From Left to Right: Morgan Barkley, Alana Colafrancesco, Harper Kim, Dr. Andrew Pickering, Danitra Parker, Madison Hardiman. Not Pictured: Kanisa Davidson, Katherine Turnbough
Dr. Andrew Pickering, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Andrew Pickering is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics a part of the Department of Neurology and P.I. for the Pickering Aging Lab.
Harper Kim
MD/PhD Student
Harper Kim is a MD/PhD student in Dr. Andrew Pickering’s lab.
Danitra Parker, MPH
Researcher IV
Danitra Parker is a Researcher IV in the Pickering Aging Lab.
More About Dr. Pickering
Dr. Pickering is also a part of the Nathan Shock Center for Health Aging, and a part of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He did his undergraduate degree at Oxford University in the UK, his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California and Postdocs at UCLA as well as the University of Michigan. Andrew is interested in aging and age-related diseases particularly Alzheimer’s disease. As we get older, we experience a progressive functional decline and increased susceptibility to a wide range of diseases including an exponential increase in our risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Andrew is interested in understanding the pathways behind these changes and developing novel therapeutic strategies to enable us to remain healthy, active and enjoying life for longer. In his spare time Andrew likes hiking, boardgames and travel. When he can get away from the lab you will often find him at the beach or at Disneyworld (studying the world’s oldest mouse).
More About Harper Kim
Harper graduated from Brown University with a major in neuroscience. He has been interested in uncovering basic aging mechanisms and translating the findings into novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders. Currently, he is examining 1) whether a rise in protein translation in young adulthood for early fitness triggers proteostasis collapse and initiates the aging process and 2) whether the failure to suppress protein translation with age accelerates aging and causes age-related disorders including Alzheimer’s disease. He loves to play soccer (both in a real and virtual word) and enjoys listening to music. He also likes to explore restaurants in Birmingham. He decided to use Harper as his name because his Korean name (상우) means Helper, which sounds similar to Harper.
More About Danitra Parker
Danitra Parker is a Researcher IV in the Pickering Aging Lab. She earned her MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She currently manages the lab, maintains the fly and mouse colonies and assists Dr. Pickering with research projects. Danitra is an avid lover of music and travel. She is currently working on learning to speak Spanish. Her recommendation for the best thing to do in Birmingham is to explore the farmer’s markets and food truck culture, especially Taqueria El Parrandero.
