team — The Stucky Lab

Meet the lab!

Principal Investigator

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Pubmed
Cheryl is the Marvin Wagner Endowed Chair, Director of the Neuroscience Doctoral Program, and Director of the Pain Division of the Neuroscience Research Center at MCW. Cheryl grew up on a wheat farm in central Kansas. Like Dorothy, she also survived being lifted off of the ground during a tornado as a young girl. Cheryl received her BA in Biology and Psychology from Bethel College in Newton, Kansas then earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. After this, she moved to Germany to complete postdoctoral research first at the University of Würzburg in Martin Koltzenburg’s lab and then at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin in Gary Lewin’s lab. She is currently the lead principal investigator on three NIH grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke including a Jacob Javits award which provides seven years of funding. In her free time, Cheryl enjoys designing unique jewelry, playing tennis, and hanging out with Winston, the world’s cutest dog.

Postdocs

Olena Isaeva, Ph.D.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Olena earned a degree in Human and Animal Physiology at the Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology in Kiev, Ukraine, and had postdoctoral trainings in Dr Natalia Shirokova’s laboratory in the Rutgers Medical School, New Jersey and the laboratory of Dr. Gregory L Holmes at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, New Hampshire. Olena Isaeva joined Cheryl Stucky’s lab in October of 2021, where she applies her expertise in single-channel and whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology and optical fluorescence assays to study cellular signaling pathways involved in the crosstalk between sensory neurons and epidermal keratinocytes in health and disease. In her free time, Olena enjoys travelling, reading books, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Vanessa Ehlers, Ph.D.

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
Vanessa completed her BA in Psychology at Winona State University in Minnesota, and her MS and PhD in Experimental Psychology at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Her dissertation examined the role of the ventral hippocampus in Pavlovian fear learning. Vanessa joined the Stucky lab as a postdoc in October 2020, where she is using calcium imaging and electrophysiology to examine the peripheral mechanisms that contribute to pain in sickle cell disease. Outside of lab, Vanessa enjoys knitting/crocheting, running the Oak leaf trail, and going to Brewers games with her husband, Jon.
Jonathan Enders, Ph.D

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
Jonathan completed his BS in Molecular Biology at William Jewell College in Missouri, and his Cell Biology MSc and Neuroscience PhD at the University of Kansas Medical Center. His dissertation explored mechanisms of pain-relief by a very-low carbohydrate, ketogenic diet in acute and chronic pain models, especially diabetic peripheral neuropathy. He joined the Stucky Lab as a postdoc in June of 2023 where he is learning electrophysiology and calcium imaging to study the contributions of keratinocytes to the peripheral sensation of pain and cold. When out of the lab, Jonathan enjoys training in the gym, cooking, and exploring breweries with his wife, Maria.

Graduate Students

Dianise Rodriguez Garcia, B.S.

PhD CANDIDATE
Dianise (Didi) is a Neuroscience PhD candidate at MCW who obtained a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce. During her undergraduate training, she was a NIH RISE trainee researching endometriosis-associated pelvic pain. Wanting to further her understanding in pain and touch, she joined the Stucky lab in March of 2021. Along with other lab members, she is interested in understanding the role of sensory neurons in migraine. Outside of lab, Didi can be found saying hi to dogs on the street, trying new beers at a local brewery, or adding to her ever-growing collection of plants!
Christina Mecca, B.S.

PhD CANDIDATE
Christina completed her undergraduate training from The University of Scranton where she was given the opportunity to perform thesis research as a member of the university’s Honors Program. During her time in undergrad, Christina was able to complete two summer fellowships at the Medical College of Wisconsin, the first of which was hosted by the Stucky lab. It was during this fellowship that she found her passion for pain research. Currently, Christina studies the contributions of ion channels to mechanically evoked ATP release in healthy and neuropathic disease states. Outside of lab, Christina can be found at the gym, with her pets, or playing DnD.
Sam Zorn, B.S.

MEDICAL SCIENTIST TRAINEE
Sam completed his BS in Biochemistry at Santa Clara University in California. After graduating, he moved to Minnesota to work as a research scientist with Dr. Dan Garry studying cardiac regenerative medicine and later with Dr. Faqian studying fetal reprogramming of the myocardium during heart failure. Sam joined the Stucky lab for the graduate research portion of his MD/PhD at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2021, where he currently studies the role of intravascular hemolysis in the development and maintenance of sickle cell disease pain. In his free time, Sam loves to play board games, cook extravagant meals, and go camping with his partner Sami and dog Ali.
Bradey Stuart, M.S.

MEDICAL SCIENTIST TRAINEE

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Zainab Khalid, M.S.

PhD STUDENT

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Research Technicians

Tony Menzel, B.S.

LAB MANAGER
A Milwaukee native, Tony earned his B.S. in Microbiology from UW-Milwaukee in 2016 while working in Dr. Kuchin’s yeast genetics lab. Tony started working with Cheryl as a Tech I shortly after graduation, initially performing much of the molecular work within the lab and devoting much of his time to learning some of the more technical electrophysiology techniques. Now he handles much of the day-to-day goings on within the lab while routinely performing teased-nerve fiber recordings for the numerous projects the Stucky lab pursues. When not decked out in a lab coat, Tony can typically be found around town with his wife Britni, playing D&D with lab mates, or using his yeast handling experience to craft fine beverages to share with friends.
Anvitha Sriram, B.S.

RESEARCH TECH II
Anvitha joined the Stucky lab in August 2021 while acquiring her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She graduated in December 2022 and plans on pursuing an MD/PhD in order to further study pain. In her free time, Anvitha enjoys reading, traveling internationally, and learning as many obscure languages as she can.
Bhavya Dharanikota, B.S.

RESEARCH TECH I
Bhavya completed her undergraduate education at Marquette University in May 2022 with a degree in biomedical sciences. She joined the Stucky lab in September of the same year! She plans on going to medical school in the future. Outside of science, Bhavya can be found at a local cafe reading a good book, doing Pilates at her favorite studio in downtown Milwaukee, or in her kitchen trying new recipes she found on TikTok.
Vivien Blecking

LAB TECH
Vivien will be finishing her undergraduate education at UW-Milwaukee in December 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience and psychology. She was a SPUR student in the Stucky Lab from May to August of 2024 and joined the lab officially as a Lab Technician in September 2024. She plans on pursuing her MD and becoming a neurologist in the future. In her free time, she enjoys reading, sewing, baking madeleines, and spending time with her cats.