Elisabeth G. Vichaya, Ph.D.

Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Neuroimmunology Laboratory, Department of Symptom Research, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2011-2017

Ph.D., Behavioral and Cellular Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, 2011

M.S., Behavioral and Cellular Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, 2007

B.S., Psychology & Religion, Wayland Baptist University, 2004

Biography

Dr. Vichaya earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from Texas A&M University in 2011. Her research was focused on understanding the mechanisms by which stress impacts disease progression in a murine model of multiple sclerosis. Upon graduation, Dr. Vichaya started a post-doctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Symptom Research. She spent the first year of her fellowship conducting research on symptom burden and assessment in cancer patients.  She then transitioned to join the newly opened Neuroimmunology Laboratory where she employed preclinical models to study the mechanisms underlying cancer- and inflammation-associated fatigue and depression. Dr. Vichaya was promoted to an Instructor at MD Anderson in 2017 and remained there until she joined the Baylor faculty in 2019.

Research

Research within our laboratory primarily uses murine models to study the mechanisms underlying fatigue, depression, and cognitive impairment (e.g., voluntary wheel running, locomotor activity, operant conditioning, classical tests of anti-depressant activity, spatial memory tasks) in the context of diabetes, cancer (e.g., mEER tumor, LLC tumor), cancer therapy (e.g., cisplatin), and/or inflammation (e.g., aging, maternal immune activation, stress). The nature of this research requires an interdisciplinary approach incorporating methodologies from a variety of fields including psychology, neuroscience, endocrinology, immunology, and pharmacology.

​One of our central interests is in understanding the role of inflammation, mitochondria, and metabolic dysfunction in the development of depression and fatigue associated with chronic diseases. We aim to better understand the mechanisms by which hyperglycemia, cancer, and cancer treatment disrupt cellular energy production. We also have a growing interest in understanding the role of sex hormones in modulating vulnerability to symptom development.

Lab Website: https://sites.baylor.edu/psychoneuroimmunologylab/

Representative Publications

Fowler, C. G., Tarantino, M. I., Gillett, A. E., Muñiz, V., Anderson, M. A., Bonner, R. L., & Vichaya, E. G. (2025). Using a murine model to explore the impact of sex and APOE4 on cisplatin-induced cognitive impairment. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 129, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2025.05.010

Dantzer, R., Chelette, B., Vichaya, E. G., West, A. P., & Grossberg, A. (2025). The metabolic basis of cancer-related fatigue. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 169, 106035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106035

Kusumo, L. E., Gilley-Connor, K. R., Johnson, M. G., Hall, G. M., Gillett, A. E., McCready, R. G., & Vichaya, E. G. (2024). Hyperglycemia sensitizes female mice to stress-induced depressive-like behavior in an inflammation-independent manner. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 169, 107151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107151

Beaudry, A. G., Law, M. L., Gilley-Connor, K. R., Buley, H., Dungan, C. M., Nascimento, C. M. C., Vichaya, E. G., & Wiggs, M. P. (2024). Diet-induced obesity does not exacerbate cachexia in male mice bearing Lewis-lung carcinoma tumors. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology, 326(3), R254–R265. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00208.2023

McCready, R. G., Gilley, K. R., Kusumo, L. E., Hall, G. M., & Vichaya, E. G. (2023). Chronic Stress Exacerbates Hyperglycemia-Induced Affective Symptoms in Male Mice. Neuroimmunomodulation, 30(1), 302–314. https://doi.org/10.1159/000534669

Sullens, D. G., Gilley, K., Jensen, K., Vichaya, E., Dolan, S. L., & Sekeres, M. J. (2021). Social isolation induces hyperactivity and exploration in aged female mice. PloS one, 16(2), e0245355. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245355

See my Google Scholar page for complete list of publications. 

Current Ph.D. Students

Caroline Fowler
Laura Kusumo

Graduate Student Recruitment

Dr. Vichaya is currently accepting applications for Ph.D. students.

Courses taught at Baylor

• NSC/PSY 4319 – Clinical Neuroscience
• PSY 5323- Biological Foundations of Behavior