Invited Seminar Speakers (July 2019 - Present)

Note: NMARC-sponsored speakers are noted with an asterisk. All other invited speakers listed were supported either by the Department of Neurosciences or Pediatrics. These speakers were invited based on their backgrounds, technical expertise and/or with potential for developing research collaborations with NMARC investigators.

Fall 2019

*Risk Factors and Cellular Mechanisms in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Scott Parnell, PhD, Cell Biology and Physiology, UNC School of Medicine 9/12/19 (Annual FASD Symposium Keynote Speaker)
Dissecting the Systems Biology of Stress related mental disorders Nikolaos Daskalakis, MD, PhD, Psychiatry, Harvard 9/19/19
Decoding the Glial Blueprint in the Normal and Malignant Brain. Ben Deneen, PhD, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine 10/03/19
*A role of hippocampal neurogenesis in alcohol withdrawal seizures. Hoonkyo Suh, MD, Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute 10/24/19
Cell signaling in mood disorders: from individual vulnerability to novel targets. Eleni Tzavara, PhD, Neurosciences, INSERM 11/07/19
Cellular and Behavioral Functions of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis Jason Snyder, PhD, Psychology, University of British Columbia 11/14/19
Gene regulation and modeling of cortical development Luis de la Torre-Ubieta, PhD, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA 12/12/19

Spring 2020

*Excessive alcohol drinking and stress interactions: Neuropeptide modulation in the extended amygdala. Lara Hwa, PhD, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine 1/09/20
The oligodendrocyte-axon unit: myelination and neuroprotection. Sonia Mayoral, PhD, Neurology, University of California San Francisco 1/16/20
*Under the influence: How substances of abuse hijack RNA-binding proteins. Kymberly Raab-Graham, PhD, Pharmacology and Physiology, Wake Forest University 2/6/20
Inflammatory Response to Brain Injury is Dynamic: Considerations for Long-Term Outcome Olga N. Kokiko-Cochran, PhD, Neurosciences, Ohio State University 4/2/20

Fall 2020

*Listening and Talking to Neurons: Non-neuronal cells amplify pain and drug reward. Linda R. Watkins, PhD, BBHI Seminar, University of Colorado 9/10/20
A critical role of cell competition in gliomagenesis. Hui Zhong, PhD, Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia 9/17/20
*Mechanisms of learning and memory. Sheena Josselyn, PhD, Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research 10/01/20
Neural circuit control of motivated behaviors. Dan Covey, PhD, Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute 10/08/20
*Gliosis in models of alcoholism: Roles in neuro degeneration regeneration? Kimberly Nixon, PhD, Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Texas-Austin 11/12/20
*A cell-type- and stage-specific deconstruction of a spatial working memory. Mark Cembrowski, PhD, Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia 12/10/20

Spring 2021

*The genetics underlying behavior and the biological basis for relationships in addiction. Elissa Chesler, PhD, Center for Addiction Biology, The Jackson Laboratory 01/28/21
Bidirectional regulation of cognitive and anxiety-like behaviors by dentate mossy cells in mice. Helen Scharfman, PhD, Departments of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Neuroscience & Physiology, and Psychiatry and the New York University (NYU) Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Health 02/11/21
*Brain Structure & Function in Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. Catherine Lebel, Ph.D., Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary 03/04/21
*Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced damage to the developing brain. Jia Luo, PhD, Department of Pathology, University of Iowa. 03/25/21
*Alcohol and neural development. Eileen Moore, PhD, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University 04/01/21
*Cerebral organoids in a dish: a human model for alcohol-induced developmental neurotoxicity. Xiaowen Bai, PhD. Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin 04/15/21
Dissecting neural circuits that contribute to the development of behaviors characterized by inflexible behavior. Jacqueline Barker, Pharmacology & Physiology, Drexel University 04/22/21

Fall 2021

*A potential dopamine-related pathway to addictions and its commonly comorbid problems: Studies in humans Marco Leyton, PhD, Psychiatry, McGill University 9/16/21
Stress vulnerability and resilience - The role of the ventral hippocampus. Christophe Anacker, PhD, Clinical Neurobiology Columbia University 10/28/21
*Role of astrocytes in the neurodevelopmental effects of ethanol Marina Guizzetti, PhD, Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University 11/11/21
Neural dynamics of flexible decision-making in the orbitofrontal cortex. Abhishek Banerjee, PhD, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University 12/02/21

Spring 2022

*Genetic dissection of cerebellar function by generating mice with disease-like phenotypes. Roy Sillitoe, Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine. 02/24/22
Defining transcriptional parallels between gliogenesis and gliomagenesis. Stacey Glasgow, Neurobiology, UC San Diego 04/14/22
*Multicellular interactions between neurons and glia affecting development and plasticity. Robert Hill, PhD, Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College 04/01/22

Fall 2022

*Careers in Scientific Writing. Karen Potvin Klein, Clarus Editorial Services 08/25/22
*Low-dimensional neural features are critical intermediaries for understanding alcohol intoxication. Mitchell Morningstar PhD, Indiana University-Purdue University 09/15/22
Myelin-associated changes in sleep are driven by circadian disruption of oligodendroglia. Erin Gibson, PhD, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University 11/03/22
The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. Andrea Beckel- Mitchener

NMARC Seminars