Zac Colon

MS (and incoming PhD) Graduate Student

Zac Colon graduated from the University of Washington in 2011 with a B.S. in Microbiology. During undergrad, he performed research on Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, an AIDS-related virus, with Dr. Michael Lagunoff. Following undergrad, Zac worked for over six years in a food pathology lab at the Institute for Environmental Health (IEH). Here he was the lead quality control technician and worked in the R&D department of the lab, using PCR, immuno-based assays, and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Zac’s interest in neuroscience was inspired by his father, a retired Navy SEAL, and his battle with PTSD. In 2016, Zac began volunteering at the VA Hospital of Seattle in the rehabilitation gym for veterans who suffered head, neck, and spine injuries. He job-shadowed Dr. Scott Campea and his patients with multiple sclerosis, strokes, and other chronic neurological disorders in the In-Patient Rehab Unit. At Seattle Brainworks, Zac volunteered to help people recover from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) from 2016-2019. Activities ranged from occupational therapy, physical therapy, to music therapy. Currently, Zac is in the M.S. in Integrative Neuroscience at Georgetown University. He is doing research in Dr. Mark Burns' lab this year, which uses a High-Frequency Head Impact (HF-HI) mouse model that mimics the number of head impacts a college football player would receive in a week to study synaptic changes and cognitive deficits post-injury. In 2019, Zac spent three months doing Hurricane Maria disaster relief in Puerto Rico and he enjoys volunteering in his community.