Sophia Jalilvand - Current MD-PhD Student

My research interests focus on the neurobiology underlying substance use disorders, particularly investigating how interventions following opioid overdoses influence subsequent opioid-seeking behavior. Currently, I am studying the effects of centrally acting and peripherally restricted mu opioid receptor antagonists on future fentanyl self-administration in a rat model, with the goal of better understanding how harm reduction strategies impact addiction trajectories.

I received my undergraduate degree in Biology and Psychology, where my research involved studying the role of oxidative stress in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia using postmortem human neural tissue, as well as examining the effects of chronic ethanol self-administration on infralimbic prefrontal cortical networks in a mouse model.

Outside of the lab, I enjoy relaxing at the park with a good book, playing piano, going to concerts, gaming, nurturing my growing collection of plants, and road tripping with my family, English bulldog, and two cats.