Britt Gratreak, PhD 🖖
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brittgratreak.bsky.social
Britt Gratreak, PhD 🖖
@brittgratreak.bsky.social
4.2K followers 1.5K following 340 posts
🌈♿ Very VERY stubborn MD/PhD candidate, guildmaster, fishkeeper (pronounced "gray-trick")

🥼 I research heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitors as new treatments for memory loss

queer Pacific NWer trying to survive in the desert 🌹🌵

they/she
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brittgratreak.bsky.social
Oh hi I'm at APSA
A person in a rainbow mask with a black cat and black hat is taking a selfie in front of a poster numbered #294 about chaperone proteins and Alzheimer's disease.
April 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
🥺🥺🥺 I feel so loved. I walked in and got handed a heartfelt card congratulating me on my defense and thanking me for my summer workshops, plus a little treat. University of Arizona neuro undergraduates are the sweetest. This gives me that lil boost I need to power through these revisions. 💪
A shiny blue and yellow card reads, "You worked hard, really really hard--" next to a little gold present box with a white and gold bow.
November 19, 2024 at 7:26 PM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
After the public part of my defense today, I took a concert-style group selfie with the crowd. 'cause look at all these beautiful people coming out to support me!

#neuroskyence #medsky
Britt is smiling in a rainbow mask with a full group of like 20 great people behind them in a conference room. Britt is smiling in a rainbow mask with a full group of like 20 great people behind them in a conference room. (This time, at a slightly different and more in focus angle)
November 16, 2024 at 12:55 AM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
Hey Neuroskience! 🧠🟦 Who is all going to ASPET in Portland next April? 🤗 I would love to come visit your posters! It will be my first ASPET conference, but my lab always goes every year. I could not resist the chance to finally explore ASPET with the added bonus of traveling back home for a bit.
"Are you ready to submit a session proposal to ASPET 2025"? A cityscape of Portland, Oregon showing Mount Hood is next to a simple ASPET 2025 logo that is green with little ball-and-stick molecules. April 3-6 Portland, OR Advancing the Science of Drugs and Therapeutics
November 11, 2024 at 9:51 PM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
Finishing a dissertation is really, really hard, but it's happening this week. I'm so excited to see all the fresh new faces on Bluesky! So many familiar ones, too! 🩺🧠

After things calm down a bit, I'll be posting a lil intro of me & a new DisabledInNeuro initiative soon!

Art: @titsay.bsky.social
Top caption says: I just need to lock in... A cute little cartoon dog with glasses is crying in front of a laptop next to a mug of coffee. They have a very determined look on their flushed pink face, and are frowning hard, but doing their best with their paws on their laptop.
November 11, 2024 at 10:42 AM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
Even though it's a writing day, I still dressed up as Goku. 'Cause it's frickin Halloween! The best Holiday ever! But I got a flat tire this morning on a short errand, walked all the way home, then realized I could have just flown... OH WELL 😞 #HappyHalloween
Britt is wearing an orange Goku costume with the Turtle logo on the side. They're wearing blue sunglasses, black bike gloves, and a teal bicycle helmet and posing in front of a wall of various cacti. They're doing a peace sign and smiling through the brightness of the sun.
October 31, 2024 at 7:17 PM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
This is the most threatened I've felt from Gmail in a long time.
A screenshot of an empty email in progress. At the bottom is a bright red banner with a warning that states "Soon you won't be able to send email."
January 19, 2024 at 9:00 AM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
I had a really wonderful poster session at #SfN23 this afternoon. Thank you all for your fantastic ideas and for hanging out with me! 🥺💖 This is my first time presenting work on Alzheimer's Disease so it means a lot. If you missed me but want to chat, let me know! STAY HYDRATED
Britt is wearing a black and white rose dress with a black hat and rainbow mask, posing with double thumbs up in front of a conference poster with a lot of graphs and tiny text that is hard to read from the photo.
November 12, 2023 at 11:03 PM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
Hey #SfN23! Come visit my poster tomorrow afternoon (1-2pm) at E25 and learn about how a cool little chaperone protein named Hsp90 might be modified to help in the fight against Alzheimer's Disease. 💪🧠

I'd love to meet y'all at Society for Neuroscience! 🥳🥳🥳
Britt is pictured doing jazz hands in front of a screen that says Welcome Neuroscience 2023 with a simplified logo of a neural circuit. They are wearing a black dress with a tie at the collar, black hat, and rainbow face mask. A screenshot of the Society for Neuroscience application that reads (Board E25) Assessing an Isoform-Selective Heat Shock Protein 90-Beta Inhibitor for the Preventative Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease in 5xFAD Mice. Sun Nov 12 1-5pm. Poster no E25.
November 11, 2023 at 10:23 PM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
Packing for SfN like...
A very small black cat with big green eyes sits alert but comfortable in an empty green floral luggage.
November 10, 2023 at 7:49 AM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
I took in this 10-year-old fluffy boy earlier last week and I'm letting him decompress in the sun room... he had been completely unhandle-able at the shelter due to aggression. His owners moved and he was abandoned for over a month, so trust is all gone. He let me gently pet his tail today. 🥺
A large siamese cat is sitting in a dark blue cat tree cave with his fluffy tail outside of it. His blue eyes look curious with a hint of being relaxed, but he's clearly been through a lot. A pile of stuffed fish, mice, and feathers that Britt left for him are in front of the cave entrance next to his tail.
October 2, 2023 at 2:53 AM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
It's feral cat vet day which means the only "normal" cat Korsakoff does his best to check in on the feral nuggets and chill everyone out during their appointment. Broca walked away with her vaccines with Korsakoff, but angy poofy Wernicke left with a bottle of gabapentin to try again next week.
A large black cat is standing up against a chair that has a pink cat carrier in it, sniffing it and looking concernrd. There is another blue and another pink cat carrier next to the chair on the ground. A black tea kettle shaped purse is on the chair next to the carrier, full of cat treats.
September 29, 2023 at 11:27 PM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
I visited the Hermitage cat sanctuary yesterday to celebrate passing my PhD candidacy exams. It was great!

My cat fam has matured enough now to welcome another cat, so I'm always on the lookout for a good fit. Two of my cats are feral & one is a traumatized mystery stray, so fit is very important!
A very large orange fluffy cat is on the floor gently headbutting a black purse shaped like a tea kettle. In the background another cat is resting in a cat bed but the only visible evidence they're there is a little cat paw poking out. Britt is wearing a black hat, rainbow mask, and navy blue dress with large yellow bees printed on it. They are sitting in a plastic lawn chair and gently petting a big tabby cat's head and scritching their chin as they sit in their lap. Over a dozen cats of all sorts of colors, ages, and breeds are strewn about resting on the floor of the sanctuary. There are plenty of cat trees, beds, and toys around the room. The cats appear relaxed and content.
September 17, 2023 at 7:56 PM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
I just updated my Bluesky app & went into settings to make sure I have a reminder to add alt text. You should do this too! It makes the app way more accessible. Medsky: this is extremely important for you to do. Celebrate disability pride month by making sure your posts are accessible here on out! ✨️
A screenshot from mobile Bluesky settings shows Britt is signed in at the top. Under the "accessibility" section she has enabled the setting "Require alt text on images" to make sure her posts are accessible for everyone like they should be!
July 4, 2023 at 9:59 PM
brittgratreak.bsky.social
Hi everyone! Just landed in the sky. My name is Britt (she/they) & I am a proud disabled queer MD/PhD student at the University of Arizona studying neuroscience. 🌵 I'm about halfway though my program-- looking forward to later leading a neurovirology lab as a PI & helping folks as a neurologist. 🧠
A white young adult femme-presenting person is wearing a black hat and white lab coat and a black/white polka dot dress with roses peaking from underneath the lab coat. Their hair is reddish pink and chin-length. They are are wearing a rainbow mask with a black cat on it and pink FL-41 glasses. They are pipetting into a small microcentrifuge tube in a lab, wearing gray gloves and looking at the camera. In the background is a typical lab setting with a lot of glassware, a tabletop vortex, and a healthy assortment of sharpies.
July 1, 2023 at 9:28 PM