Principal Investigator
Virendra R. Mishra, Ph.D.
Virendra R. Mishra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He got his Ph.D. in 2014 from the joint degree program between the University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, and the University of Texas at Arlington, TX. He was a staff scientist at Cleveland Clinic, Nevada for 7 years (between 2015 – 2022) before his move to UAB. Dr. Mishra develops novel computational tools for the analysis of various MRI modalities for understanding early-stage Parkinson’s disease (PD) and non-motor symptoms of PD with disease progression. His current interest is developing machine learning/deep learning algorithms by fusing various MRI modalities to predict cognitive decline in PD and also due to repeated head impacts. His research is funded by the National Institute of Health and philanthropic organizations in the past.
Program Coordinator
Corina Catiul, M.D.
Corina Catiul is a Research Scientist in Dr. Mishra’s lab – a bridge between the Neurology and Radiology departments at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She specializes in cognitive analysis in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), with an emphasis on early neuroimaging markers of cognitive decline.
Her background includes research on how physical exercise affects sleep and cognition in PD and experience coordinating clinical trials. She has presented her work at national and international conferences and aims to continue to bring her contribution to the neurocognitive field.
A medical graduate from Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Corina is excited to be a part of this multidisciplinary lab, committed to improving the lives of those affected by neurodegenerative diseases.
Graduate Students
Taylor Davis
Taylor Davis is a doctoral candidate in the Behavioral Neuroscience Program from Birmingham, AL. She currently works on a project looking at fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) regarding the freezing of gait aspect of Parkinson’s disease. Taylor intends to go into an industry-related position after completing her doctorate. Taylor enjoys the collaborative flexibility at the EN4D2 Lab!
Krishna Kanth Bodempudi
A Ph.D. student in Computer Engineering at University of Alabama at Birmingham and an Applied Data Science enthusiast in the Medicine and Neuroscience fields. He is working alongside Data Science teams to gain the knowledge and skills to create AI products that improve people’s lives.
He is a proud member of EN4D2 lab as a Graduate Research Assistant under the mentorship of Dr. Virendra Mishra at UAB.
Saul Gurgua Lopez
Saul Lopez is a doctoral student in the Neuroengineering program, a joint program between the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Engineering and Heersink School of Medicine, and a researcher for the EN4D2 Lab. Given his background in computer science, Saul is looking to apply computational principles in medical research. His research interests involve bioinformatics, clinical studies, and neurodegenerative diseases. He enjoys collaborating with his coworkers and is looking forward to learning more from and about them.
Ivan Campbell
Ivan Campbell is a PhD student in Clinical and Counseling Psychology at the University of South Alabama studying clinical neuropsychology. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia he developed an interest in behavioral neuroscience, clinical neuroimaging, and informatics which now guides his research. He is interested in the application of novel analytic methodologies to neuroimaging data to uncover new information about the relationship between the brain and behavior, particularly within clinical populations. He is especially interested in the early detection and prevention of neurological conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s Disease. His clinical interests also include neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation.
Undergraduate Students
Alan Gardner
Alan Gardner is a junior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he is majoring in Neuroscience. Additionally, Alan is an honors student on the pre-medicine track. His interest in medicine is rooted in his desire to close the gap that exists within healthcare. As a minority, Alan is directly impacted by the racial disparites that exist within medicine. He understands that these disparites disporportionately affect many people of color and result in poor patient outcomes. Therefore, he plans to pursue a career in medicine to play an active role in bridging the gap that exists within healthcare. When he is not busy studying, he enjoys spending time in the research lab, training for marathons, weightlifting, and playing piano.
Lab Administrator
Ingia Gentry
Email: igentry@uabmc.edu
Phone: (205) 930-7085
