Heather Heitkotter
Credentials: Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy, Neuroscience Doctoral Program, Medical College of Wisconsin
Position title: Graduate Student
Email: hheitkotter@mcw.edu
Advisor: Joseph Carroll, PhD
Keywords: Adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO); retinal structure, function, and imaging
Education
BA 2015, Neuroscience and Biology, Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL
Research
Ms. Heitkotter’s research focuses on generating clinical biomarkers of photoreceptor structure and function that relate findings observed with clinical tools, like optical coherence tomography, to that found with high-resolution imaging of the retina with adaptive optics. Additionally, she is interested in better understanding how retinal circuitry, retinal structure, and retinal function are impacted by traumatic brain injury (TBI). She is part of a team developing several functional tools to improve how retinal function is evaluated–including adaptive optics visual acuity, presenting stimuli to the retina while imaging, and exploring adaptive optics microperimetry. She is also exploring the longitudinal recovery of the retinal structure following macular hole repair; specifically, whether cones recover function over time after macular hole repair.
The Dennis P. Han, MD Advanced Ocular Imaging Program (AOIP)