The Doctor of Philosophy Seminar and Examination of Jatia Mills

Biography

Jatia Mills is a Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical and Veterinary Science program at Virginia Tech (VT) with a concentration in neuroinflammation and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Her research focuses on the mechanisms regulating peripheral-derived innate immune cell recruitment to the brain and their role in microglial fate and function following TBI. Jatia has been recognized on the VT campus for her work as President of the Black Graduate Student Org., student mentor for the VT-PREP post-baccalaureate program, Diversity & Inclusion representative for her department, and much more. As well, she has been awarded a Diversity Supplement grant by the NIH/NINDS, a travel award from the VT Graduate department, and winner of the 2023 Nutshell Games.  Jatia’s background in leadership and community service from her undergraduate matriculation at Morgan State University has been a great addition to the VT campus through her assistance in planning and organizing several initiatives on and off campus to enrich the lives of the minority undergraduate and graduate students. Her civic engagement in the scientific community for people of diverse backgrounds runs very deep and will shine even brighter as she progresses in her career as a researcher. In summary, Jatia is an undoubtedly excellent student and scholar with amazing potential and has played a pivotal role in both the graduate and undergraduate minority communities here at Virginia Tech. Dr. Mills will be continuing her work in neuroimmunology within a post-doctoral position at the NIH’s Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. 

Funded by

• NIH Diversity Supplement NS121103
• The Office of Research and Graduate Studies

Awards and Academic Achievements

• Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, 2024
• Sigma Xi Research Honor Society, 2023
• VT GPSS Travel Grant, 2023
• VT Outstanding Graduate Student Leader of the Year Nominee, 2023
• VT BMVS, Diversity & Inclusion Representative, 2022-24
• NIH, Diversity Supplement NS121103, 2022
• SfN, Neuroscience Scholars Program Associate, 2022
• NSF, FL-AGEP Scholar, 2022
• VT Center for Communicating Science, Nutshell Games Winner, 2022
• VT Nominee Finalist for The HHMI Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study, 2021

Lay Language Abstract 

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) triggers an immediate response from the brain's immune system, involving both local glial cells and immune cells from outside the brain. These cells work together to mediate the initial injury but, in some cases, cause development of a secondary injury. Microglia, the brain's resident immune cell, change their shape and behavior when activated by a TBI, becoming more aggressive and releasing inflammatory proteins. At the same time, immune cells from the bloodstream, like neutrophils and monocytes, rush to the injury site to assist. Yet, it's unclear how these immune cells affect microglia over time during the injury's acute and chronic phases. If microglia become too active, they can cause further damage to brain tissue and harm healthy neurons. Therefore, understanding the signals that control microglial activity could help us develop therapies to manage brain inflammation. One protein of interest in this process is the EphA4 receptor found on immune cells, which might play a crucial role in inflammation following TBI. While we know that microglia change post-TBI, we don't fully understand how the recruitment of immune cells from outside the brain affects them. My research aims to clarify how EphA4-expressing immune cells, especially monocytes/macrophages, influence microglia in terms of growth, behavior, and their ability to mediate a TBI. 

Publications

1. Soliman E, Leonard J, Basso EK, Gershenson I, Ju J, Mills J, Jager C, Kaloss AM, Elhassanny M, Pereira D, Chen M, Wang X, Theus MH. Efferocytosis is restricted by axon guidance molecule EphA4 via ERK/Stat6/Mertk signaling following brain injury. Research square. 2023.

2. Cash A, de Jager C, Brickler T, Soliman E, Kaloss A, Zhu Y, Pridham K, Mills J, Ju J, Basso E, Chen M, Johnson Z, Sotiropoulos Y, Wang X, Xie H, Matson J, and Theus MH. Endothelial deletion of EPH receptor A4 alters single-cell profile and Tie2/Akap12 signaling to preserve blood-brain barrier integrity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2023.

3. Mills J, Ladner L, Soliman E, Morton PD, Theus MH. Crosstalk and Subset Control of Microglia and Associated Myeloid Cells in Neurological Disorders of the Brain. Cells. 2022.

4. Soliman E, Mills J, Ju J, Kaloss A, Basso E, Groot N, Colin K, Kowalski E, Elhassanny M, Chen M, Wang X, and Theus MH. Conditional deletion of EphA4 on Cx3cr1-expressing microglia fails to influence histopathological outcome and blood brain barrier disruption following TBI. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. 2021.

5. Mills J, Jones L, Efeyini M, Bailey T, Grier-McGinnis G. Teaching Through COVID-19: From the Perspectives of the UMB CURE Scholars Program Educators. Science Education and Civic Engagement: An International Journal. Vol. 12, Issue 2. 2020.

Presentations

1. Jatia Mills. Influence of Peripheral Immune-derived EphA4 on Microglial Dynamics Following Traumatic Brain Injury. 2024. National Neurotrauma Symposium. 

2. Jatia Mills, Eman Soliman, Jing Ju, Alexandra Kaloss, et al. A Non-Essential Role for Cx3cr1-Expressing Eph Receptor A4 in a Murine Model of TBI. 2023. NIH Blueprint Diversity Conference. 

3. Jatia Mills, Eman Soliman, Jing Ju, and Michelle H. Theus. Characterization of Temporospatial Changes in Resident Microglia Following Traumatic Brain Injury. 2023. National Neurotrauma Symposium. 

4. Jatia Mills, Eman Soliman, Jing Ju, Alexandra Kaloss, et al. A Non-Essential Role for Cx3cr1-Expressing Eph Receptor A4 in a Murine Model of TBI. 2023. Virginia Tech Graduate Professional Student Senate Research Symposium. 

5. Jatia Mills, Eman Soliman, Jing Ju, Alexandra Kaloss, et al. A Non-Essential Role for Cx3cr1-Expressing Eph Receptor A4 in a Murine Model of TBI. 2023. Virginia Tech Biomedical & Veterinary Science Research Symposium. 

6. Jatia Mills, Eman Soliman, Jing Ju, Alexandra Kaloss, et al. A Non-Essential Role for Cx3cr1-Expressing Eph Receptor A4 in a Murine Model of TBI. 2022. Virginia Tech HBCU/MSI Research Symposium. 

7. Jatia Mills, Eman Soliman, Jing Ju, Alexandra Kaloss, et al. A Non-Essential Role for Cx3cr1-Expressing Eph Receptor A4 in a Murine Model of TBI. 2022. National Neurotrauma Society Symposium. 

8. Jatia Mills. Characterizing the Dynamics of Microglia in Traumatic Brain Injury. 2022. VT BMVS Research in Progress Seminar. 

9. Jatia Mills. The Role of Immune Cells in Traumatic Brain Injury. 2022. VT Center for Communicating Science Nutshell Games. 

10. Jatia Mills. Role of Microglia in Traumatic Brain Injury. 2021. VT PREP/IMSD Research Progress Forum. 

Examination Graduate Committee

Major Advisor/Chair:

Michelle Theus, PhD
Professor 
Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology

Graduate Advising Committee Members:

Michelle Olsen, PhD
Director
School of Neuroscience

Timothy Jarome, PhD
Associate Professor
School of Neuroscience

Liwu Li, PhD
Professor
Biological Sciences