kourtney also studies exercise intolerance in primary hypertension. This project investigates the role of acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) on sensory neurons innervating the skeletal muscle and its ability to regulate the exercise pressor reflex. This project also investigates regulation of ASIC3 on a post-translational level.

Post-doctoral Fellow

Dr. Gyanesh Tripathi has a Master’s in medical biochemistry and a PhD in neuroscience. Prior to joining the laboratory, his primary focus was on the pathogenesis of migraine, but he also performed research on excitatory neurotransmitters and genetic variation in epilepsy. He has ample experience in molecular biology methods and biostatistics. His current emphasis is on neuro-immune communication in the peripheral nervous system.