Penn Postdocs in the News: Joanna Medina, Ph.D., awarded Eagles Autism Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
Penn Postdoctoral Fellow Joanna Medina receives Eagles Autism Foundation Fellowship to advance translational autism research
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Dr. Joanna Medina, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, has been awarded an Eagles Autism Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. The two-year fellowship will support her research developing translational biomarkers to help bridge preclinical and clinical studies of autism.
Dr. Medina earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University at Albany, SUNY, in 2021, where she studied stress and neuroendocrine-immune mechanisms associated with postpartum depression under the mentorship of Joanna L. Workman, Ph.D. She previously earned a B.S. in Integrative Neuroscience from Binghamton University, SUNY.
An alumna of the Penn Provost Postdoctoral Fellowship, Dr. Medina conducts research under the mentorship of Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou, Ph.D. Her work investigates the genetic mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorder and develops approaches for connecting findings from preclinical models with human research.
Her fellowship-supported project, “Bridging pre-clinical and clinical studies of autism via translational biomarker development,” focuses on developing measures related to sleep and sensory processing that can be studied across preclinical models and clinical research, helping address challenges in translating basic discoveries into meaningful advances for people with autism.
The Eagles Autism Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship provides two years of support for Dr. Medina’s research and continued development as an autism researcher.
Dr. Medina was also named an inaugural recipient of the Penn Genetics Postdoc Booster Prize in 2025, recognizing her work developing translational biomarkers for autism.
We are proud to celebrate Dr. Medina and her continued contributions to advancing autism research at Penn.