Join the Department of Neuroscience in celebrating the contributions of our former Chair, Dr. Azad Bonni.
Dr. Azad Bonni, currently serving as Senior Vice President at Roche where he is Global Head of Neuroscience & Rare Diseases at Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), was Chair of the Department from 2012-2019. During that time, he oversaw tremendous growth and led the renaming of the Department from Anatomy and Neurobiology to Neuroscience. His laboratory studies the mechanisms governing neuronal connectivity during brain development and plasticity, providing fundamental insights into both healthy brain function and dysfunction in disease.
On Tuesday, January 16, 2024, we will acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Bonni and his lab with a full day of presentations by Department members past and present as well as close colleagues from other institutions. Food and beverages will be provided.
The Symposium will be held at the Eric P. Newman Education Center (EPNEC) at Washington University School of Medicine.
Register
Agenda
8:30 – 8:40 a.m.
Opening remarks
Linda Richards, PhD
Edison Professor and Chair
Department of Neuroscience
Washington University School of Medicine
8:40 – 9:20 a.m.
How nature and nurture conspire to regulate brain development and plasticity
Michael Greenberg, PhD
Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology
Department of Neurobiology
Harvard Medical School
9:20 – 10 a.m.
Illuminating the choroid plexus – cerebrospinal fluid system
Maria Lehtinen, PhD
Hannah C. Kinney, MD, Chair in Pediatric Pathology Research
Boston Children’s Hospital
Professor of Pathology
Harvard Medical School
10 – 10:20 a.m.
Molecular ballet: Unveiling the real-time dynamics of biochemical signals in brain state transitions
Yao Chen, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Neuroscience
Washington University School of Medicine
30 minute break
10:50 – 11:30 a.m.
Chromatin regulation and human disease
Yang Shi, PhD
Professor of Epigenetics
Ludwig Cancer Research
University of Oxford
11:30 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Cell type-specific transcriptional networks in brain evolution and disease
Genevieve Konopka, PhD
Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Neuroscience
Jon Heighten Scholar in Autism Research
Townsend Distinguished Chair in Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders
UT Southwestern Medical Center
12:10 – 12:30 p.m.
Long-range spinal circuits for movement
Martha Bagnall, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Neuroscience
Washington University School of Medicine
Lunch
1:30 – 1:50 p.m.
Bridging bodily and mental illness: Cancer cachexia’s insights into neuro-immune circuits that mediate apathy
Adam Kepecs, PhD
Robert J. Terry Professor of Neuroscience
Professor of Psychiatry
BJC Investigator
Washington University School of Medicine
1:50 – 2:30 p.m.
From cerebellar development to disease
Esther Becker, PhD
Professor of Translational Neuroscience
Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
University of Oxford
2:30 – 2:50 p.m.
Biology of curiosity
Ilya Monosov, PhD
Professor
Department of Neuroscience
Washington University School of Medicine
2:50 – 3:10 p.m.
Macrophages and microglia in brain tumors: friend or foe?
Albert Kim, MD, PhD
August A. Busch Jr. Professor of Neurological Surgery
Professor of Neurosurgery, Genetics, Neurology, and Developmental Biology
Director, Brain Tumor Center
Washington University School of Medicine
30 minute break
3:40 – 4 p.m.
Exploring distinctive epigenetic mechanisms in nervous system development
Harrison Gabel, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Neuroscience
Washington University School of Medicine
4 – 4:20 p.m.
Hybrid epithelial mesenchymal states in head and neck cancer drive metastasis
Sid Puram, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery
Division Chief, Head & Neck Surgery
Washington University School of Medicine
4:20 – 5 p.m.
Journey through science, academia, and industry
Azad Bonni, MD, PhD
Senior Vice President
Head of Neuroscience & Rare Diseases at Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED)
Roche
5 – 5:10 p.m.
Closing remarks
Linda Richards, PhD
Edison Professor and Chair
Department of Neuroscience
Washington University School of Medicine