Who We Are
Leadership | Executive Committee | Preceptors
Dr. Anne Dorrance, Ph.D.
Co-Director
Dr. Dorrance received her PhD from the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Glasgow in 1997. She has been a member of the Pharmacology and Toxicology faculty at MSU since 2007 and became Department Chair in 2021. Dr. Dorrance has received funding from the NIH, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association. She is also a Fellow of the American Heart Association and the American Physiological Society. Her research explores the integration of endocrine and metabolic derangements with cancer and cardiovascular processes. It focuses on the effects of hypertension and obesity on cerebral arteries and how these conditions contribute to dementia.
Dr. Gina Leinninger, Ph.D.
Co-Director
Dr. Leinninger received her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Michigan in 2005 and joined the faculty of the Department of Physiology in 2012. Her research has been continuously funded by the NIH; she is also funded by the Department of Defense. Dr. Leinninger's research studies neuropeptide signaling via GPCRs in regulating feeding and body weight, how these go awry in obesity, and potential targets to support healthy weight. Her work elucidates novel molecular, cellular, and neurocircuitry mechanisms of obesity via creating and using recombinase mouse models and viral vectors, cutting-edge neuropharmacological tools, and optogenetics, along with agonists and antagonists.
Dr. Jim Luyendyk, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Diversity
Dr. Luyendyk has successfully contributed to efforts to recruit and retain students from groups UR in the sciences for multiple training programs at MSU. Dr. Luyendyk serves as Co-PI on the "First Time Summer Research Experience in Environmental Health Sciences" program. He also served on the Society of Toxicology Education Committee and was the founding Chair of their Subcommittee on Graduate Education and Chair of the Committee on Diversity Initiatives. Anchored in his experience in these programs and his enthusiasm for promoting diversity in biomedical sciences, he will assist in maintaining strong under-represented student recruiting for the IPSTP. Dr. Luyendyk's research uses in vitro and in vivo mechanistic studies to identify the contribution of blood coagulation to tissue injury and regeneration. His research program emphasizes the adverse and therapeutic effects of xenobiotics and drugs on the hemostatic system.
Dr. Nathan Tykocki, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Student Success
Dr. Tykocki is strongly committed to helping young scientists find their calling, be it in academia, industry, or another career path of their choosing. Outside of MSU, Dr. Tykocki serves as an Advisory Committee Member and Co-Investigator for the University of Michigan Kidney, Urology, and Hematology Research Training Network to help recruit and train scientists for careers in academia. He is also a standing member of the NIH DDK-G Fellowship Study Section. Lastly, Dr. Tykocki directs the MSU Cubi3c Core, a facility dedicated to developing, fabricating, and implementing novel equipment and software for scientific exploration. Dr. Tykocki's research focuses on urinary bladder physiology, with an emphasis on bladder afferent nerves and the bladder vasculature as major regulators of bladder function. He employs a multi-disciplinary approach, including biochemical, pharmacological, physiological, and genetic tools, to understand how the bladder muscle, nerves, vasculature, and urothelium communicate to impact bladder function.
