Yehya Barakat

Predoctoral Associate

I am interested in improving drug discovery for neuropsychiatric disorders using genetics and bioinformatics.

I worked as a pharmacist following my undergraduate education. Shortly in my clinical work, I was frustrated with the progress of pharmaceuticals in the field of neuropsychiatric disorders. I was especially moved by my friend's struggles with limerence, a disorder that is still undiagnosable and with very little literature surrounding it. I was motivated to go into a research-based program in Boston; there I received my Master's degree in pharmacology and drug development. I got immersed in the field of neurogenetics by my previous mentor Dr. Leon Reijmers and I have decided that's the type of training I want to focus on. I got accepted to the Tufts-JAX collaborative Ph.D. program in neuroscience and I have never made a better choice than to join this program. Under the mentorship of Dr. Vivek Kumar, I feel I will get the training I need to ask and answer critical questions that can lead to better drug targets for neuropsychiatric disorders with unmet needs.

My project is involved in understanding the causal mechanisms involved in age dependent hyperactivity disorder and its relationship to cortical cell death.

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