Athelia Paulli

Experience

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  Weill Cornell Breast Center

  Jan 2011 - Jan 2013

  Researcher

  Over three summers I worked as a research assistant at the Weill Cornell Breast Center in New York City with Dr. Linda Vahdat to develop methods for quantifying qualitative changes in peripheral nerves of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapeutic treatment using the drug ixabepilone. In addition, I assisted in the data collection and organization of several other breast cancer related clinical drug trials.

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  Psychology Lab of Professor Rich Hoyle

  Jan 2013 - Jan 2014

  Researcher

  Through Duke University, I conducted interviews of 5th and 6th graders living in North Carolina, gathering data for a study that aimed to explore the effects and variability of factors motivating the activities and goals of early middle school students.

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  National University of Singapore Center for BioImaging Sciences

  May 2013 - Jun 2013

  Researcher

  Undertook a research project exploring the effects of the concentration and availability of the glycoprotein fibronectin on the adhesion and coalescence of epithelial cells. Grew experimental cell cultures, analyzed the cultures using live cell imaging via a Nikon Biostation, coded a program in MATLAB to quantify changes in cell adhesion/coalescence, and presented cumulative research findings to the Center for BioImaging Sciences.

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  Small Town Records

  May 2013 - Jan 2015

  Executive Marketing Director

  As executive marketing director of Small Town Records I facilitate the marketing and promotion of multiple facets of Small Town Records. This includes creating and overseeing marketing strategies for the label as a whole, as well as the artists and events associated with Small Town. I manage and update all social media accounts associated with Small Town Records to maximize the presence of the label in relevant social media spheres. In addition, I advise artists and members of STR on strategies for developing and executing successful advertising campaigns for label events, album releases, artist performances, and the overall augmentation of Small Town Record's presence in the music industry. Show less

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  UQ Marketing

  Jan 2014 - Jan 2014

  Virtual Intern

  I conduct ongoing marketing research centered around the student body of Duke, with which I am creating a marketing profile that highlights the unique aspects of the Duke college consumer. As part of this research I currently represent Duke through a variety of social media platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. I create multiple weekly posts about student groups, current happenings, and the overall Duke University dynamic, to help UQ gain a holistic understanding of life as a Duke student. In addition, I am responsible for weekly projects (such as advertisement critiques, production of advertisements, blog posts, and student surveys). I will eventually become a brand ambassador through UQ, where I will work with a specific brand to determine marketing strategies that will most successfully connect with the student population. Show less

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  12x12 Music Management

  May 2014 - Jul 2014

  Research Intern

  Carried out research concerning digital music marketing for several of the artists represented by 12x12 Management, as well as their record label, Free Dirt Records. Compiled a research report of contemporary distributors of digital metadata within the music industry, including NextBigSound and Music Metric, and ultimately advised 12x12 about which metadata providers would offer the most holistic demographic and social media information for each of their individual artists; subsequent metadata investments made my 12x12 were based on this report. Additionally, I devised specific and individualized digital marketing execution plans for several 12x12 artists, based on personally orchestrated digital music marketing research regarding music distribution databases, such as Spotify, Soundcloud, and Youtube. Furthermore, I managed social media releases and created promotional videos for artists including Pokey LaFarge, The Two Man Gentlemen Band, and the Legendary Shack Shakers. Show less

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  Duke Laboratory of Neurogenetics

  Jan 2015 - May 2016

  Research Assistant

  Under the mentorship of Dr. Ahmad Hariri, the research conducted through the Lab of Neurogenetics aims to use neuroimaging, molecular genetics, and behavioral data to understand the origins of variability in brain chemistry, as well as to explore the impacts of this variability on behaviorally and clinically relevant brain function. I worked on a meta-analysis exploring whether cognitive performance is a predictor of depression onset. The methodology included a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature, with a focus on longitudinal or epidemiological studies in which cognitive function had been assessed prior to depression onset. The analysis ultimately culminated in the calculation of an odds ratio of developing depression (or correlation coefficient if measures are dimensional) across studies, thereby establishing a quantitative relationship of any effect. The resulting article is currently being reviewed for publication. My Graduation with Distinction project involves the development of a genetic risk profile for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), based on MDD risk genotypes involved in stress and/or reward pathways within the brain. Brain activity and connectivity within stress and reward-related brain regions (collected using fMRI and neuroimaging paradigms) will be explored, in terms of their relationship to an individual’s genetic risk score and incidence of MDD symptomology. The profile controls for important variables not generally controlled for in prior MDD genetic studies, including genetic ancestry, gender, childhood trauma, stressful life events and general intelligence. Show less

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  Duke Pearson Lab of Computational Neuroscience

  May 2016 - May 2017

  Clinical Research Associate

  Headed by Dr. John Pearson, the Duke Pearson Lab conducts research in computational neuroscience ranging from behavioral modeling using deep neural networks, to human intraoperative, multi-electrode recordings and analyses. I collected all human-subject data accrued through the lab’s two unique patient populations at the Duke University Hospital. Parkinson’s patients undergoing implantation of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) participate in intraoperative tasks aimed at gaining a better understanding of the involvement of the sub thalamic nucleus (STN) in impulsivity, conflict, and motivation. Epilepsy patients being considered for surgical resection of their epileptic focus are implanted with electrocorticography (ECog) grids to characterize and localize seizure activity, allowing our lab to conduct neurological research paradigms (including a theory of mind battery and a competitive game task), while collecting multi-electrode recordings of neural activity. I gained proficiency in coding in Python, a skill which I apply to both experimental design and data analysis. In our most recent project, a colleague and myself designed a dot-discrimination task, to be completed intraoperatively by Parkinson’s patients; after being primed with visual cues corresponding to the task’s varying levels of difficulty, patients are asked to discriminate directionality between several different coherences of dots on a computer screen. The study intends to expound the potential cognitive thresholding effects of STN by assessing how cued differential expectation to accurately discern an ensuing stimuli effects STN dynamics and behavior. I generated a data processing pipeline for ECog data collected from our epilepsy patients, and applied Python, MNE, Jupyter Notebooks, and a variety of other computational tools to clean the data, and to employ complex analyses including the calculation of event related potentials, average power analyses, and time-frequency spectral analyses. Show less

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  COPE Health Scholars

  Oct 2017 - May 2021

  Clinical Round Intern

  As a COPE Health Scholar, I spend a minimum of 8 hours a week volunteering at California Hospital Medical Center, assisting nurses and doctors with tasks within my scope of practice, while simultaneously helping to improve patient wellbeing and experience while in hospital. I have rotated between several departments, including labour and delivery, pediatrics, general medicine, couplet care, antepartum, and the emergency department. Having spent the majority of my time in the couplet care and labour and delivery departments, I’ve gleaned valuable knowledge about effectively and thoughtfully caring for mothers in labour, mothers in postpartum recovery, and newborns. I am currently working on a research proposal aiming to decrease incidence of mother-child separation due to maternal substance abuse, by providing high-risk, expectant mothers with a broader spectrum of info on the fetal and legal repercussions of substance abuse during pregnancy. Thus far I have devoted over 360 hours of my time to the patients at CHMC. Show less

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  Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)

  Jul 2020 - now

  Clinical Research Associate at the CIBORG Lab

  Under the mentorship of Dr. Natasha Leporé, I conduct pediatric neuroradiology research within the CIBORG Lab, based out of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The CIBORG (Computational Imaging of Brain Organization Research Group) Lab works to advance pediatric neuroscience, utilizing machine learning and improving imaging technology and analysis to elucidate the relationship between preterm birth and structural neuroanatomy.Currently, I am focused on writing/publishing three papers with the lab, the first of which uses magnetic resonance imaging data to explore the impact of preterm vs. full term neonatal delivery status, as well as APOE4 carrier status, on variations in the hippocampal anatomy of young children. The second paper aims to use surface tensor-based morphometry of the corpus callosum in children aged 1-5 years to investigate and expand our understanding of the normal development of the corpus callosum in young children. The final paper aims to study the effects of blindness on the morphology of the central sulcus as a means of identifying specific changes in somatotopic sensory-motor organization, within populations of congenitally blind, late-blind and sighted individuals. Through my work on these papers, in addition to processing and analyzing radiology data for the lab, I have gained proficiency in imaging analysis and segmentation programs such as ITK-SNAP, FreeSurfer Live, and MATLAB.My role also encompasses personally facilitating the training of new research volunteers, along with the coordination and oversight of all work assignments done by lab volunteers. This requires constant and dynamic communication with both senior lab members and volunteers to ensure that projects are being assigned to and completed by the right people in a timely manner. Show less

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  The Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Hospital

  Nov 2021 - now

  Research Associate at Precision Medical Imaging Lab

  Under the guidance of Dr. Marius Linguraru, PI of Precision Medical Imaging Lab at the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, I serve as a research associate specializing in pediatric neuroradiology and neuroimaging. I am the primary RA for a grant collaboration between the Precision Medical Imaging Lab and the CIBORG Lab (CHLA), which aims to create the first joint model of cranial and cortical development in infants aged 0-5 years old, and to develop a preliminary model of fetal brain and cranial growth across gestation. I also assist in neuroimaging analysis, data administration, and scientific language editing. Show less