American Society for Neurochemistry
the Latest in Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology
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The American Society for Neurochemistry the Latest in Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology |
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Biographical Sketches of the 2007 Candidates for President
Elect Candidates: Council
Candidates: |
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DOUG FEINSTEIN received his PhD from the Dept of Biology at the Johns Hopkins University in 1984 studying ATP synthesis. He ventured into the field of neuroscience while obtaining post doctoral training with Rob Milner at the Scripps Clinic. He received further neuroscience training with Dan Larhammar at the University of Uppsala, and then with Pierre Magistretti at the University of Lausanne. He became a member of the Dept of Neuroscience at Cornell University Medical College in 1991 headed by Donald J Reis, where he worked on inflammatory gene expression in astrocytes. In 1998, he moved to the University of Illinois in Chicago where he now holds the rank of Research Professor in the Dept of Anesthesiology. His current research interests include studies on the role of noradrenaline in controlling brain inflammation and amyloid burden; beneficial effects of the stress response in EAE and MS; and studies of PPAR agonists in animal models of neurological conditions (AD, glioblastoma, MS). He serves on several editorial boards including J. Neurochemistry, Brain Research, and J. Neuroimmunology and is a member of NIH study section CNBT1. He has been a member of ASN since 1992, served on the Public Outreach committee, was on the Local Host committee for the 2000 Chicago meeting, was program chair for the 2005 Madison meeting, and is currently on council (2003-2007). |
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ERIC J. MURPHY has a PhD in Biochemistry from The Ohio State University where he studied lipid alterations during neural trauma with Professor Lloyd Horrocks. After a brief stint at Cypros Pharmaceutical in Carlsbad, CA, Eric rejoined academia taking an Assistant Research Scientist position at Texas A & M University where he studied the role of cytosolic lipid binding proteins in the laboratory of Professor Friedhelm Schroeder. He was awarded a prestigious senior fellowship from the National Research Council, which permitted him to work in Stanley Rapoport’s laboratory at the National Institute on Aging. There he focused on the effects of neurodegenerative diseases on brain lipid metabolism. In 2000, Eric joined the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Therapeutics at the University of North Dakota as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associated Professor with tenure this year. At UND he has brought together kinetic modeling of lipid metabolism in vivo coupled with his expertise in cytosolic lipid binding proteins to study the role that these proteins have in brain lipid metabolism in human health and disease. In 1999 he received the Jordi Folch-Pi award for his work in brain lipid neurochemistry. Eric has been an active member of ASN for 20 years, beginning early in his graduate school career. He regularly attends the annual meeting and has served as an organizer of and chaired a number of symposia and colloquia. He served as the chair of the local committee that bid to host the 2005 meeting in Grand Forks, ND. He has served on the meeting program committee and currently serves on the Jordi Folch-Pi Award committee and is a member of Council. |
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SARA BECKER-CATANIA has a PhD in Experimental Pathology (2000) from the University of California at Los Angeles where she trained with Dr. Richard Gatti. During her graduate training, she investigated the role of a novel protein kinase in cerebellar degeneration. She served as the Department of Pathology representative to the UCLA Biological Sciences Council as well as the President of the UCLA chapter of the Graduate Women in Science (GWIS). Sara did her postdoctoral training with Dr. Jean deVellis at UCLA, studying cues to direct differentiation of neural stem cells. She became a member of both ASN and SFN and regularly presents at the annual meetings. She did further postdoctoral training with Dr. George De Vries at the Hines VA Hospital investigating axon-oligodendrocyte signaling. She is now a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Sara’s current research is focused on deriving glial and neuronal precursor populations from embryonic stem cells for neural repair. She has served on the ASN membership committee since 2006.
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ETTY (TIKA) BENVENISTE received her Ph.D. in Immunology (1983) from the University of California, Los Angeles, and did postdoctoral training with Dr. Jean Merrill (1983-1986) at UCLA in the field of Neuroimmunology. Specifically, her studies addressed the role of oligodendrocytes and astrocytes in contributing to aspects of inflammation within the central nervous system (CNS). In 1986, she joined the faculty of Cell Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and since 2000 has served as the Chairman of that department. In addition, she was appointed as Associate Director, Basic Science Research, at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2006. Dr. Benveniste’s current research focus includes the study of signal transduction pathways in astrocytes/microglia, particularly the JAK/STAT and NF-kB pathways, and how aberrant activation of these pathways contributes to immune and inflammatory responses in the CNS. Dr. Benveniste became a member of ASN in 1989, served as a member of the Marian Kies Award Committee from 2004-2006, and as a member of the Program Committee for the 2005 and 2006 ASN meetings (2004-2006).
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OSCAR BIZZOZERO received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Univ. of Buenos Aires, Argentina (1983) where he trained with Dr. Juana Pasquini. He obtained Post-doctoral training at the E.K. Shriver Center (1984-1989) under the tutelage of Dr. Marjorie Lees. Currently, Oscar is a Professor in the Dept. of Cell Biology and Physiology, at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. The focus of his current work is on the molecular mechanisms underlying tissue injury in inflammatory demyelinating disorders. He has received multiple awards, including an award from the School of Pharm. & Biochem. Of the Univ. Buenos Aires in 1984, the Jordi Folch-Pi Memorial Award from the ASN in1987, The Earl Walker Excellence in Neuroscience Award from UNM in 2006. He holds memberships in several societies including an Assoc. Memberships in the ASN (1985-present); ISN (1983-present and the ASBMB (1988-present). He has contributed extensively to the activities in the ASN including; Public Policy Committee (1991-1993); Annual Meeting and Exhibit Committee (1991-1994); Local Host Committee of the 25th Annual Meeting of the ASN (1994); Scientific Program Committee (1995, 2003, 2006); Inter-American Cooperation in Neurochemistry Committee (1995-1997); Young Latin American Scholars Committee (2001-2003); Committee for the Advancement and Encouragement of Neurochemistry in Latin America (2003-2007).
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ANNE BOULLERNE received a PhD in Neurosciences (1996) from the University of Victor Segalen in Bordeaux, France, where she trained with Dr. Klaus Petry on humoral responses in multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. She obtained postdoctoral training with Dr. Joyce Benjamins at Wayne State University studying the cytotoxicity of nitric oxide in rodent oligodendrocytes with a fellowship from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, during which time she began attending and presenting her findings at ASN meetings. In 1998, she joined the University of Chicago to complete her training and work on human oligodendrocytes with Drs. Sara Szuchet and Barry Arnason. She now holds the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her current research focus includes the role of nitric oxide and PPAR delta in remyelination, and validation of the use of anti-nitrosylated-peptide antibodies as markers of clinical activity in multiple sclerosis. She has been the assistant to the ASN historian (Dr. George de Vries) since 2006.
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JORGE BUSCIGLIO earned his PhD in Neuroscience (1990) at the University of Cordoba, Argentina where he trained with Dr Alfredo Caceres. He obtained postdoctoral training with Dr. Bruce Yankner at the Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, where he later became an Instructor in Neuroscience. There he investigated the factors that regulate APP metabolism and Aß production, as well as the mechanisms of Aß neurotoxicity. In 1997 he joined the faculty of Pharmacology and Neuroscience at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, CT where he continued his studies on the molecular mechanisms of neuronal death in Alzheimer’s disease and Down’s syndrome. In 2003 Dr Busciglio moved his laboratory to the Department of Neurobiology & Behavior at the School of Biological Sciences, University of California-Irvine. His research is currently focused on the role of energy deficits and mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. He has served as a member of the Program Committee for ASN 33rd (2002) and 34th (2003) Annual Meetings.
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CELIA CAMPAGNONI received her MS at the University of Washington studying the photochemistry of tobacco mosaic virus with Milton Gordon. She then worked with Dr. Henry Mahler, a noted neurochemist and founding member of the Society, on mitochondrial biogenesis. In 1970 she embarked on a long-term collaboration with her husband studying the molecular biology of myelination and, most recently, the function of myelin basic protein gene products. Her interests have ranged from purely physical chemical studies of isolated proteins to molecular biological analysis of genes to current studies on calcium channel signaling pathways in oligodendrocytes and T-cells. She is the author of 47 papers or reviews on these subjects. She is currently a Staff Research Associate at the University of California at Los Angeles. She has been a regular at ASN meetings since 1979 and has served recently on the Membership committee.
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BABETTE FUSS received her PhD (1992) from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. Her graduate work in the laboratory of Melitta Schachner, revealed the molecular characteristics of the neural cell adhesion molecule Tenascin-R/Janusin. For her postdoctoral training, Babette moved to the University of California, Los Angeles, to join Wendy Macklin’s research group, where she started to investigate cellular/molecular mechanisms of oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination. It was during this time that Babette began to regularly attend and present at ASN meetings. In 1995 Babette moved with Wendy Macklin to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where in 1997 she got promoted to the rank of Research Associate. In 1999 Babette joined the faculty of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobioloy at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she now holds the rank of Associate Professor. Her research focuses on the role of oligodendrocyte-extracellular matrix interactions and in particular the matricellular protein phosphodiesterase Iα/autotaxin on oligodendrocyte development and myelination. Babette has remained an active participant at ASN meetings and encourages her students to regularly attend. Michael Fox, one of her graduate students, received the Marian Kies award in 2004. Babette is currently serving on the Young Investigator Education Enhancement Committee and the Program Committee for the 2008 meeting to be held in San Antonio, Texas.
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TAMMY KIELIAN, received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1991, a M.S. in Immunology from Kansas State University in 1994, and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Kansas in 1998. Following 2 ½ years of postdoctoral training under the direction of Dr. William F. Hickey and promotion to Research Assistant Professor at Dartmouth Medical School, Dr. Kielian joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in 2001 as an Assistant Professor. She now holds the rank of Associate Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences at UAMS. Dr. Kielian’s research interests span the fields of neuroimmunology, infectious diseases, and neuroscience. Her laboratory has developed a mouse model of experimental brain abscess induced by Staphylococcus aureus as a tool to investigate the roles of innate and adaptive immunity in the CNS and the identification of pattern recognition receptors that are involved in the recognition of S. aureus by CNS glia. Additional research interests include the effects of neuroinflammation on glial gap junction communication. Dr. Kielian received the ASN Jordi Folch-Pi award in 2006 and currently serves as a member of the ASN Public Policy Committee until 2010. She was a presenter at the 2005 and 2006 ASN meetings and organized and chaired sessions for the 2006 and upcoming 2007 ASN annual meetings.
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THOMAS LANE earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology (1993) at the University of California, Los Angeles where he trained with Dr. Dexter Howard. Tom obtained postdoctoral training with Dr. Michael Buchmeier at Scripps Research Institute investigating underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in viral-induced neurodegenerative diseases. In 1998, he joined the faculty in the Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry at University of California, Irvine where he now holds the rank of Professor. Tom’s current research focuses on developing novel approaches for inducing remyelination using viral models of immune-mediated demyelinating diseases. Special emphasis is placed on using both mouse and human stem cells to induce repair of demyelinated axons. Tom is currently an ASN member and presented at the recent ASN meeting in Portland OR.
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SUSAN MCGUIRE has a PhD in Nutritional Sciences (1995) from the University of Missouri at Columbia where she trained with Nutritional Immunologist Dr. Kevin Fristche. Susan directed her postdoctoral training towards Neurochemistry in 1996 when she joined the laboratory of Dr. Grace Y. Sun, investigating the effects of ethanol on neural inflammatory responses. It was at this time that she began to attend ASN meetings with Dr. Sun. From 1998-2000, she trained in the NIA Neurodegeneration and Aging Training Program at Rush Medical School in Chicago under the direction of Dr. Timothy Collier, studying the effects of inflammation on neural transplant and repair. As an Instructor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush from 2001-2002, she first began to investigate the effect of diet on neural injury and repair. In 2002, Susan accepted an appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology at Loyola University in Chicago where she continues to investigate the roles of diet and neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative conditions. She has served on the ASN YIEE committee for the past three years, becoming its chairperson this year. Susan also serves as the ASN representative to the ASN/ISN Travel Committee for the 2007 Cancun meeting.
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ROBIN MISKIMINS earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology (1983) at the University of Arizona where she worked on topoisomerases. She obtained postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Yu at Yale where she studied increases in myelination in relation to the genetic background of different mice. She began regularly attending and presenting at ASN meetings during this postdoctoral training. In 1988 she took a position as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina in the Department of Biology. In 1991 Robin joined the faculty of the Biochemistry Department at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine in Vermillion, SD where she is now a full Professor. Robin’s current research focus includes signaling pathways and the protein components that regulate oligodendrocytes differentiation and stimulate myelin basic protein gene expression. Her laboratory also investigates control of the cell cycle and the role of cell cycle regulatory proteins in myelination. She has served on the ASN Program Committee and the Presidential Advisory Committee. |
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MATTHEW RASBAND earned a PhD in Biophysics (1999) from the University of Rochester where he trained with Dr. Peter Shrager. His graduate work focused on neuron-glia interactions and the clustering of ion channels at and near nodes of Ranvier. Dr. Rasband continued to work on the mechanisms underlying K+ channel clustering in axons while he was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. James Trimmer at SUNY Stony Brook. Dr. Rasband joined the faculty at the University of Connecticut Health Center in the department of Neuroscience in 2002. He has continued to study the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms regulating ion channel localization in neurons, with special emphasis on the role of myelinating glia in these processes. A major part of his research focuses on the role of the cytoskeleton in organizing polarized membrane domains such as nodes of Ranvier and axon initial segments. Dr. Rasband began regularly attending and presenting his research at ASN meetings while a postdoctoral fellow. In 2005 Dr. Rasband was awarded the ASN Jordi Folch-Pi award, and that same year also won the ISN young investigator award. Dr. Rasband has organized symposia at two previous ASN meetings, and currently serves on the program committee for the 39th ASN meeting to be held in San Antonio. |
