New Appointees Mark Lebwohl Center for Neuroinflammation and Sensation Advances Multidisciplinary Research in Neuroimmunology

Under the direction of Brian S. Kim, MD, MTR, FAAD, the Mark Lebwohl Center of Neuroinflammation and Sensation was launched in 2022 through $2.35 million in philanthropic support made possible by our generous donors. The Center is conducting research to understand skin immunity, inflammation, and sensation.

The Lebwohl Center brings together skin biology, immunology, and neuroscience. By leveraging its seminal scientific advances, coupled with outstanding clinical expertise, the state-of-theart research center provides world-class clinical care for patients with chronic itch and other sensory disorders. The ultimate goal is to deliver therapeutic innovations through fundamental new science and cutting-edge clinical trials to respond to the unmet needs of patients with sensory and neuroinflammatory disorders.

The Center has recruited a number of leading neuroscientists including, most recently, Hongzhen Hu, PhD, as scientific director. Dr. Hu, who will join Mount Sinai in 2023, is funded by multiple NIH R01 grants focusing on gaining fundamental insights into how distinct sensory modalities are encoded in the skin.

Dr. Hu will work alongside Dr. Kim and partner with Paul Kenny, PhD, at the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, and Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, at the Friedman Brain Institute, to bring together research across multiple areas in Dermatology and Neuroscience within Mount Sinai. The goal will be to rapidly advance multidisciplinary innovation in neuroinflammatory and sensory disorders. Dr. Hu and Dr. Kim will seek to recruit many new investigators to Mount Sinai with the aim of building the world’s leading program in neuroimmunology.