Priyanka Udayakumar, BA

Research Assistant, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Department of Psychiatry
Uniformed Services University

Priyanka is a Research Assistant at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS). She graduated from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in May 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish. While at CWRU, Priyanka worked as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Amar Desai’s lab. There, she gained valuable research and data analytic skills while studying regenerative medicine and mechanisms regulating hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. She also completed an independent study on Graft vs. Host disease under a grant from the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. After graduating, Priyanka worked as a medical scribe/assistant at Comprehensive Neurology Services, an outpatient neurology clinic. In her role, she assisted the healthcare team and worked directly with patients with neurodegenerative diseases, movement disorders, neuromuscular conditions, etc. While working at CSTS, Priyanka hopes to contribute to research improving specialized therapeutic approaches for PTSD and mental health for active duty members and veterans. Ultimately, she would like to take the skills she has learned to further pursue her passions in medical school.