McKenzie Schuyler graduated from Tufts University with a BS in both biology and psychology. As an undergraduate, she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Catherine Freudenreich’s molecular genetics laboratory studying proteins and pathways that protect against chromosome fragility at DNA repeats. Following this, McKenzie was a Summer Scholar in the laboratory of Dr. Larry Feig investigating the role of Ras-GRF1, a protein implicated in the stress response, in activity-based anorexia and stress-induced alcohol intake in mice. Throughout her undergraduate career, McKenzie was also heavily involved in the Tufts chapter of Active Minds, an organization dedicated to increasing mental health awareness among students and promoting positive policy change on campus. Most recently, she worked for over a year as a Community Residence Counselor at McLean Hospital’s Klarman Eating Disorder Center providing direct care to young women with eating disorders. McKenzie currently works with Dr. Daniel Geller on studies of pediatric OCD and Tourette’s syndrome. After her time at MGH, she plans to attend medical school and explore a career in psychiatry or neurology.
