Curriculum Vitae (pdf)

In the Neurogenomics lab and the Computational Biology PhD program at CMU, I worked with my thesis advisor Andreas Pfenning to investigate the bases for addiction genetic risk at multiple levels of biology. I applied integrative computational and experimental techniques using  single cell transcriptomics and epigenomics of the reward neural circuit, comparative genomics in rodents, non-human primates, and postmortem human tissues. I used these data and models of gene regulatory mechanisms to inquire the cellular and epigenetic mechanisms for substance use disorders. 

1. "Whole-Animal Massively Parallel Reporter Assay Dissects the Region-Specific Transcriptional Impact of Human Addiction Genetic Variants". NIDA Genetics and Epigenetics Cross-Cutting Research Conference, NIH Main Campus (5/17/2023).

2. "Fine-Mapping Candidate Neuropsychiatric Regulatory Variants Using Cell Type-Aware Comparative Genomics". NIDA Genetics and Epigenetics Cross-Cutting Research Conference, NIH Main Campus (5/16/2023). Presented by advisor, Andreas Pfenning

3. “Single cell multi-omics of the rhesus macaque striatum reveal regulatory mechanisms underlying the genetic basis of addiction”. NIDA Genetics and Epigenetics Cross-Cutting Research Conference, Virtual (5/11/2022).

4. "What can bats, capybaras, and tree shrews tell us about the genetic basis of addiction?" NIDA Genetics and Epigenetics Cross-Cutting Research Conference, Virtual (5/11/2022). Presented by advisor, Andreas Pfenning

5. "Addiction-associated genetic variants implicate cell type- and region-specific cis-regulatory elements in addiction neurobiology." NIDA Genetics and Epigenetics Cross-Cutting Research Conference, Virtual (1/11/2020). Presented by advisor, Andreas Pfenning

6. “Transcripts in GWAS gene-desert loci introduce new players into human health”. Three Rivers Evolution Event, Pittsburgh (9/22/18).

1. J. He*, B.N. Phan*, M. Sedorovitz, O. Wirfel, W. Kerkhoff, S. Dauby, E. Ozturk, J. Chen, A.Z. Wang, A.C. Bostan, B.M. Hooks, L.C.T. Byrne, A.R. Pfenning, W.R. Stauffer. "Cell type-specific AAVs to target Reward and Cognition." Society for Neuroscience, San Diego (11/12/22-11/16/22)

2. Phan BN, Lawler AJ*, Jing He*, Brown AR*, Kaplow IM, Kowalczyk A, Srinivasan C, Fox GA, Chen Z, Wirthlin ME, Zoonomia Consortium, Stauffer WR, Pfenning AR, “Fine-Mapping Candidate Neuropsychiatric Regulatory Variants Using Cell Type-Aware Comparative Genomics across Mammalian Genomes”. Neurobiology of Addiction Gordon Conference, Newry, ME (8/14/22-8/19/22).

3. Tarfa RA, Morris JM, Anyaeche VI, Ekanem UO, Phan BN, Nance M, “Addressing the health disparities in Head and Neck Cancer among Black Americans: assessing perceptions and awareness of the disease”. AHNS 2022 Annual Meeting @ COSM, Austin, TX (4/27/22).

4. Phan BN, Lawler AJ, He J, Kaplow IM, Schaffer D, Brown AR, Zoonomia Consortium, Stauffer WR, Pfenning AR, “Fine-Mapping Candidate Neuropsychiatric Regulatory Variants Using Cell Type-Aware Comparative Genomics across Mammalian Genomes”. Molecular Psychiatry Conference, Maui, HI (3/6/22).

5. Phan BN, Lawler AJ, He J, Kaplow IM, Schaffer D, Brown AR, Zoonomia Consortium, Stauffer WR, Pfenning AR, “Fine-mapping candidate addiction-associated regulatory variants using cell type-aware comparative genomics across mammalian genomes”. Society for Neuroscience, Virtual (11/9/21).

6. C Srinivasan*, Phan BN*, Lawler AJ, Ramamurthy E, Kleyman E, Brown AR, Kaplow IM, Wirthlin EM, Pfenning AR, “Addiction-associated genetic variants implicate brain cell type- and region-specific cis-regulatory elements in addiction neurobiology”. Society for Neuroscience, Virtual (11/9/21).

7. Chen HY, Phan BN, Sripathy S, Hamersky GR, Bohlen J, Shim G, O’Donell T, Pfenning AR, Maher BJ, “The psychiatric risk gene Transcription Factor 4 (TCF4) regulates the density and connectivity of a specific subclass of inhibitory interneurons”. Society for Neuroscience, Virtual (11/10/21).

8. Tarfa RA, Morris JM, Anyaeche VI, Ekanem UO, Phan BN, Nance M, “Head and Neck Cancer disparities among Black Americans in Pittsburgh: Understanding prevailing perceptions among the population”. AHNS Annual Meeting, Virtual (6/22/2021).