The Wayne State University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences hosted its fifth successful Translational Neuroscience Program Symposium and Research Day after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Approximately 80 people from across the entire WSU campus attended the event, held May 24 in the School of Medicine’s Margherio Family Conference Center. Thirty-three oral presentations and posters were presented by trainees at all levels, including high school, undergraduate, medical, and master’s and doctoral students, as well as post-doctoral fellows, said TNP Director Jeffrey Stanley, Ph.D. 
“The breadth and depth of interdisciplinary neuroscience research across campus is truly outstanding,” Dr. Stanley said. “It is a great opportunity for trainees to showcase their research to the broader neuroscience community at WSU that cuts across four schools and colleges, and 18 departments. Everyone possesses a similar passion toward neuroscience research, which makes this event extra special.”
Dr. Stanley is especially grateful to TNP Program Administrator Caroline Zajac-Benitez, for “her tireless efforts in making the event possible.”
The theme of the event was “Human Consciousness in both Health and Disease.” School of Medicine Dean Wael Sakr, M.D., provided opening remarks for the day. Additional speakers included student keynote speaker John France and invited keynote speaker Anthony Hudetz, Ph.D., a professor of Anesthesiology and executive director of Neuroscience Research, Center for Consciousness Science in the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Six abstracts were judged and chosen for oral presentations by trainees Jonathan Greenberg, Deep Patel, Andrew Winters, Sattvik Basarkod, Jillian Eichstaedt and Youjin Jung.
Award winners for poster presentations were:
First Place - Preclinical Presentation:
Alixandria Mascarin
TNP graduate student with advisor Shane Perrine, Ph.D.
Honorable mentions:
Dylan Ukasik
TNP graduate student with advisor Alan Dombkowski, Ph.D.
Grant LeVasseur
TNP graduate student with advisor Seth Norrholm, Ph.D.
First Place - Clinical Presentation:
Rasheed Alahmad, M.D.
Postdoctoral fellow from Stress, Trauma and Anxiety Research Clinic led by Arash Javanbakht, M.D.
Honorable mentions:
Jocelyn Hansson
Undergraduate student mentored by David Ledgerwood, Ph.D.
Manessa Riser
TNP graduate student with advisor Tanja Jovanovic, Ph.D.