Ms. Lauren Bennett obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Integrative Physiology from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2016. She then completed a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2019, receiving a certificate in Biomedical Sciences. She has attended Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine since 2020. In addition to being a full-time medical student, she is a member of the school’s physician scientist research track and tutors various first and second-year courses. She will earn the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Rocky Vista in May 2024. After graduating medical school, she plans to attend a three-year Emergency Medicine residency with Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.

Dr. Rebecca Ryznar obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomolecular Science from Central Connecticut State University and then a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Wesleyan University. She then taught biology at Quinnipiac University and, later, microbiology at Goodwin College. She is currently an Associate Professor of Molecular Biology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Rocky Vista College of Osteopathic Medicine in Parker, Colorado, where she is responsible for instructing first- and second-year medical students in molecular biology and genetics, along with directing a physician/scientist track research program and conducting her research related to resilience. Her research orientation is focused on the molecular underpinnings of cellular processes, including studying epigenetic mechanisms of the stress response, aging, and pathophysiological pathways of traumatic brain injury and other inflammatory diseases.