Stephanie Bissonnette selected to participate in the National Institutes of Health 2011-1012 Clinical Research Training Program

Stephanie Bissonnette, UNECOM MS IV, and a passionate geriatrics bench researcher, has been selected to participate in the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) 2011-2012 Clinical Research Training Program.

Bissonnette has studied senile systemic amyloidosis, which shares the same protein process as Alzheimer's but affects the heart, not the brain.  Her research, which was made possible through the UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean's Research Fellowship, was conducted at the Boston University Amyloid Treatment and Research Center, where she focused on identifying cytotoxic effects of tranthyretin misfolded amyloid fibrils on cell cultures.  Bissonnette also presented her  research at the Presidential Poster Session at the American Geriatric Society Annual Scientific Meeting.  She also won first place at the NEOMEN Annual Research Forum for original student research.

Bissonnette hopes to work on neurodegenerative diseases at the NIH. 

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.