Rodnie Colón Ortiz, BSc

PhD Student, Neuroscience Training Program at Johns Hopkins University
Rodnie Colón Ortiz, BSc

Contact Information

Email
rodnie.colon.ortiz@emory.edu

Education:

  • NIH Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program – The Ohio State University (July 2020 – July 2021)
  • B.S. in Biology with Minor in Theater – University of Puerto Rico at Cayey (August 2014 – June 2020)

Description of research project:

My doctoral studies in the Williams lab focus on immune cell trafficking across the blood brain barrier (BBB) during HIV infection, which contributes to chronic neuroinflammation and adverse neurologic outcomes in people with HIV. Other projects I work on include evaluating the impact of substance abuse on BBB selective permeability and delivery of antiretroviral therapies to the brain. The overarching goal of my experiments is to further disentangle the pathologic dysregulation of neuro-immune responses at the BBB to optimize treatment and quality of life for people with HIV.

Awards:
  1. Society for Neuroscience Meeting Travel Award, Summer Program in Neuroscience, Excellence and Success (SPINES) at the Marine Biological Laboratory (2024)
  2. BrightFocus Foundation Travel Award, Gordon Research Conference/Seminar on Barriers of the CNS (2024)
  3. Graduate Student Association (GSA) Student Spotlight Award for March 2024, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2024)
  4. Pre-Doc Investigator Award for First Place Poster Presentation, Society on Neuroimmune Pharmacology (SNIP) (2024)
  5. National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) Conference Travel Scholarship Award, Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) (2023)
  6. Institute for Basic Biomedical Science (IBBS) Director’s Fellowship Award, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2021)
  7. College of Medicine Trainee Research Day Poster Travel Award, The Ohio State University (2021)
  8. Merit of Honor Grant, University of Puerto Rico at Cayey (2019)
  9. Undergraduate Research Grant, Puerto Rico Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PR-LSAMP) (2018)
Honors:
  1. Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP) Associate, Society for Neuroscience (2024)
  2. Medal for Highest Major Grade Point Average in Biology, University of Puerto Rico at Cayey (2020)
  3. Magna Cum Laude Academic Honor, University of Puerto Rico at Cayey (2020)
  4. Dean's List Honor Roll Member, University of Puerto Rico at Cayey (2016 – 2020)
Presentations:
  1. Colón Ortiz R, Knerler S, Fridman LB, Mercado A, Price AS, Rosado-Franco JJ, Wilkins H, Flores BR, Orsburn BC, Williams DW. Cocaine regulates antiretroviral therapy CNS access through pregnane-x receptor-mediated drug transporter and metabolizing enzyme modulation at the blood brain barrier.
    1. 2024 Summer Program in Neuroscience, Excellence and Success (SPINES) Symposium. Marine Biological Laboratory. 2024 July. Oral Presentation.
    2. Barriers of the CNS. Gordon Research Conference/Seminar (GRC/GRS). 2024 June. Poster.
    3. 28th Scientific Conference. Society on Neuroimmune Pharmacology (SNIP). 2024 March. Poster.
  2. Colón Ortiz R. Invited Speaker for Advisory Council Meeting. Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences. The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 2023 November. Oral Presentation.
  3. Colón-Ortiz R, Marion C, Guan Z, Deibert R, Wei P, McTigue D. Proliferative capacity of oligodendrocyte progenitors decreases with time after spinal cord injury. Neuroscience Department Research Day. The Ohio State University. Online. 2021 May. ePoster.
  4. Colón-Ortiz R, Marion C, McTigue D. Proliferative capacity of oligodendrocyte progenitors decreases with time after spinal cord injury. College of Medicine Trainee Research Day. The Ohio State University. Online. 2021 April. ePoster.
  5. Colón-Ortiz R, Marion C, McTigue D. Reparative capacity of oligodendrocyte progenitors to produce new myelinating oligodendrocytes decreases after SCI. Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students - ABRCMS 2020: The Virtual Experience. Online. 2020 November. ePoster.
  6. Rivera Sánchez N, Colón Ortiz R. Characterizing the ER/mGluR-coupling and CREB phosphorylation in embryonic mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons. 53rd Junior Technical Meeting and 38th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Science Meeting(JTM-PRISM). University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. 2019 May. Oral Presentation.
Publications:
  1. Colón Ortiz R*, Knerler S*, Fridman LB, Mercado A, Price AS, Rosado-Franco JJ, Wilkins H, Flores BR, Orsburn BC, Williams DW. Cocaine regulates antiretroviral therapy CNS access through pregnane-x receptor-mediated drug transporter and metabolizing enzyme modulation at the blood brain barrier. Fluids Barriers CNS21, 5 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12987-023-00507-3. PMID: 38200564; PMCID: PMC10777548.

*: Indicates shared co-authorship.

Fun facts:
  1. Before grad school, I participated in over 60 different theatrical productions, site-specific performances, and short films; and I look forward to rekindling my acting hobbies in the future.
  2. The opening theme from the Colombian telenovela “Yo soy Betty, la fea” (the original Ugly Betty) is my go-to karaoke song.
  3. I am an avid fan of horror movies, especially character-driven psychological horror!
  4. My favorite number is 16, mainly because it was a pivotal destiny-defining age for protagonists in many of the movies and books I enjoyed as a kid.
  5. I write poetry when I’m processing perplexingly profound emotions.
In my downtime, I love discussing the mysteries of life and big universal questions while enjoying a drink (or two).