1. Renna Stevens-Wolfe
2450 Milvia St. #12, Berkeley, CA 94704 617-947-8555, renna9@gmail.com
Education and Honors
• PhD in Neuroscience, UC San Diego, Expected Dec. 2010. Visiting Scholar UC Berkeley ‘07-’10.
o NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipient 2005
o Thesis: Cellular and circuit mechanisms of cortical plasticity, advisor: Dan Feldman
• BA, Smith College, 2003. Major: Neuroscience Minor: Biology
o Magna Cum Laude, Highest Honors in Neuroscience
o Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi Society. Cumulative GPA: 3.9
Research Techniques & Other Specialties
• Cellular neurophysiology
• Tissue Histology
• Various molecular biology techniques
• Various data analysis and statistical software expertise
• Teaching/Instruction.
o Extensive tutoring experience: Smith College head biology tutor, America Reads tutor, currently
employed biology tutor with EastBayTutoring.
o GSI experience, as well as invited guest lecturer for multiple college courses
o Attended full year of UC Berkeley teaching workshops
o Frequent neuroscience outreach involvement (with local public schools, UCSD & UCB)
• Writing/Editing & Oral Science Communication
o Extensive grant, paper, and thesis writing experience (see publications).
o Presented research at 6 scientific meetings (see conference abstracts), & numerous institutional talks
• Leadership/Motivation
o Two full semesters of motivational education training at UC Berkeley
o Mentored 5 undergraduate students in research
o Active involvement in community building and outreach since 2004
Laboratory Experience (pre-Graduate School)
MGH Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School (May 2003-
August 2004)
• Investigation of molecular mechanisms of anesthetic action on various ligand-gated ion channels through
voltage-clamping Xenopus oocytes (see publications).
Harvard Lab for Structural Neuroscience, McLean Hospital (Summers 1999, 2001, 2002,
Winter 2001)
• Statistical imaging, data analysis, & tissue histology for schizophrenia and bipolar research (see publications).
• Successfully set up and implemented laser microdissection and RNA extraction/amplification from human
hippocampal tissue, as well as performed RNA analysis & immunocytochemistry.
Smith College Honors Research (Senior year, 2002-2003)

2. • Received Highest Honors for my thesis investigating isoflurane mechanisms of action on the GABA receptor
using voltage clamp electrophysiology of Xenopus oocytes (see publications).
Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center, McLean Hospital (Summer 2000)
• Assisted in processing of postmortem brain tissue (fresh tissue slicing, photography and tissue organization)
Publications
1) Stone DJ, Walsh JP, Sebro R, Stevens R, Pantazopolous H, Benes FM. Effects of pre- and postnatal
corticosterone exposure on the rat hippocampal GABA system. Hippocampus. 2001;11(5):492-507.
2) Raines DE, Gioia F, Claycomb RJ, Stevens RJ. The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor inhibitory potencies of
aromatic inhaled drugs of abuse: evidence for modulation by cation-pi interactions. J Pharmacol Exp Ther.
2004 Oct;311(1):14-21.
3) Hall AC, Rowan KC, Stevens RJ, Kelley JC, Harrison NL. The effects of isoflurane on desensitized wild-
type and alpha 1(S270H) gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors. Anesth Analg. 2004
May;98(5):1297-304
4) Hall AC, Stevens RJ, Betts BA, Yeung WY, Kelley JC, Harrison NL. Subunit-dependent block by
isoflurane of wild-type and mutant alpha(1)S270H GABA(A) receptor currents in Xenopus oocytes. Neurosci
Lett. 2005 Jul 15;382(3):332-7.
5) Stevens R, Rusch D, Solt K, Raines DE, Davies PA. Modulation of human 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3AB
receptors by volatile anesthetics and n-alcohols. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2005 Jul;314(1):338-45.
6) Stevens RJ, Rusch D, Davies PA, Raines DE. Molecular properties important for inhaled anesthetic action
on human 5-HT3A receptors. Anesth Analg. 2005 Jun;100(6):1696-703.
7) Solt K, Stevens RJ, Davies PA, Raines DE. General anesthetic-induced channel gating enhancement of 5-
hydroxytryptamine type 3 receptors depends on receptor subunit composition. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2005
Nov;315(2):771-6.
8) Bagnall MW, Stevens RJ, du Lac S. Transgenic mouse lines subdivide medial vestibular nucleus neurons
into discrete, neurochemically distinct populations. J Neuroscience. 2007. Feb 28;27(9):2318-30.
Poster Abstracts
1) R. J. Stevens, K. C. Rowan, C. M. Turcotte, A. C. Hall*. Isoflurane relieves slow desensitization of
GABAA receptors expressed in Xenopus Oocytes. Society for Neuroscience, November 2003. Harvard/MIT
Hippocratic Society Neuroscience Symposium, March 2003.
2) Renna J. Stevens, Dirk Ruesch, Paul A. Davies, Douglas E. Raines*. Modulation of 5-HT3A receptors by
n-alcohols and volatile anesthetics is dependant on molecular volume. Biophysical Society, February 2004.
Harvard Medical School Anesthesia Poster Session, October 2003.
3) Ken Solt, M.D.; Renna Stevens, B.A.; Dirk Ruesch, M.D.; Paul Davies, Ph.D.; Douglas Raines,
M.D.*. Contrasting Modulation of 5-HT3A and 5-HT3AB Receptors by General Anesthetics: The
Importance of Receptor Subunit Composition and Anesthetic Molecular Volume in Defining Anesthetic
Action. American Society for Anesthesia, October 2004.

3. 4) Renna J Stevens, Dirk Ruesch, Paul A Davies, Douglas E Raines. Volatile anesthetics enhance the open
probability of 5-HT3a channels. Society for Neuroscience, October 2004.
5) RJ Stevens, MW Bagnall, KA Onori, S du Lac. Characterization of GAD67-expressing neurons in the
medial vestibular nucleus. Society for Neuroscience, November 2005.