Our Founder
Dear Friends,
After a long search for the right project to support, the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry presented us two opportunities to support research on neuropsychiatric impacts of COVID-19, with the potential to improve our understanding of the effects of COVID on the brain to better treatments.
It was decided to support the below described collaborative work by Dr Maura Bodrini and Dr Joseph Mann, which focus on the main goal of our foundation’s mission.
Dr. Maura Boldrini is the author of the JAMA article linked on the Bill Herrlinger Research Foundation’s website entitled, How COVID-19 Affects the Brain, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Human Brain Biology Institute (Brain QUANT), and Director of the Human Neurobiology laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. Full profile: https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/profile/maura-boldrini-md
This project is co-led by Dr. J. John Mann, Paul Janssen Professor of Translational Neuroscience, Director of Research and Director of Molecular Imaging and the Neuropathology Division at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Co-Director of the Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Depression in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. Full profile: https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/profile/j-john-j-mann-md
Dr. Joseph Mann and Dr. Maura Boldrini are working to understand the neurobiology of depression and suicide. Their study investigates genetic and epigenetic changes induced by environmental stressors, and the consequences of increased brain inflammation (in COVID and non-infected patients). Their labs have optimized techniques to study genetic and molecular changes at the single cell level. They use spatial transcriptomics to identify gene expression alterations on intact human brain tissue and find out their specific cellular location in brains of suicide victims, people with depression, and COVID patients who had neuropsychiatric symptoms prior to death. Funding from the Bill Herrlinger Research funding will allow Drs. Mann and Boldrini to run additional tissue samples and make their findings more robust and representative of larger group of individuals.
It is our hope that our modest contribution helps the prevention of depression and suicide specifically related to COVID 19.
Teresa Herrlinger 10/2022
Teresa Herrlinger
Founder and President
Teresa Herrlinger was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has been an American citizen since 1992. She holds a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree from Simmons College in Boston, a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Buenos Aires, and BS in Physical Education from The National Institute of PE in Buenos Aires.
She worked in several educational settings in Bueno Aires and its suburbs including elementary and high schools, and at the college level as a P.E. teacher. Later, and after obtaining her third degree in Physical Therapy, she worked in several educational institutions for children with special needs where the intervention included psychometric evaluation and treatment. In addition to running her own private practice, she was also the physical therapist of a private psychiatric clinic in Buenos Aires.
After moving to the United States, she worked for several Rehabilitation agencies in Florida and Michigan and the Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan before establishing her private practice in Michigan for about 30 years.
She has additionally been a board member, president and treasurer of a non-profit organization in Michigan, and as a member of the Saint Joseph Church in Dexter she participated in the organization of church charitable activities and volunteer work.
Through these experiences she has acquired significant administrative and organizational skills, and is very well acquainted with the continued challenges of our healthcare system including how it relates to Mental Health and its impact on younger individuals.
After living in Michigan for over 30 years where she and her husband raised their two kids, they made Fort Lauderdale their permanent resident after their retirement.
With the passing of her husband she become aware of the great deficiencies of the Mental Health system and the need for patient advocacy and support. She is now a board Member of the Bougainvilla House which provides mental health for children, adolescents and younger adults struggling with mental, emotional and behavioral health in the Broward County.
Contact details
Email:
TeresaHerrlinger@gmail.com
