The Department of Physiology welcomes four new faculty members
Michigan State University Department of Physiology is proud to welcome four new joining faculty members!
Get to know their background, area of expertise and favorite karaoke song!
Dr. Cameron Prigge is a Michigan native who did her undergraduate studies at Michigan Technological University.
She received her Ph.D. in biological and biomedical sciences from Oakland University
and did her postdoc at Duke University.
She lives with her husband, Robert, daughter, Charlotte, and dog, Juniper, in Grand
Ledge, Michigan.
What area of research do you specialize in?
My Ph.D. was in neurophysiology and my postdoc was in molecular and cellular biology.
I'm a retina nerd.
What was your previous role before accepting this new role?
I was a postdoctoral fellow in Duke Neurobiology and Ophthalmology.
What courses will you be teaching this upcoming school year at MSU?
I will be teaching NEU311L this fall while I develop NEU401 (Advanced Molecular and
Cellular Neuroscience) for Spring 2023.
What are you most excited about joining the Department of Physiology?
I am very excited to be developing a new course that will dive into mechanisms of
neural development and disease. There are a lot of great teaching resources at MSU
and I plan to leverage them to make an interactive course that students will enjoy
taking. Research is also a component of my appointment and I am eager to work collaboratively
with other faculty in the department.
What are your goals for this upcoming school year?
My main goal is to develop an outstanding course that will get students excited about
pursuing careers in neuroscience.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Anything Celine Dion!
Dr. Byron Gipson was born and raised in the small town of Webb, Mississippi. He did his undergraduate
studies at Jackson State University and received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from Indiana
University – Bloomington.
He has a 14-year-old daughter named Kaitlyn and will be getting married very soon
to “the lovely lady of my life.” Dr. Gipson will be living in the Holt area once he
gets to Michigan.
What area of research do you specialize in?
My area of research is drug addiction (cocaine).
What was your previous role before accepting this new role?
I taught at Allen University since 2019. I taught Biology I, Biology II, non-major
biology and medical terminology there until coming to MSU.
What courses will you be teaching this upcoming school year at MSU?
I will be teaching sections of undergraduate neuroscience laboratory NEU311L. I am
also teaching an exploratory neuroscience course (NEU101) and an upper division neuroscience
course NEU402 (Advanced Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience)
What are you most excited about joining the Department of Physiology?
I am excited to interact and learn from both the faculty and student body.
What are your goals for this upcoming school year?
My goals are to bring some new light and excitement to Michigan State.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Let’s just say Boyz-II-Men.
Dr. Charlotte Vanacker grew up in the northern region of France between the cities of Lille and Dunkirk.
She did her undergraduate and graduate studies in cell biology, physiology and neuroscience
at the University of Lille Nord de France.
A self-proclaimed dog lover, Dr. Vanacker plans to move to the East Lansing area with
her husband this fall.
What area of research do you specialize in?
I have a strong background in the mechanisms controlling reproductive function and
fertility in the brain, particularly the hypothalamus. I am particularly interested
in how external cues, such as endocrine disruptors, affect fertility. My future research
will focus on how hypothalamic neurons that control reproductive function (called
GnRH neurons for Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone neurons) and non-neuronal glial cells
in the periphery, communicate with each other.
What was your previous role before accepting this new role?
Before accepting my role at MSU, I was an assistant professor fixed-term at Northern
Michigan University in Marquette. I was teaching ‘Cell Biology and Human Anatomy'
and 'Physiology.' Marquette is a beautiful town but it is a bit isolated and quiet
for a city person like me.
What courses will you be teaching this upcoming school year at MSU?
I will be teaching neuroscience courses and particularly the NEU 311 laboratories.
In parallel, I will be involved in the development of new higher-level neuroscience
courses that will be offered to students next year.
What are you most excited about joining the Department of Physiology?
I am very excited about the welcoming environment in the department. I met many great
people during my interview and I am sure it will be a great workplace. Also, I thrive
when I am surrounded by students interested in a subject matter.
What are your goals for this upcoming school year?
Changing institutions requires some adjustment and a lot of preparation. I know how
difficult that can be and how it can impact the students. My goal is to provide an
ideal environment for my students to grow and learn and to have fun teaching neuroscience.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
I have several but at the moment I would say “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers.
Credit: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Dr. Ted Towse grew up in western Massachusetts and is one of nine children. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. No stranger to our department, the current East Lansing resident earned his Ph.D. in physiology from MSU.
What area of research do you specialize in?
My area of research is skeletal muscle physiology and more recently, brown adipose
tissue. All my work is in humans, in vivo.
What was your previous role before accepting this new role?
I was an associate professor of biomedical sciences at Grand Valley State University. I
was also an assistant professor of physical medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical
Center.
What courses will you be teaching this upcoming school year at MSU?
For starters, PSL 250 (Introductory Physiology) and then an upper-level topics course.
What are you most excited about joining the Department of Physiology?
I’m excited about working with the students and seeing what type of research is going
on in the department and on campus.
What are your goals for this upcoming school year?
Develop a quality course and make connections with the teaching and research faculty.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Not applicable.
