NEUROSURGERY RESEARCH PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE NEWS WELCOME!

Dr. Ramirez-Gordillo was hired in collaboration with the department of Cell and Developmental Biology. He is fully funded by an NIH K01 Faculty Development Award. Dr. Daniel Ramirez-Gordillo is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He earned his Ph.D. in biology/neurobiology from New Mexico State University. His research interest is in diseases and disorders that affect the central nervous system. He is currently working on two projects that aim to understand the circuitry between the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. One project aims to understand the role of CaMKIIα in learning and memory formation. Specifically, how decreased expression of CaMKIα affects phase amplitude coupling, theta reference power, and coherence. The second project aims to study the function of long-range interneurons in regulating neuronal oscillations and how activation of long-range interneurons affects learning and memory. He also serves as a mentor in the Building Research Achievement in Neuroscience (BRAiN) program, a National Institute of Health grant, where he trains undergraduate students to perform research in Neuroscience. He enjoys teaching elementary, middle, and high school students about careers in science. He has presented his research at conferences in the US, Latin America, and Europe. Dr. Ramirez-Gordillo believes in giving back to his community. He has been actively participating in student panels that talk to students about the importance of getting an education, and he has helped organize events to expose students to science.

We are thrilled to welcome Francisco Javier Quinones. Francisco is a Research Services Professional in Dr. Ramirez-Gordillo’s lab.

Francisco Javier Quinones

He was born in Greeley, Colorado, and raised in the Aurora/Metro area. Previous to accepting a position in the Neurosurgery Department, he worked in the animal vivarium as an animal care technician, where he gained a ton of knowledge about animal husbandry. Working with OLAR, he was privileged to work with various species including mice, rats, pigs, cats, chinchillas, and many different animals. After seven years of working with animals, he decided it was time to take on a different challenge and moved on to a leadership position in the Cage Wash Department in OLAR which helped him gain immense respect for what happens in the background of animal research. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, camping, and overall, just being outdoors