Erin Calipari
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Erin S. Calipari (born February 18, 1987) is an associate professor of pharmacology at the
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
School of Medicine Basic Sciences. Calipari's research focuses on understanding the brain circuitry that is used for adaptive and
maladaptive In evolution, a maladaptation ( /ˌmælædæpˈteɪʃən/) is a trait that is (or has become) more harmful than helpful, in contrast with an adaptation, which is more helpful than harmful. All organisms, from bacteria to humans, display maladapt ...
processes in reward, associative learning and motivation.


Early life and education

Calipari was born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
, the oldest daughter of basketball coach
John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (; born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, University of Arkansas. He has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2 ...
and Ellen Calipari. Calipari took part in athletics while attending
White Station High School White Station High School is a four-year state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school located in Memphis, Tennessee. White Station High is a member of the Shelby County Schools (Tennessee), Shelby County Schools syst ...
. She played softball, basketball and hockey. She was part of the first generation in her family to intend to become an academic. Calipari attended
University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...
, where she studied
biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
and played basketball for the
UMass Minutewomen The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst; strictly speaking, the ''Minutemen'' nickname applies to men's teams and athletes only — women's teams and athletes are known as ...
. Her contribution in her freshman season was signified by her debut, when she played one minute of game action against Siena in November. She then used the next two months to double her playing time, successfully playing one minute against Xavier in February of 2006. Her sophomore season reflected vast improvement, when she totaled 13 minutes, three points, two rebounds, and one assist over several months. Her most impactful moment was hitting a desperation three-point shot against Rhode Island with only 8 seconds left, clinching a 79-49 victory. Calipari was a graduate student at
Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...
, where she earned a doctorate in
neuropharmacology Neuropharmacology is the study of how drugs affect function in the nervous system, and the neural mechanisms through which they influence behavior. There are two main branches of neuropharmacology: behavioral and molecular. Behavioral neuropharmac ...
under the supervision of Sara Jones. She used analytical chemistry and operant behavior studies to understand how dopamine kinetics are impacted by drug self-administration. Calipari was a postdoctoral research associate in a genetics laboratory at the
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City, New York, United States. The school is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sina ...
. She focused on how to understand neural circuit activity and transcriptional programs.


Research and career

Calipari joined
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
in 2017 as part of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research. She works on the brain circuitry that is used for adaptive and
maladaptive In evolution, a maladaptation ( /ˌmælædæpˈteɪʃən/) is a trait that is (or has become) more harmful than helpful, in contrast with an adaptation, which is more helpful than harmful. All organisms, from bacteria to humans, display maladapt ...
neurological processes including reward, associative learning and motivation, and how these are associated with psychiatric disease. In
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, where Calipari grew up, there are more prescriptions for
opioid Opioids are a class of Drug, drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy plant. Opioids work on opioid receptors in the brain and other organs to produce a variety of morphine-like effects, ...
s than there are people living in the state. Calipari believes that drug addiction is a decision-making disease: people make decisions to choose to invest in drugs over other expenses. She looks at which parts of the brain are involved with making decisions, and how to reprogram them to make other choices. Her lab uses fibre photometry which monitors neural activity via changes in calcium (
calcium imaging Calcium imaging is a microscopy technique to optically measure the calcium (Ca2+) status of an isolated cell, tissue or medium. Calcium imaging takes advantage of calcium indicators, fluorescent molecules that respond to the binding of Ca2+ ions b ...
) and neurotransmitter activity, in subpopulations of neurons using an
optical fiber An optical fiber, or optical fibre, is a flexible glass or plastic fiber that can transmit light from one end to the other. Such fibers find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at ...
. They also employ other neurophotometric and neurochemical methods such as
optogenetics Optogenetics is a biological technique to control the activity of neurons or other cell types with light. This is achieved by Gene expression, expression of Channelrhodopsin, light-sensitive ion channels, Halorhodopsin, pumps or Photoactivated ade ...
, and
fast-scan cyclic voltammetry Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) is cyclic voltammetry with a very high scan rate (up to ). Application of high scan rate allows rapid acquisition of a voltammogram within several milliseconds and ensures high temporal resolution of this ele ...
. She is interested in why women are vulnerable to drug addiction, and how the immune system could be used to fight the
opioid epidemic The opioid epidemic, also referred to as the opioid crisis, is the rapid increase in the overuse, misuse or abuse, and overdose deaths attributed either in part or in whole to the class of drugs called opiates or opioids since the 1990s. It inc ...
. She believes that through the platform of
sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
it is possible to communicate the dangers of drug addiction. While women are more susceptible to drug addiction, the majority of
addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...
studies are focused on men. This means that medication development has focused on correcting addiction in men, and may explain why women do not respond to treatment in the same way as men. Calipari found that when hormones related to fertility are high, women make stronger associations to clues in their environment and more likely to seek rewards, which makes them more prone to drug addiction and relapse. Her research can be used by treatment centers to educate women about their decision-making mechanisms.


Selected publications

* * * *


Personal life

Calipari’s father is
John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (; born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, University of Arkansas. He has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2 ...
, a college basketball coach.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Calipari, Erin Living people Wake Forest University alumni Vanderbilt University faculty UMass Minutewomen basketball players American pharmacologists American women pharmacologists American women scientists 1987 births 21st-century American women academics