Student Life

CNU 2020 Translational Research Symposium

Student Activities

We are very proud to have our MPS student, Natali Chavez, to be one of distinguished speakers at 2020 Earth Optimism Summit to discuss her work in the global attempt to save the endangered southern river otters at the Smithsonian Center for Conservation Genomic in Washington, D.C.”

Student Publication(s)

Vuong, H.E., Pronovost, G.N., Williams, D.W. et al. The maternal microbiome modulates fetal neurodevelopment in mice. Nature 586, 281–286 (2020). <> 

"My name is Austin Qiu; I hail from Riverside, California and received a bachelor’s in physiological science from UCLA. Currently, I am attending the Master’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences program at California Northstate University. I am excited to share the research I contributed to at UCLA, where I looked at alterations in murine maternal gut microbiomes (microbial compositions) and how those changes affected fetal brain metabolites, gene expression, axon development, and ultimately adult offspring somatosensory behavior. I view this as very impactful research as it highlights the existence of gut-nervous system crosstalk in the early to mid-gestational phases and a direct link between maternal and fetal physiologies. I would like to thank Dr. Elaine Hsiao and Dr. Helen Vuong of the Hsiao lab at UCLA for being patient, inspirational mentors and pioneers in this relatively new but burgeoning field of the biomedical sciences."