2nd Annual Feigin Rising Stars Research Symposium with Keynote Speaker Dr. Mary E. Hatten

The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute hosted the 2nd Annual Feigin Rising Stars Research Symposium on Monday, March 9, 2025.

This special symposium featured the best and the brightest young investigators (scientists and physician-scientists) from around the country who are poised to lead their independent research programs in the next few years. It was attended by many faculty, fellows, students, and other trainees from Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and other area institutions.

The keynote address, "Modeling Cerebellar Disease in a Novel 3D System for Human Stem Cell-Derived Purkinje Cells", was delivered by Dr. Mary E. "Beth" Hatten, the Frederick P. Rose Professor and head of the Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology at Rockefeller University.  

This year's symposium featured 7 Rising Stars:

• Amanda Buch, Cornell University  "Towards AI-Guided Precision Neuropsychiatry: Integrating Genomics, Neuroimaging, and Behavior"
• Amira Latif-Hernandez, Stanford University  "Neuron-Glia Interactions and Synaptic Dysfunction in Neurodegenerative Diseases: From Mechanisms to Therapeutic Strategies"
• Patricia Nano, UCLA  Maps to Mechanisms: Probing Cell Fate with Atlases and Perturbation Screens of the Human Brain
• Samira Parhizkar , Washington University "Can modulating sleep mitigate neurodegeneration"
• Diane Shao, Harvard/Boston Children's Hospital  "Genomic Wonders and Blunders of the Human Developing Brain"
• Siddharth Srivastava, Harvard/Boston Children's Hospital  "Changing the roadmap of clinical practice for neurodevelopmental disorders"
• Juliana Yerneni, Mayo Clinic  "Reprogramming the Brain Tumor Microenvironment: A Path to Novel Therapies"