Valbona Hoxha

My research is focused on understanding the neural pathways affected by traumatic brain injury. I use the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster as my model organism. Making use of the large number of genetic tools available in Drosophila, my lab investigates the molecular and behavioral effects of traumatic brain injury.

• Board member of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science
• Associate editor to Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science

Publications

• Hoxha V. and Aliu E. (2022): ERI1 : a case report of an autosomal recessive syndrome associated with developmental delay and distal limb abnormalities. American Journal of Medical Genetics (PartA). 2023; 191(1):64-69. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.62987.
• Hoxha V., Lama C, Chang P.L., Saurabh S., Patel N., Olate N., Dauwalder B. (2013). Sex-Specific Signaling in the Blood–Brain Barrier Is Required for Male Courtship in Drosophila. PLoS Genetics. 9(1): e1003217. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003217.
• Li Y., Hoxha V., Lama C., Dinh B., Vo C.N., Dauwalder B. (2011). The hector G-Protein Coupled Receptor Is Required in a Subset of fruitless Neurons for Male Courtship Behavior. PlosOne. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028269
• Benito J., Hoxha V., Lama, Lazareva A., Ferveur J., Hardin P., B. Dauwalder (2010). The circadian output gene takeout is regulated by Pdp1ε. PNAS. 107(6):2544-9. doi:10.1073/pnas.0906422107.
• Hoxha, V., Kim, H., Hardin, P.E., Roman, G., Dauwalder, B. (2008). Takeout family members play a role in courtship in non-neuronal tissues. Dros. Res. Conf. 49 : 615C.- Abstract.

Presentations

Dr. Valbona Hoxha, Sara Collevechio ’24, Raegan Laszczyk ’25, and Gina Natale ’23 attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Science (PAS) Conference in Erie from March 17–19, 2023. The students presented two posters on The Molecular Mechanisms of Alcohol After Traumatic Brain Injury.

• BIO 111 General Biology I
• BIO 112 General Biology II
• BIO 205 Cell Biology
• BIO 405 Cancer Biology
• EXSC 130 Allied Health Anat. & Phys. I
• EXSC 131 Allied Health Anat. & Phys. II