Our Trainees

Spotlight: Atcharaporn Ontawong

My name is Atcharaporn Ontawong, and I am a second-year postdoctoral scholar at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging under the mentorship of Anika Hartz, PhD. My journey with the Hartz lab began in 2018 when, as a PhD student from Thailand, I joined the group through a scholarship from Thailand's Research and Researcher for Industry program. This opportunity was facilitated by my PhD advisor, Dr. Chutima Vaddhanaphuti, who had established a strong professional relationship and friendship with Dr. Anika Hartz during their postdoctoral training at the NIH.

Spotlight: Blaine Weiss

My name is Blaine Weiss, and I am a graduate student in the department of pharmacology and nutritional sciences in the lab of Christopher Norris, PhD. Our group studies the role of astrocyte reactivity in contributing to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. My family moved to Lexington from Tampa in 2003 and quickly fell in love with the natural beauty of Kentucky. I graduated from Tates Creek High School before beginning my undergraduate education at UK. I began my career at Sanders-Brown in 2015 and was hired as a technician upon graduation.

Spotlight: James Overly

My name is James Overly, and I am junior biology and neuroscience student. I have been in the lab of Daniel Lee, MD, at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging for 2 years, where we study Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies. Under Dr. Lee’s mentorship, my focus on Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies brought me towards the study of polyamine metabolism and the polyamine stress response (PSR). This work investigates the role of polyamines, aliphatic polycations essential for various physiological functions, particularly under conditions of stress.