John France
Biography
John is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Translational Neuroscience Program working with Drs. Tanja Jovanovic and Jeffrey Stanley. John is interested in investigating the influence of childhood trauma on structural and functional brain development in relation to the emergence of anxiety disorders during adolescence. His dissertation work utilizes functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify trauma-related differences in cortical glutamatergic neurotransmission supporting cognitive control. John’s long-term goal is to investigate neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying the impact of posttraumatic stress to bolster treatment options and prevention strategies for individuals who suffer from adverse outcomes following childhood trauma.
Prior to graduate school, John obtained his bachelor of science from Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State University with a major in human physiology. He then worked as a clinical research assistant in the emergency department of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, where he assisted with multiple clinical research studies, including an investigation of traumatic stress in an acute care setting. Concurrently, he worked as a research assistant in the Ofen lab at Wayne State investigating cognitive and brain development in adolescents.
Education
• Wayne State University, Detroit MI; Translational Neuroscience, PhD Candidate 2019 – Current
• Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, East Lansing MI; Bachelor of Science 2012 – 2016
Grants
• Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Mental Health 2023 – 2025
• New Investigator Grant Award, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University 2021 – 2022
Research Focus
Identifying neural correlates of risk and resilience to posttraumatic stress in youth exposed to childhood trauma
Publications
• France, J. M., & Jovanovic, T. (2022). Human Fear Neurobiology Reimagined: Can Brain-Derived Biotypes Predict Fear-Based Disorders After Trauma?. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 104988
• France, J. M., Reda, M., Marusak, H. A., Riser, M., Wiltshire, C. N., Davie, W. M., ... & Jovanovic, T. (2022). Anxiety, fear extinction, and threat-related amygdala reactivity in children exposed to urban trauma. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 13(4), 20438087221132501