From the Director's desk

I rang in 2022 like many of you, hopeful that we were edging closer to pre-pandemic normalcy, but facing the reality that we still have a way to go before we conquer this insidious virus. I am all the more grateful, given the extreme challenges of these past months, for all of our incredible scientists, students, and staff who are the engine of our institute, but am also a bit bewildered that another year has raced by. The resiliency that the scientific and medical communities has demonstrated this past year is a tremendous source of pride and I am looking forward to what’s to come and the meaningful research I know will continue throughout 2022.

We had a record-breaking year for the annual Del Monte Pilot Grant Program – nearly $900,000 was awarded to 20 faculty members from eight departments in 2021. I cannot say enough about the dedicated philanthropic support that maintains this program, or about our faculty who continue to make meaningful discoveries with this backing. Since 2015, the program has directly generated a truly stunning $37 million in external research support.

In this issue, you’ll read about cuttingedge concussion research of the Emergency Medicine laboratories featured in our cover story. Dr. Jeffrey Bazarian and his team were recently awarded a grant that aims to better understand what happens in the brain of kids who suffer with long-lasting concussion symptoms. As a parent of three, like you, I have worried about the impact of head hits during the pivotal years of brain growth and development in childhood.

Working with kids seems to be a theme in this issue. Dr. Samuel Mackenzie, a senior instructor in Neurology and Neuroscience, is our featured faculty member. He is investigating the development of genetargeted therapies for neuromuscular diseases. He also shares why it is important to find joy in science.

Our student spotlight shines on Bryan Redmond, an MD/PhD student in his second year with the Neuroscience Graduate Program. Bryan is a born change-maker. Along with being one of the first student members of the Neuroscience Diversity Commission, he has also recently been awarded a fellowship to support his work mentoring young men from an underserved community in the city of Rochester.

In this new year we will welcome home one of our own, Dr. Nathan A. Smith, Ph.D. (’13), the first Black graduate of the Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP) who will return this spring as an Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion in Research and Research Education. Nathan is dedicated to creating a more diverse and robust scientific community, leading by example, as he is a truly gifted neuroscientist. We look forward to him rejoining our team and continuing to transform who we are as an institute and what we know about the brain.

In Science,