UCSF’s innovative, collaborative approach to patient care, research and education spans disciplines across the life sciences, making it a world leader in scientific discovery and its translation to improving health.
Ashlin earned his bachelor of science degree in psychology at the University of Oregon in 2016. As an undergraduate, he assisted in several labs that study the neurobiological basis of behavior. After graduating, Ashlin worked as a lab manager at the University of Massachusetts Boston for Dr. Keith Welker and Dr. Rhiana Wegner. Currently, Ashlin is a data analyst at UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center for Dr. Virginia Sturm and Dr. David Perry.
Dr. Saloner is a scientist-practitioner and Assistant Professor at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. His research integrates deep molecular screening tools, including large-scale proteomics platforms and targeted biomarker assays, with longitudinal clinical phenotyping to discover molecular pathways and biomarker candidates that drive the earliest clinical manifestations of neurodegenerative disease. Dr.
Dr. Sampognaro majored in neurobiology as an undergrad at Georgetown University. There, he worked as a research assistant in the laboratory of Maria Donoghue, studying the molecular underpinnings of Eph/ephrin signaling and its role in cortical neuronal development. After college, he matriculated to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he earned his MD and worked part-time in Charlotte Sumner’s laboratory, quantifying the degree of SMN1 insufficiency in humans with spinal muscular atrophy.
Movements are files of a person’s life, learned, reproduced, and altered as needed. There are external movements, those that make us act on objects and internal movements, and energy that we use in space and time. Clara’s interest in the body as a ‘depository of human expressiveness’ led her to a degree in Psychomotor Therapy with a master’s specialization in old age and mental health (University of Lisbon).
At the Memory and Aging Center, Antonia assists families with the brain donation process and acts as Dr. William Seeley’s administrative assistant. She graduated in 2021 from UC Davis with a BS degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. She participated in health-related internships and was a member of several clubs such as Alzheimer’s Buddies, Pre-Dental Society, and Outdoor Crew.
Dr. Satpati received his Master of Science (Zoology) and PhD (Zoology) degrees from Bangalore University, India. His PhD thesis was on the neuroprotective potential of endurance exercise and grape seed polyphenols, emphasizing the role of oxidative stress-associated changes in the expression of the muscarinic cholinergic receptor (m1) across different subfields of the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex in aging rats. He is particularly interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms associated with selective neuronal vulnerability.
Ariel joined the Yokoyama Lab at the Memory and Aging Center in February 2024 as a Staff Research Associate. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her bachelor’s degree in English and in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Ariel has experience assisting with research into the effects of environmental air pollution on neurodegenerative disease, as well as working in a clinical pathology setting; she is interested in learning more about neurogenetics.
Rhiana Schafer is a Research Data Analyst with 6+ years of experience in a variety of research settings, from small labs to large centers. Her research interests include a variety of aspects of neuroscience and aging, including the language network and primary progressive aphasia (PPA), music interventions in dementia, and health equity and equal access to care. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 2016, with a double major in Cognitive Science and Molecular & Cellular Biology.
