Congratulations to Dr. Stephanie Leal on receiving a 2026 UCLA-CDU Dana Center Seed Grant to learn from community voices and inform research on brain health, cognitive aging, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias among Latino older adults.
Congratulations to postdoctoral fellow Dr. Tania Rodriguez, who will be working on Dr. Stephanie Leal’s 2026 UCLA-CDU Dana Center Seed Grant project to learn from community voices and inform research on brain health, cognitive aging, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias among Latino older adults.
Dr. Rodriguez will do so as a 2026 UCLA-CDU Dana Center Fellow, recognized for her academic achievements, leadership, and dedication to Neuroscience and Society!
Professor Alan Garfinkel was awarded a ‘gift in support of research’ from Rallypoint One, a philanthropic LLC that supports military-related research.
The gift, which is for $100K/yr renewable for 2 years, will be used to study the mechanisms of arrhythmic death in the setting of post-hemorrhagic shock.
Congratulations Professor Ketema Paul, along with his collaborator, Dr. Courtney Thomas Tobin, Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences and the Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence at the Fielding School of Public Health, as they are awarded a UCLA-CDU Dana Center 2026 seed grant for their project, “Sleep, Self-Awareness, and Clinical Mental Health Decision-Making: A Systematic Review of the Neuroscience, Genetics, and Social Determinants”
Van Veen and Correa labs publish a new report to observe the dynamic effects of estrogens on the brain.
The Inaugural UCLA College Lecture Awards will be held this Fall. The event will pay tribute to the best Bruin ideals of higher education and will honor five College faculty members, each of whom will share insights into their research and scholarship: Eric Avila (division of undergraduate education), Martha Bailey (division of social sciences), Wesley Campbell (division of physical sciences), Helen Deutsch (division of humanities) and Elaine Hsiao (division of life sciences).
UCLA Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program PhD candidate Katelyn Mooney in the Deters’ lab has been awarded a prestigious National Institute on Aging (NIA) F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award. Her project, *”Investigating APOE-TOMM40 Haplotypes, Social Factors, and Vascular Risk Factors on Cognitive Decline,”* examines how genetic risk, social experiences, and vascular health interact to influence cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease risk in older adults. This research aims to improve our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and support more equitable approaches to prevention and treatment.
Yuyun Zhang, PhD, postdoctoral scholar in the laboratory of Xinshu (Grace) Xiao, PhD, has received an early-stage pilot grant from the BrightFocus Foundation to study how “jumping genes,” which make up nearly half of our genome, sneak into the RNA of Alzheimer’s risk genes in the human brain. Using genomic data from more than a thousand brain donors, her work asks what these hidden RNA changes mean for Alzheimer’s risk.
Professor Stephanie Leal is awarded the PI 2026 Brain Research Institute (BRI) Excellence in Academic Mentoring Award. This is an annual award that recognize BRI members who have demonstrated persistent and impactful mentoring. Professor Leal’s efforts were recognized for exceptional commitment to mentoring, trainee development, and fostering the success of students and early-career researchers across the UCLA neuroscience community.
The Life Science Excellence Awards award individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievemEnt, innovation, leadership, and dedication across research, education, inclusion, and service within the Life Sciences community.
This year’s nominees reflected the extraordinary breadth of talent, commitment, and impact across the division. We extend our sincere congratulations not only to this year’s recipients, but to all nominees whose work continues to strengthen our teaching, research, operations, and community.
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