Lab Members

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development j.vvw@vanderbilt.edu

Kevin Sanders, MD is an Assistant Professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and works as a lead clinician of Inpatient Child Psychiatry Services at Vanderbilt University Psychiatric Hospital. Dr. Sanders also leads clinical trial work, serving as Principal Investigator and Sub-Investigator in the areas of Autism and Fragile X Syndrome. Along with clinical responsibilities, Dr. Sanders has had an active role in teaching fellows, residents and medical students. Dr. Sanders became a Master Clinical Teacher in 2012 and is focusing on medical student exposure to outpatient and inpatient populations in psychiatry by direct interactions through small group interviewing.

Gunnar Forsberg is a Research Assistant. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2012 with degrees in Biochemistry and History. He currently supports efforts to explore the neural and genetic underpinnings of social behavior as it relates to ASD.

Chris Jetter graduated from Murray State University in 2009 with a degree in biology. Since then he has been a research assistant at Vanderbilt in the departments of Neurology and Psychiatry.

Chris Muller is interested in serotonin's role in brain development and the etiology of autism. His research has been focused on using a mouse model to characterize the neuroanatomical and behavioral effects of a rare coding variant of the serotonin transporter, Gly56Ala. Chris is also involved in several projects that aim to study other proteins that regulate serotonergic neurotransmission and determine their effect on behavior.

Tiffany Rogers is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. She received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Lipscomb University in 2006, her Master's degree in Experimental Psychology from The University of Memphis in 2009, and her Doctorate of Philosophy in Experimental Psychology from The University of Memphis in 2012. She is currently evaluating mouse models of autism and exploring the neural and genetic underpinnings of social behavior as it relates to the disorder.

Isaac Zike is a fourth year graduate student the Department of Pharmacology and is investigating the role of altered glutamate transport in repetitive or compulsive-like behaviors. The goal of his project is to understand how variation the gene, SLC1A1 may contribute to repetitive or compulsive-like behaviors.

Jordan Ezell graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, AL in 2013 with a Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Nutrition. Since joining the team as a reseach coordinator, she has taken a lead role in the Fragile X Syndrome adolescent and adult trials. After her time at Vanderbilt, Jordan plans to pursue a graduate degree in Clinical Psychology.

Marie Kyle graduated from Rhodes College in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. She currently coordinates multiple pediatric autism clinical trials. Marie plans to attend graduate school for speech-language pathology in the future.

Sarah Marler is a master's level psychologist with over five years of experience working with children and adults with developmental disabilities, specializing in neuropsychological assessment. She currently coordinates the Autism and Fragile X Translational Medicine programs and serves as the team's primary recruitment contact for ongoing and upcoming trials.