Meet the Fellows
2023-2024
Anna-Sophie Aagaard Thein
DARE-Fellow & Medical Student, University of Copenhagen.
Anna-Sophie Thein will conduct research and study at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research focuses on identifying modifiable risk factors for cardiac arrhythmias. Anna-Sophie will use the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) databases in California to describe the prevalence of pacemaker implantations and identify modifiable predictors that might provide novel information pertinent to improved patient care and ultimate prevention. She will be mentored by one of the world's leading experts in arrhythmias, Dr. Gregory Marcus, and by Dr. Tor Biering-Sørensen who is a Professor in Translational Cardiology at UCPH and research group leader at Herlev-Gentofte Hospital. The project will be the largest study of predictors for pacemaker implantation to date.
Frederikke Elnegaard
DARE-Fellow & Medical Student, Aalborg University.
Frederikke will be working with individuals at Clinical High Risk of Psychosis at UCSF and The Veteran Affairs Hospital in San Francisco for the next 10 months. Individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis experience psychotic episodes without the full conviction that it is real. Currently, only about 18-25% of these individuals convert to psychosis, and at the moment, we aren't able to identify who will convert, which makes individualized treatment very challenging. Working alongside her mentors, Dr. Daniel Mathalon and Dr. René Ernst Nielsen, Frederikke will investigate the possibility of using EEG as a biomarker for predicting psychosis in people at risk.
Jakob Sørensen
DARE-Fellow & Medical Student, University of Copenhagen.
Jakob Sørensen, a medical student from the University of Copenhagen, is delving into the complexities of spinal cord injuries and spasticity. Supported and guided by his mentors, Professor Rune Berg from the University of Copenhagen and Professor Peter Tass from Stanford University, they are collectively working on innovative neuromodulatory treatments that hold the promise of bringing lasting changes to brain networks. This transformative DARE fellowship in San Francisco offers him a remarkable opportunity to collaborate with world-renowned researchers, providing invaluable insights into unravelling intriguing mysteries of the central nervous system.
Laurits Mathiesen
DARE-Fellow & Medical Student, Aalborg University.
Laurits Mathiesen is starting an important project at UCSF and Stanford University to study the rare disease adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). ALD mainly affects young boys, leading to the breakdown of brain tissue, resulting in progressive neurological deterioration. Utilizing hyperpolarized MRI to examine brain metabolism in an ALD mouse model, Laurits aims to uncover some of the mechanisms behind ALD. "By feeding a subgroup of mice vitamin D supplementation, we also aim to evaluate the use of hyperpolarized MRI to monitor response to treatment to possible diet-based therapies". Laurits will receive mentoring from Professor Myriam M. Chaumeil from UCSF, Professor Keith Van Haren from Stanford University, and Professor Jakob Udby Blicher from Aalborg University.