Fabiana Crowley
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Assistant Professor BSc Bachelor of Pharmacy and Laboratory Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais Office: Medical Sciences Building, Room 202 Twitter: @FabianaCrowley https://twitter.com/FabianaCrowley |
After obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy and Laboratory Medicine, I joined the laboratory of Dr. Marco Prado, to complete a Master's and Ph.D. in Biochemical and Molecular Pharmacology. At the beginning of my Ph.D. training, Dr. Prado accepted a position at Western University and moved to Canada. A few months later, I ended up following him to continue my research projects which were focused on studying the molecular basis of Prion and Alzheimer's Diseases. It was hard to move to an unfamiliar country where I had to learn new culture, language, and how to be away from my family. But today I am proud to call this wonderful country my home. After defending my Ph.D., I did a brief post-doc in neurosciences and joined Dr. Stephen Ferguson's lab as a research associate and imaging facility manager.
During my Master’s, I taught several disciplines in a College. When I moved to Canada, I sought opportunities to further develop and improve my teaching skills. I attended several workshops from the Centre for Teaching & Learning at Western, where I learned (and continue to learn) more about teaching, mentoring, and designing courses.
During my time as a research associate at Robarts, I had the opportunity to cover for faculty who were on leave, which greatly helped me to develop experience in Canadian classrooms. After this exciting experience of teaching physiology to first and second-year undergraduate courses, my passion for education led me to pursue a career as an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology at Western University.
Why Science?
I got interested in science early on in my undergraduate experience at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. In the second year of my Pharmacy training, I started working in a chemistry research laboratory. I enjoyed the experience and went on to work in hematology and pharmacology research laboratories.
I also realized that I have a passion for teaching very early on in my university experience. I enjoyed both research and teaching, but I knew that I had a deep passion for education, and I wanted to combine both in my future career.
Teaching Goals
I teach in multiple courses in the Medical (UME) and Dental (DDS) programs at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. I teach diverse topics in physiology and pharmacology for 1st and 2nd-year medical students and 1st-year dentistry students. Moreover, I hold several administrative roles which include managing the 1st-year course of the medical program and serving as the Physiology & Pharmacology UME lead.
During my teaching, I hope to guide students to be problem-solvers. I like to provide my students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge in case studies. This helps them to focus on understanding information rather than simply memorize it. In my opinion, it is important to understand the "why" behind learning and think critically to make connections between basic and clinical sciences. It is exciting to see my students' signs of progress and their engagement in the learning processes. It gives great joy to see them being successful and achieving their career goals. I feel privileged for being part of it!
Most Rewarding Moments
The most rewarding moments in my career are linked to the learning progression of my students; it is when I see them understanding and applying concepts. Another rewarding moment was the introduction of a new medical curriculum in 2019 at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Our team planned and worked for years on it and it was very exciting to see it implemented. As for the most memorable moments in my career, they are the successful completion of my Ph.D. as well as obtaining my current position since it was always my dream to have this job.
Advice to Students from A Professor's POV
Take advantage of the resources offered to you. Work hard, be dedicated, and continue to learn; that will allow you to find your passion and pursue it. Most importantly, find your balance between learning and enjoying life.
Interests Outside of Academia
I like spending time with my family and cook together with them. We love making new recipes, homemade pizza, and BBQ foods even during the winter. Family meals are traditional in Brazil and important for me. I also enjoy playing volleyball.
Publications:
See all my publications on PubMed.
Highlighted Publications
Scientific Articles
Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of amyloid β at neuronal spines. Tabatabaei M, Caetano FA, Pashee F, Ferguson SSG, Lagugné-Labarthet F. Analyst. (2017).
GRK2 targeted knock-down results in spontaneous hypertension and altered vascular GPCR signaling. Tutunea-Fatan E, Caetano FA, Gros R, Ferguson SS. J Biol Chem. (2016).
Regulation of Amyloid β Oligomer Binding to Neurons and Neurotoxicity by the Prion Protein-mGluR5 Complex. Beraldo FH, Ostapchenko VG, Caetano FA, Guimaraes AL, Ferretti GD, Daude N, Bertram L, Nogueira KO, Silva JL, Westaway D, Cashman NR, Martins VR, Prado VF, Prado MA. J Biol Chem. (2016)
Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: plasmid-free vs. plasmid-embedded DNA. Pashaee F, Tabatabaei M, Caetano FA, Ferguson SS, Lagugné-Labarthet F. Analyst. (2016).
82-kDa choline acetyltransferase and SATB1 localize to β-amyloid induced matrix attachment regions. Winick-Ng W, Caetano FA, Winick-Ng J, Morey TM, Heit B, Rylett RJ. Sci Rep. (2016).
Book chapters
Caetano Crowley, F. A., Heit, B., Ferguson, S. S. (2018). Super-Resolution Imaging of G Protein-Coupled Receptors using Ground State Depletion Microscopy. In Methods in Molecular Biology 2019;1947:323-336. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9121-1_18. New York, NY: Springer Nature. Contribution: wrote most of the manuscript.
Mechanisms of Calcium Influx Following Stroke. Jillian C. Belrose, Fabiana A. Caetano, Kai Yang, Brian M. W. Lockhart, Michael Jackson, and John F. MacDonald. Metal Ion in Stroke, edited by Yang V. Li and John H. Zhang. Springer, 2012.
