John Aaron H
- Research Program Mentor

PhD at University of Mississippi Medical Center

Expertise

Neuroinflammation, Stroke, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Inflammation, Mood Disorders

Bio

My name is John Aaron Howell, and I am a neuroscientist studying the effects of inflammation on injury following ischemic stroke. My passion in science is to understand the causes and help development of treatments for neuroinflammation. I've worked with students of all levels, and I'm excited to mentor students and help them find their own passions through Polygence! In my free time, I enjoy reading, running, and spending time with friends. I think it's very important to maintain a healthy work-life balance, so I try to always make time to have a bit of fun in my day too! I can't wait to share my experiences and help students reach their goals.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

The Effects of High Blood Pressure (or Diabetes) on Stroke Risk and Severity

High blood pressure and diabetes are major contributors for later neurological issues, specifically stroke. This project could be a scientific research paper identifying the effects that high blood pressure or diabetes has on the brain and the blood vessels that supply the brain. Students will read primary literature and formulate an area of interest to research before writing the research paper. This will help the student become more comfortable reading complex scientific papers and digesting the information presented in them. This will also help the student in their ability to clearly communicate complex scientific information.

Neuroinflammation in Disease

Neuroinflammation is becoming a popular topic in neuroscience as more and more diseases have been shown to have an inflammatory component associated with them. In this project, students will identify a specific neurological disease (or a few related diseases) and write about the effects of inflammation on the disease progression and prognosis.

Teaching experience

I have mentored many students in both formal and informal capacities. I've helped train new students entering my lab as well as mentor incoming students to my PhD program and graduate school. Additionally, I've worked with undergraduate students and mentored them about their career choice and post-graduation plans.