#  Rachel Davis 

Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Humsa Venkatesh Lab

 

 

 



   ![davis_rachel_lcbrf_photo.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum5431/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/landrycancerbio/files/davis_rachel_lcbrf_photo.jpg?itok=LEbCjwWa) 

 



 





 

Rachel grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with dual degrees in Neuroscience and Microbiology. Here, she worked in Dr. Joseph Bergan’s lab studying behavioral neuroscience and completed an honors senior thesis on the cellular origins of hippocampal estrogen. Following graduation, Rachel worked as a research technician in Karen Cichowski’s lab at HMS, where she studied cancer signaling and therapeutics. This experience sparked Rachel’s interest in cancer research, which led her to join Humsa Venkatesh’s lab in the emerging field of cancer neuroscience for her PhD work. Rachel’s thesis project investigates how central and peripheral neurons contribute to the progression of breast cancer brain metastasis.