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Clarissa Waites is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at Columbia University. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco, and her BS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. Her research focuses on understanding the nervous system's function and dysfunction at the cellular and molecular levels, particularly pathways that regulate protein trafficking, degradation, and secretion. Her lab is engaged in several distinct research projects, which include investigating the roles of the ESCRT pathway in neuronal protein degradation and its implications in neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Additionally, she explores how chronic stress and glucocorticoids can induce brain pathology, particularly regarding neuropsychiatric disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. Another area of her research is the mechanisms of extracellular vesicle biogenesis and secretion, aimed at elucidating their roles in neurodegenerative disease progression. Waites’ work is significant in exploring molecular pathways and mechanisms that could lead to new therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases and stress-related brain pathologies.
Department of Anthropology (GSAS)