Affiliation: Mercer University School of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences

Dr. Sarah Rotschafer is an assistant professor of neuroscience at the Mercer University School of Medicine. Dr. Rotschafer received her PhD in neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside and did her postdoctoral work at the University of California, Irvine before joining Mercer University in 2018. Dr. Rotschafer’s research has two main focuses. The first goal of Dr. Rotschafer’s work is to research how brainstem-level changes in fragile X syndrome may alter auditory processing at the midbrain and cortex. To that end, Dr. Rotschafer studies fragile X model mice using microscopy, cell culture, and behavioral testing. Dr. Rotschafer’s lab also works to improve access to autism spectrum disorder resources in rural communities by maintaining a website detailing the availability of autism-focused resources in rural areas and by researching factors motivating rural families to pursue developmental testing for their children.