Gleason Research Fellows
Gleason Fellows
The Gleason Institute is proud to support the following researchers. Each fellow received seed grants provided by the Health Sciences and Services Authority (HSSA) to promote new research in treatments, diagnostic tools and therapies for ALS and related neurodegenerative diseases.
Greg Carter, MD, MS
Dr. Greg Carter is chief medical officer and physiatry residency program director at Providence St Luke’s Rehabilitation Medical Center (PSLRMC). He is a clinical professor at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and a fellow at the Steve Gleason Institute for Neuroscience. His research currently focuses on investigating the endocannabinoid system as a source of biomarkers and therapeutic targets in ALS and characterizing neck biomechanics in people with this disease. He has co-authored over 250 peer-reviewed publications in this area, including basic and clinical studies.
Naomi Chaytor, PhD
Dr. Chaytor is Professor and Chair of the Department of Community and Behavioral Health in WSU’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified in clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. Her current research is focused on the neuropsychology of type 1 diabetes, including 1) glycemic variability and cognitive performance, 2) diabetes-related and other risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia, and 3) cognitive, quality of life and emotional correlates of medical technology use in older adults (e.g., artificial pancreas, continuous glucose monitoring).
Travis Denton, PhD
Dr. Travis T. Denton is an Inaugural Fellow in the Steve Gleason Institute for Neuroscience, an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and an Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology in the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. Dr. Denton’s research currently focuses on the discovery of new small molecule treatments for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Jason Gerstner, PhD
Dr. Jason R. Gerstner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, inaugural Steve Gleason Institute for Neuroscience Fellow and a core faculty member of the Sleep and Performance Research Center. His research interests are broad, and his laboratory uses multiple species and transgenic approaches to test how underlying cellular, molecular and genetic regulation of sleep and circadian rhythms interact with neurodegenerative disease progression, including ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.