For more information, contact: Boonshoft
School of Medicine Marketing and Communications, Cindy
Young at (937) 775-2951, or Phillip
Neal at (937) 775-4587.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2009
WSU symposium brings together leading neuroscientists from around
the world to honor Dr. Lorne Mendell
WSU Boonshoft School of Medicine event features presentations
on current research, tributes to neuroscience pioneer
DAYTON, Ohio—All scientists build on the work of those who came
before, as well as the guidance and training of various teachers and
mentors. Rarely, however, do they have a chance to express their gratitude
publicly and directly to a role model whose work inspired them or whose
teaching provided a foundation for their own success.
On June 18 and 19, more than 40 leading neuroscientists from around
the world will have just such an opportunity during a special symposium
hosted by the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in
honor of Dr. Lorne Mendell. Neuroscientists from top universities and
private institutions throughout North America will join colleagues from
as far away as the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia
to discuss their research and pay tribute to Dr. Mendell during a series
of presentations and panel discussions.
The symposium, entitled “Mechanisms of Plasticity in Neuronal
Connections,” will take place in the Ponitz Sinclair Center on
the campus of Sinclair Community College in downtown Dayton. Presentations
will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. on Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to
4 p.m. on Friday. The symposium is free and open to the public, but meals
will not be provided.
In addition to bringing together some of the finest minds in modern
science to exchange updates and ideas, the symposium represents a unique
opportunity for local students, researchers, scientists, and others to
learn from and interact with international leaders in the field.
Dr. Lorne Mendell is Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior
at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he served as
chair of the department for twenty years until 2006. Before coming to
Stony Brook, he held the position of professor of physiology and pharmacology
at Duke University Medical Center after earning a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and completing post-doctoral work at Harvard
University Medical School.
In collaboration with other researchers, Dr. Mendell has advanced neuroscience
through groundbreaking work such as the discovery of the “windup” phenomenon
in the spinal cord, development of the “spike-triggered averaging” procedure
and investigations of spinal cord plasticity, properties of sensory neurons
and nerve growth factor (NGF). His current work focuses on ways to restore
function following spinal cord injury.
Dr. Mendell's research has been funded continuously since 1969 by grants
from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and also for the past eight
years by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. In addition to his
service on numerous organization and editorial boards and committees
(among them a term as president of the Society for Neuroscience), Dr.
Mendell has won numerous awards, including, on two occasions, the Senator
Jacob Javits Award in the Neurosciences from the National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
In addition to training more than 30 Ph.D. students and postdoctoral
fellows directly—many of whom will be attending the symposium—Dr.
Mendell has influenced an entire generation of neuroscientists through
his research.
For more information on Dr. Mendell and the symposium, including a schedule
of speakers and topics, visit http://med.wright.edu/cnc/mendell/
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Editor’s note: For more information or to schedule an interview,
contact: Phillip Neal, Marketing and Communications, Wright State University
Boonshoft School of Medicine, (937) 775-4587 or phillip.neal@wright.edu.
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