“It’s truly been the highlight of my year,” said Russell Sage College Biology major and pre-med student Daniel Kagan about his internship in a Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics lab at nearby Albany Medical College. He began his internship in summer 2025 and will stay involved for the fall 2025 semester.

Kagan has been part of a team researching the mTOR gene, which controls how cells grow, use energy, and survive. The lab is investigating how turning this gene on or off affects the brain, especially in conditions linked to seizures and epilepsy. Kagan is assisting with brain sectioning, preparing tissue for analysis, and running experiments that track changes in brain pathways. “Being part of the day-to-day process has helped me see how even small shifts in genetic regulation can have huge implications for understanding and treating disease,” he said.

He mentioned several Russell Sage classes that have given him the background to excel at the internship: Anatomy and Physiology included neuroanatomy concepts and lab work that help him approach brain sectioning, identifying regions, and handling tissue samples with confidence; Immunology tied directly into the AMC lab’s focus on inflammatory responses; and Statistics and Writing in Biology gave him the tools to interpret experimental results, evaluate research design, and navigate dense primary literature.

“Through this internship, I’ve learned how to think critically about designing experiments, troubleshooting unexpected results, and interpreting data,” he said. “I plan to use these skills in evidence-based patient care. I want to make an impact both systematically through research and personally through one-on-one patient care.”

A personal connection and community service inspired his interest in neurological medicine in tandem with his lab internship.  

“My grandfather’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, along with my volunteer work at the Aphasia Center at Russell Sage, helping patients relearn communication after stroke or brain injury, have deepened my passion for neurological care,” he said. “I’ve also been active in the Parkinson’s community, helping organize and run events, where I’ve seen firsthand the difference that patient education and emotional support make. These experiences have made the field both personal and meaningful to me.”

“I feel very grateful for the mentorship and opportunities I’ve received, both at Sage and at Albany Med, ” he added.