Meet the Team
Cynthia F. Bearer, MD, PhD
Division Chief, Neonatology, UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital
Professor, Case Western Reserved University School of Medicine
William and Lois Briggs Chair in Neonatology, UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital
Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Research, the official journal of the American Society of Pediatrics, the European Society for Paediatric Research and the Society for Pediatric Research
Dr. Bearer is a renowned physician-scientist studying fetal and environmental pediatric health. Her basic, translational, and clinical research examines how environmental factors affect neurodevelopment in preterm infants. Currently, her laboratory is focused on the effects of ethanol, bilirubin and hypoxia-ischemia on brain development and how these neurotoxic exposures inhibit the function of lipid rafts. Lipid rafts, specialized micro domains of the plasma membrane, are critical for cell-to-cell signaling in cerebellar development and brain stem function, including the control of respiration.
Mrinaj Janampalli
Research Assistant III
Mrinaj Janampalli is a research assistant III and manages the laboratory. A graduate of University of North Caroline with a BA in neurosciences, MJ has worked with Dr. Bearer for 4 years. He is accomplished in managing the animal colony for hyperbilirubinemia, immunoblotting, lipid raft isolation, immunohistochemistry, and imaging.
Anushka Shah
Research Assistant I
Anushka Shah is a research assistant I and has just started in the lab. A 2024 graduate of Case Western Reserve University, she is interested in learning animal behavioral testing.
Gloria Liu
4th Year Student
Gloria Liu, a rising fourth year undergraduate at Case Western Reserve University, has been instrumental in the lab’s clinical studies including collecting samples of urinary biomarkers of ethanol exposure, discarded blood for choline concentrations, and enrolling patients to determine the effects of the sound environment on control of respiration.
Research Collaboration
In addition to the lab team, Dr. Bearer collaborates with many local, national, and international researchers.