Our Team

Danielle Guez Barber, MD PhD is an Assistant Professor in Child Neurology at the University of Colorado and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Her basic research, clinical research, clinical work and advocacy all center around perinatal HIE (hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy). As an undergraduate, Danielle spent 2.5 years studying metabolism of cell membranes in Dick Wurtman’s lab at MIT. In her doctoral work, she developed the use of Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting for adult rat brains, and isolated the neuronal ensemble that encoded a drug-relevant learned behavior. She did her PhD lab work at the National Institute on Drug Abuse under Dr. Bruce Hope, partnering with Dr. Marina Picciotto’s lab at Yale. She earned her MD PhD from Yale in 2012. Danielle trained in Pediatrics and Child Neurology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, then completed post-doctoral training in the lab of Dr. Amelia Eisch at CHOP/Penn, where she launched her focus on perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. In 2024, Danielle moved to Colorado to open her laboratory, which leverages sex differences to understand the brain immune response to hypoxia-ischemia. She is leading the building of an HIE clinical and community registry, with a synergistic partnership between Hope for HIE and the Cerebral Palsy Research Network. She also serves on the Board of Directors and Medical Advisory Board of Hope for HIE. Danielle, her husband and their 3 kids love skiing, traveling, and live music.

I am a technician in Dr. Barber’s lab, originally from Haverford, Pennsylvania. I graduated from Middlebury College in 2024, with a B.A. in Neuroscience and Psychology, where I worked for 3 years in Dr. Clarissa Parker's neuroscience lab. I have always been curious about how the human body works, but the brain fascinates me the most with its ability to adapt and reorganize after injury. Neuroplasticity is so cool! The brain's immune response plays a crucial role in this, so studying sex differences in microglia is fascinating. I am grateful to have the opportunity to learn more about the developmental brain, considering I was a 3-month pre-mature baby myself. I hope I can play a role in the development of therapeutics for newborns with HIE. For fun, I like to play racket sports, play the violin, and ski!

I am an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Danielle Barber’s Lab. I moved back and forth between East and West Coast but mainly grew up in Philadelphia. I am currently a student at Princeton, majoring in History of Science and studying neuroscience. My research interests center on the potential for learning following injury, specifically why children with neurodevelopmental disorders might experience increased plasticity. I am especially fascinated by the molecular underpinnings of microglial dysfunction. I really enjoy the troubleshooting and problem-solving involved in techniques like tissue staining, behavioral assays, and computational modeling. Outside the lab, I love teaching ceramics, rock climbing outdoors, and exploring libraries and book stores in new cities!

I was a medical student researcher (SUMMR Program) when I worked for Danielle. I am from Lake Jackson, Texas and went to Texas A&M University for my undergraduate studies, where I a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science. I am currently in medical school at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). What fascinates me about neuroscience research is the opportunity to deepen my understanding of the human brain’s complexity and its ability to adapt to injury or disease. Specifically, Danielle’s research on HIE interests me as I have come to recognize the prevalence of HIE and the impact it can have, highlighting the need to understand the mechanisms behind brain injury in order to transform medical treatments and improve patient outcomes. Additionally, this work is personally meaningful to me as neurological disorders have affected people close to me, motivating my desire to contribute to advancing care in this field. In my free time I enjoy spending time with friends/family, staying active/working out, and being outdoors! 

I am a current senior at the University of Pennsylvania who has been working as an Undergraduate Researcher in the Barber Lab since March 2023. I am from Los Angeles, California and am graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and Neurobiology this May. I am particularly interested in the Barber Lab’s focus on sex differences in brain injury outcomes. When it comes to most scientific research, the female side of things is often overlooked, so the Barber Lab provides a unique opportunity to understand the mechanistic underpinnings of sex-dependent HIE outcomes in neonates. In my spare time I compete for UPenn’s Varsity Volleyball team and enjoy cooking at home. 

 I am an undergraduate student working in Dr. Danielle Barber’s Lab over the summer for the CORE Program (Colorado Research Experience). I am from a rural town in Kansas and attending Regis University in Denver, Colorado. At Regis, I am majoring in Biology with minors in neuroscience and URC (Undergraduate Research Certificate). I am interested in Dr. Barber’s research because of my uncle Bobby. Growing up alongside my uncle Bobby –who had a hypoxic brain injury at birth resulting in cerebral palsy and a myriad of other intellectual and developmental disabilities – he is my reason for and inspiration to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and HIE. I am excited to be working in Dr. Barber’s lab, not only for the incredible learning opportunity but also to join Dr. Barber and her lab on their work towards answers and help with HIE. Understanding Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy is vital to helping and changing the lives of those impacted by HIE. 

I’m a current first year student at the University of Colorado Boulder, studying neuroscience on the pre-med track. I’m starting at Dr. Barber’s lab in December 2025. Medicine and the study of anatomy has been fascinating to me since I was young, but neuroscience specifically drew me in for the opportunity to understand neural circuits and the brain’s complex capabilities. Dr. Barber’s research on the large margin of difference between sexes in microglial activity and brain injury particularly compelled me. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to grow in her lab and help contribute to the HIE registry, as well as join the effort to find more effective therapies for HIE.

I am a technician in Dr. Barber’s lab, originally from Colorado. I have a bachelors of science in biomedical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder along with a minor in electrical engineering. Having done a lot of engineering course work, I learned a lot about the processes of problem solving and learning to apply engineering concepts to human health, which led me to joining Dr. Barbers lab. I wanted to help study and learn how scientists help discover new medicines and techniques towards healing others, and this lab seemed to be focused directly on that. I think what really stands out to me in her research is the ability of glial cells to either heal the brain after injury or promote further injury and inflammation depending on what sex the animal is and how intense the injury is. Outside of the lab I enjoy being outdoors and playing a variety of sports such as snowboarding, tennis, pickleball, and basketball. I also enjoy reading and nearly any type of videogame.

I am a neuroscience graduate student rotating in Dr. Barber’s lab. I came from Coralville, Iowa where I was born and raised, eventually attending the University of Iowa graduating with a B.S. in Psychology and minoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I spent almost 3 years studying neural mechanisms and sex differences in social behavior under Dr. Sarah Ferri. Having a strong animal behavior and development background I hope to gain more molecular/glia experience in the Barber lab. Overall I would like to continue elucidating sex differences in neurodevelopment with the goal of developing targeted therapies. In my free time I enjoy weightlifting, swimming, and spending time outdoors.