Our Team | Department of Medicine

Dr. Samantha Fortin began her career in behavioral neuroscience in 2010 when she joined the laboratory of Dr. Harvey Grill at the University of Pennsylvania as a research technician. Her experience in the Grill lab provided an unmatched foundation in scientific research, introduced her to a talented community of scientists and inspired her interest in the neural circuitry of ingestive behavior. Sam went on to get a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Illinois at Chicago with Dr. Mitch Roitman. Here, she studied how physiological state regulates phasic dopamine signaling and learned the value of a dedicated and holistic scientific mentor. To build upon her graduate training, Sam sought out the expertise of the incredibly supportive Dr. Matthew Hayes at the University of Pennsylvania. As a post-doctoral fellow and a Research Associate in the Hayes Lab, Sam focused on investigating sites of action for endogenous regulation of feeding behavior and novel targets for obesity therapeutics. The Fortin lab opened in September of 2025 at UConn Health.

Sam is a native of Connecticut and is very excited to be back in the Farmington Valley where she enjoys raising her two little girls, pottery, gardening, and visits from her neighborhood bears.

Sarah received their Bachelors in Biology and Women and Gender Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They conducted research in Dr. Donita Robinson's pharmacodynamics lab, completing an honors thesis titled, "Adolescent Alcohol Induced Reductions in Choline Acetyltransferase Expression: Association with Sex and Behavioral Flexibility." Sarah also has a particular interest in science communication and accessibility, leading them to serve two years as the Editor-in-Chief of Carolina Scientific, the premier student run scientific journal at Chapel Hill. Previously, they worked with Dr. John Bruno and Dr. Savannah Ryburn in the Department of Biology at Chapel Hill. There, they worked in Dr. Bruno's molecular biology laboratory extracting shark DNA from samples sold in fish markets around the United States to determine seafood mislabeling rates. You can find the publication here. Sarah hopes to go to graduate school and earn their Ph.D. in Neuroscience or a related field. They are largely interested in behavioral neuroscience, polypharmacy, molecular biology, and pharmacology. When not in the lab, Sarah enjoys watching horror movies, hiking with their partner and dog Crater (see below), and traveling to new places.

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