Emily Yi
I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences in spring of 2024. While there, I conducted research on a breadth of topics ranging from student success in higher education to the role of hormones in brain structure and function. Under the mentorship of Dr. Emily Jacobs, I discovered a passion for neuroendocrinology and a deep commitment to representing women’s brain health in neuroimaging research. This led me to focus on how periods of hormonal fluctuation – menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause – affect the brain. In fall of 2024, I began my Ph.D. at UC Irvine and joined the Yassa Lab, where I use neuroimaging tools (MRI, PET) to investigate how brain changes during the menopausal transition may inform our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk in women, who are affected at nearly twice the rate of men. I hope that by studying menopause’s influence on the brain, we can identify opportunities for AD prevention and empower individuals experiencing this transition with greater ownership of their minds and bodies.
I am interested in how the menopausal transition, characterized by hormonal fluctuations, changes in menstruation, and the emergence of symptoms, is associated with brain structure and function. Recent evidence suggests that the menopause-driven decline in estradiol, the primary circulating form of estrogen during the reproductive years, may initiate a chronic neuroinflammatory state. My current work builds on this framework by investigating how such neuroinflammation influences cognition and the early development of Alzheimer’s disease in preclinical populations, with the goal of identifying windows for intervention and exploring the potential protective effects of factors such as menopausal hormone therapy.
Diaz-Gonzalez, P., Yi, E., & Woods, V. (2025). Fostering Belonging: Understanding Types of Social Support for First-Generation Latine College Students. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education.
What the lab means to me…
“I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful, brilliant people who inspire scientific questions and ideas beyond anything I’ve imagined. They’re also pretty fun to be around :)”
