MD-PhD Student
Colleen is an MD-PhD student in the Tri-Institutional MD–PhD Program. She earned her degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Michigan, where she conducted research in Dr. Roger Cone’s laboratory on leptin sensitization and the central regulation of appetite. Prior to joining the Tri-Institutional Program, Colleen was a postbaccalaureate research fellow in Dr. Marc Reitman’s lab at the NIH, where she studied the neural circuitry governing thermogenesis and blood pressure regulation. In the Cohen lab, Colleen integrates her interests in cell biology and metabolism to investigate lipolysis-induced stress pathways in adipocytes. Following completion of her MD-PhD training, she plans to pursue residency training and a career as a physician–scientist.
Areas of Interest/Expertise: Cellular biology, lipolysis, signal transduction, context-specific metabolic dependencies
Fellowships, awards, or major grants:
- Weill Cornell Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Candidate
Selected publications:
- Hadley CK, Galgano L, Gui Y, Carvalho da Silva AM, Porter DT, Wu Y, Lai Y, Torti M, Çakır I. The focal adhesion kinases regulate leptin action and the weight reducing effect of HDAC6 inhibition. Nat Commun. 2026 Feb 5;17(1):1212. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-69008-9. PMID: 41644943; PMCID: PMC12877105.
- Piñol RA, Mogul AS, Hadley CK, Saha A, Li C, Škop V, Province HS, Xiao C, Gavrilova O, Krashes MJ, Reitman ML. Preoptic BRS3 neurons increase body temperature and heart rate via multiple pathways. Cell Metab. 2021;33(7):1389-1403.e6. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2021.05.001.
- Çakır I, Hadley CK, Pan PL, Bagchi RA, Ghamari-Langroudi M, Porter DT, Wang Q, Litt MJ, Jana S, Hagen S, Lee P, White A, Lin JD, McKinsey TA, Cone RD. Histone deacetylase 6 inhibition restores leptin sensitivity and reduces obesity. Nat Metab. 2022;4(1):44-59. doi:10.1038/s42255-021-00515-3.