Elizabeth Geisler from Dr. Jose Etit’s lab in the CMGM Department Receives the Prestigious NIH F31 Award
Elizaeth Geisler, a 5th-year Pharmacology & Toxicology PhD candidate in Dr. Jose Eltit’s lab, has been awarded the prestigious Individual Pre-Doctoral F31 Award from the National Institutes of Health in 2025 for exploring the role of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in attenuating cocaine reward.
“It is a deserved achievement for Elizabeth. She has put significant effort into an outstanding application, and it is wonderful to see that her dedication is recognized”, said Dr. Jose Eltit, Associate Professor, Dept. of Cellular, Molecular, and Genetic Medicine, VCU School of Medicine. Other mentors in Elizabeth’s PhD committee include Dr. Steve Negus, Dr. Matthew Banks, Dr. Rory McQuiston, and Dr. Paul Whiteaker.
Elizabeth’s research aims at understanding how dopamine neurotransmission in the brain changes in the presence of cocaine and attenuating those changes through the use of muscarinic compounds, namely VU0364572, VU0152100, and xanomeline. “For my study, I use fiber photometry to observe the in vivo activity of dopamine in the brain, aiming for higher temporal resolution. I also designed a Python program to analyze transient neuro-kinetics that are altered by cocaine, and their regulation by muscarinic compounds.”, said Elizabeth. “This analysis could discover new pharmacotherapies for cocaine use disorder, and increase our understanding of the mechanisms behind psychostimulant use disorders.”
Elizabeth’s passion for science turned into a career in biomedical research after her lab experience under Dr. Darlene Mitrano at Christopher Newport University, USA, before joining VCU as a pre-doctoral student through the BSDP program. In VCU, after PhD lab rotations, Elizabeth joined Dr. Eltit’s lab and began her study on cocaine addiction. “This project is close to my heart: Addiction is something that tore through my extended family, and I want to do everything I can to help people who are struggling with drug use disorders”. Elizabeth was encouraged by the Pharm-Tox department and Dr. Eltit to apply for an NIH F31 grant in her fourth pre-doctoral year, followed by a successful resubmission and grant award in her fifth year.
When asked about her career plans post-dissertation, Elizabeth stated, “After I graduate, I plan to pursue a post-doc and continue working with fiber photometry”. Peeking outside the curtain of research, Elizabeth loves basking in her creative aura. “I’ve always been an absolute nerd, and every time I start drafting hypotheses or analyzing data, I feel the giddiness of a kid making her first Dungeons and Dragons character again. Creative writing and fantasy have certainly shaped who I am today. They’ve given me a desire to create – whether that’s through scientific writing or the much more whimsical fantasy stories I write in my free time.
A note from Elizabeth to the upcoming pre-doctoral NIH-F31 applicants: If you’re anything like me, there will be a little voice of doubt in your head the entire time you write your grant. That voice is wrong – you are good enough, pace yourself, and avoid comparing yourself to others 😊
By Sumit Saha
Department of CMGM, VCU SOM
Email: sahas3@vcu.edu
Date: 8/September/2025