Kyra Clarke
M.D./Ph.D. Student
Kyra is a graduate student in the South Texas Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD Program) studying Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias under the mentorship of Margaret Flanagan, M.D.. For her research, Kyra is working on studying the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease in human brain tissue. For her clinical specialty, Kyra is considering pursuing neurology.
About Me
I grew up in San Antonio as the youngest of three sisters, where I typically occupied my time with swimming, practicing piano, and studying for Latin competitions. I went on to study Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin. During my undergraduate years, I undertook research fellowships at UT San Antonio, and studied abroad at the University of Melbourne, Australia, where I also interned in a lab at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience. I’m happy to be home again in San Antonio to continue my education in the STX-MSTP program.
Hobbies/Interests
Swimming, bouldering, cooking
Research Topic
Cancer Biology, Neuroscience, Drug Discovery
Why I chose MD/PhD
I chose an MD/PhD program with the goal of becoming a physician-scientist. I hope to improve patient welfare by researching disease and drug mechanisms to improve clinical practice long term, and using my experiences in clinical practice to guide my research projects in the lab.
Why I chose MD/PhD at UT San Antonio
What really sets the STX-MSTP program apart is the sense of community and support shared among the students, administrative staff, and program directors.
Education
B.S., Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, 2020
Publications
Bowman, M.A., Vitela, M., Clarke, K.M., Koek, W. and Daws, L.C. (2020) Serotonin transporter and plasma membrane monoamine transporter are necessary for the antidepressant- like effects of ketamine in mice. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 21(20):7581. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21207581. PMID: 33066466