Joanna Bellan, B.S.

Joanna Bellan is a former Research Assistant at the Transitions Lab at VUMC. She moved from Jackson, MS to Nashville, TN to attend Belmont University, where she received her B.S. in General Biology with a minor in Chemistry. During her undergraduate research, Joanna's project focused on building a genetic tree of a local TN streamside salamander, Ambystoma barbouri. This inspired an interest in the influence of genetics and the environment on behavior and health. 

After graduation, Joanna decided to remain in Nashville where she has worked in a clinical lab, a surgical pathology lab, and in the Transitions Lab.  Joanna is now pursuing her M.D. at East Tennessee State University.