Dr. Michael Zigmond,
the PAC Chair, is Professor of neurology, neurobiology, and psychiatry at the Univ. of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Zigmond is recognized for his contributions to understanding neurodegenerative disease and for his service to academia, including his promotion of professional development and ethics training. He is a recognized leader in educational activities that focus on professional development and promoting diversity. Dr. Zigmond was the founding director of the Survival Skills and Ethics Program, which provides workshops on professional skills and responsible conduct. For the last 20 years Dr. Zigmond has provided instruction in professional skills and research ethics to summer high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty. He has received three major awards for these contributions, including the Education Award from the Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs and, most recently, the Mika Slapeter Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Neuroscience.Dr. Zigmond is a recognized expert in neuronal cell death, survival, and adaptation with particular attention to aging and
neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s. He is the Program Director of an NINDS-sponsored Program Project Grant on
basal ganglia and Parkinsonism and is the recipient of a MERIT award from NIMH for his work on the neurochemical effects of
acute and chronic stress.
Dr. Marie-Francoise Chesselet
is the Charles H. Markham Professor of Neurology and the Chair of the Department of Neurobiology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. In 1997, she established the Center for the Study of Parkinson’s Disease at UCLA and directs the UCLA Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research and the Center for Gene Environment in Parkinson’s Disease, both supported by the NIH, as well as the UCLA Advanced Center for Parkinson Disease Research of the American Parkinson Disease Association. She is a leader in the field of Parkinson’s disease studies, and her work is supported by NIH, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Cure HD Initiative, the Hereditary Foundation, and biopharmaceutical companies.
Dr. Jose Lemos
is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems at the University Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Lemos is a recognized expert in the area of synaptic transmission and neuronal secretion.
Dr. Lee Limbird
serves as Dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Business Administration at Fisk University. Before joining Fisk University, Dr. Limbird served on the faculty of Duke University and for 25 years at Vanderbilt School of Medicine, including service as Chair of Pharmacology and as the first Associate Vice Chancellor for Research. Besides being an expert in molecular pharmacology, Dr. Limbird is recognized for her commitment to promoting diversity, including education and professional development of underrepresented minorities.
Dr. Jaideep Kapur
is the Eugene Meyer III Professor of Neuroscience and Neurology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. His R01 supported research program focuses on the mechanisms of epilepsy.
Dr. Steven Treistman
is Professor and Director of the Institute of Neurobiology in the University of Puerto Rico and a former Director of the Brudnik Neuropsychiatric Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Treistman is a recognized expert with a productive research program in translational research focused on neuronal plasticity and alcohol tolerance. Dr. Treistman is a leading neuroscientist who has successfully secured extramural funding and contributed to advancing the field on the Island.
Dr. Clayton Wiley
is Professor of Pathology and the Director of the Division of Neuropathology at the University of Pittsburgh. He is an active neuroscientist with a research program focused on neurodegenerative diseases, Director of a T32 Medical Scientist Training grant, and he has extensive experience in training future physician-scientists.
