Jenelle was a senior graduate student within the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh (CNUP) Neuroscience PhD program. Jenelle received her BA at Ohio Wesleyan University majoring in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, and there discovered her interest in neurodegenerative diseases. Jenelle worked on the "AD Project" where she investigated the role of Na+/H+ Exchanger Isoform 1 (NHE1) and its role in reactive astrocytes throughout the progression of Alzheimer's Disease using AD human post-mortem tissue and AD mouse models.