Marisa Jeffries

Bio

Dr. Marisa Jefferies is a Supporting Promising Academic Researchers (SPAR) Fellow at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania, where she works in the laboratory of Dr. Judith Grinspan. Her research investigates how HIV-1 infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) affect white matter development during adolescence, a critical period of brain maturation when myelination is still ongoing and when adolescents account for a disproportionately high number of new HIV-1 cases each year. Using animal models, Dr. Jefferies examines oligodendroglial and myelination dynamics to understand better how HIV and ART may contribute to white matter pathology, with the goal of informing future therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Jefferies’ postdoctoral research builds on extensive training in translational neuroscience. At Drexel University College of Medicine, she studied gastrointestinal effects of autonomic dysreflexia after spinal cord injury under the mentorship of Dr. Veronica Tom. Her doctoral thesis, conducted in Dr. Teresa Wood’s laboratory at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, focused on the role of mTOR and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in oligodendrocyte myelination and remyelination.

She is passionate about translational research and is dedicated to advancing knowledge of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disease, particularly through investigating oligodendrocytes and white matter. By focusing on the intersection of HIV, ART, and adolescent brain health, her work addresses a critical gap in the field and highlights the need for new approaches to protect neural development during this vulnerable period.