Weekly Seminars

The Department of Neuroscience and Anatomy conducts a weekly seminar series during the spring and fall semesters, wherein we enjoy presentations from national and international experts in their respective fields. The seminar series covers wide-ranging topics including central nervous system (CNS) circuit function, CNS injury and repair, glial cell biology and molecular mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders.

All seminars are open to interested faculty, postdocs, staff and students, and we welcome your attendance. 

Seminars will be held in MMRB, Room 1009-1011. (Unless otherwise specified)

January 23, 2026

Perturbations to oligodendrocyte homeostasis brought on by non-neurotropic influenza A virus infection impedes remyelination

Speaker: Andrew (Drew) Steelman, PhD, Professor

Departments of Animal Sciences, Nutritional Sciences, and the Neuroscience Program
University of Illinois Urbanna-Champaign

Host: Jeffrey Dupree, PhD

January 30, 2026

Alzheimer's disease and related dementia clinical research - past projects and future plans

Speaker: Trey Bateman, MD, MPH

Department of Neurology
Virginia Commonwealth University of Medicine

Host: Andrew Ottens, PhD

February 6, 2026

Noninvasive audiovisual neurostimulation differentially alters glia responses at specific frequencies

Speaker: Ashely Prichard, PhD, Research Scientist

Durham Veterans Affair Medical Center

Host: Seetha Krishnan, PhD

February 13, 2026

HIV prevention and cure from a neurobiology perspective

Speaker: Qingsheng Li, PhD, Professor

HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center
The Wistar Institute

Host: Wenhui Hu, MD, PhD

February 20, 2026

A Vascular Path to Neurodegeneration and Dementia

Speaker: Zhen Zhao, PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Biomedical Informatics and Genomics
Tulane University School of Medicine

Host: Guangwei Zhang, MD, PhD

February 27, 2026

TBA

Speaker: Tomek Kordula, PhD, 

Department of Cellular, Molecular, and Genetic Medicine,
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

Host: Rory McQuiston, PhD

March 6, 2026

Brains, Bugs, and Beyond: An Interdisciplinary Journey Through Neuroscience, Immunology, and the Teacher-Scholar Model

Speaker: Nicholas Pullen, PhD, Professor

School of Biological Sciences
University of Northern Colorado

Host: Kelly Harrell, PhD

March 20, 2026

Glia-neuron interaction in visceral pain

Speaker: Liya Qiao, PhD, Professor

Department of Cellular, Molecular, and Genetic Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

Host: Rory McQuiston, PhD

March 27, 2026

Brain-Body Interactions in Stress and Energy Metabolism

Speaker: Abha Rajbhandari, PhD, Assistant Professor

Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Host: Gretchen Neigh, PhD

April 3, 2026

TBA

Speaker: Shao-Jun Tang, PhD, Endowed Professor

Department of Anesthesiology
Stony Brook University School of Medicine

Host: Pamela Knapp, PhD

April 17, 2026

Effects of intravenous ketamine on fear memory and closed head injury in rats

Speaker: Kwang H. Choi, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Uniformed Services University

Host: Audrey Lafrenaye, PhD