NeURoscience | Vol 17 | 2023

As another academic year enters its final weeks, I cannot help but reflect on the in-person interactions throughout the year. In-person seminars, guest speakers at a podium instead of on Zoom, retreats, and other gatherings brought together the great minds that study and investigate neuroscience here and around the world. There was another success from our Neuroscience Diversity Commission this semester. NEURO2ALL, the Commission’s community outreach group, held its first children’s event at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. The group also successfully launched a new course within the School of Medicine and Dentistry that provides community outreach opportunities to UR and URMC students at all levels. Some of the lessons developed in this class have already been shared with the community.

I am thrilled to share the incredible research highlighted in our cover story. Collaborators from across the University—including the new Institute for Human Health and the Environment—aim to understand how chemicals in the environment cause or contribute to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s—the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world. You will also read about their research under the University of Rochester Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (UR-IDDRC).

Our student spotlight shines on Mark Osabutey who was a physician in Ghana before coming to Rochester. His passion for basic science led him to study neuroscience at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. I look forward to you learning more about his aspirations and how a 13-year-old patient helped send him on this path.

Forever curious is the scientist and our faculty and students never cease to amaze me. You will see the breadth of peer-reviewed research recently published that brings each hypothesis closer to the ultimate questions—how does the brain work, and what can be done to prevent, treat, and care for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.

In Science,

John J. Foxe, PhD