BHI

18th Annual Pioneers in Endocrinology Workshop: GLP-1 beyond Weight Loss
2026-10-13 10:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Date and Time: Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Location: Douglass Student Center, 100 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Scientific Presentations: 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM (Trayes Hall B)
Randy J. Seeley, PhD
Dr. Randy J. Seeley is the Henry King Ransom Endowed Professor of Surgery, Internal Medicine, and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He also serves as the director of the NIH-funded Michigan Nutrition Obesity Research Center (MNORC). His scientific work has focused on the brain-gut axis and its role in the regulation of energy balance and metabolism with a focus on new treatment strategies. He and his lab have worked to understand the actions of GLP-1 agonists and identify the molecular underpinnings of the potent effects of bariatric surgery on weight and metabolism.
Linda Rinaman, PhD
Dr. Linda Rinaman is a distinguished research professor in the Department of Psychology and the R. Bruce Masterton Professor of Neuroscience at Florida State University. She is coeditor in chief of Brain Structure and Function. Her current research using rodents includes anatomical and functional analysis of glucagon-expressing cells in the brain and periphery. This research is providing novel insight into the GLP-1 agonist effects on binge-type eating disorders, alcohol use disorder, and other substance use disorders.
Luncheon: 12:30–1:30 PM (in person, Trayes Hall A)
Poster Presentations: 1:30–3:00 PM (in person, Douglass Lounge)
Featuring the most current endocrine research at Rutgers
Sponsorships for this annual event are available. Please contact Dr. Dipak Sarkar at dipak.sarkar@rutgers.edu
The 18th Annual Pioneers in Endocrinology Workshop is organized by the following partners:
● The Rutgers Endocrine Program ● Department of Animal Sciences at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences ● Rutgers-RWJMS, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nutrition ● The NExT Center, NJ Institute of Food Health and Nutrition.

BHI Plenary Seminar: Scott J Russo, PhD (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)
2026-10-01 12:00 - 13:00
Plenary Seminar: Scott J Russo, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience, Director of the Center for Affective Neuroscience and the Brain Body Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Dr. Russo’s lab studies the neural and immunological mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety to understand how the brain and body adapts to stress to control pathological behaviors in depression and anxiety. Learn more
Hosted by Yong Kim, PhD (Neurosurgery/RWJMS)
Learn more about the BHI Plenary Seminar Series

Ira B. Black Memorial Lecture
2026-09-24 15:30 - 16:30 | East Lecture Hall
The Ira B. Black Memorial Lecture will take place on Thursday, September 24, at 3:30 pm in the East Lecture Hall. The title of the talk is “Neuron-glial interactions in health and disease: from cognition to cancer”. Light refreshments will be available in the Old Student Lounge following the lecture.

2nd Annual International Brain & Spine Tumor Symposium
2026-09-24 08:00 - 18:00
Attend the 2nd Annual International Brain & Spine Tumor Symposium to learn from national and international experts, at NJ’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Date and Time: Thursday, September 24th, 2026, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Location: Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center
165 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ
Virtual & In-Person Meeting
View agenda: https://cinj.org/sites/default/files/documents/Neuro-Symposium-Agenda-2026.pdf
Medical Students, Residents, Fellows, Graduate Students and Other Trainees Submit your Abstracts!
Register and Submit abstract: Please visit the website for more information, to complete registration & for abstract submission: https://cinj.org/education/2nd-annual-international-brain-and-spine-tumor-symposium
We invite all medical students, residents, fellows, and other trainees to submit an abstract of their original work. All submitted work will be reviewed by the selection committee, and exemplary abstracts will be selected for a presentation at the conference in either poster or oral presentation. All submitted abstracts are automatically considered for subject matter awards, which will be announced at the symposium.
Deadline for submission: September 3rd, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST.

2026 NJACE and RUCARES Conference
2026-09-24 | Rutgers University Douglass Student Center 100 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
NJACE & RUCARES 3rd Annual Conference
Registration Deadline: September 10, 2026
Registration Fee: $20
Register Here: https://quikpayasp.com/rutgers/commerce_manager/payer.do?orderType=BHI_RUCARESAnnualConference
Date & Time: September 24, 2026, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: Rutgers University Douglass Student Center
100 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Brian Boyd
William C. Friday Distinguished Professor in Education
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Director, Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute
Dr. Xinyu Zhao
Professor, Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health
University of Wisconsin-Madison

BHI Plenary Seminar: Jonathan Kipnis, PhD (Washington University in St. Louis)
2026-09-17 12:00 - 13:00
Plenary Speaker: Jonathan Kipnis, PhD
BJC Investigator, Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St. Louis
Dr. Kipnis focuses on the complex interactions between the immune system and the central nervous system to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions in neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and mental disorders as well as in physiology (including healthy aging). Learn more
Hosted by Mi-Hyeon Jang, PhD & Max Tischfield, PhD (Neurosurgery/RWJMS)
Learn more about the BHI Plenary Seminar Series

2026 RARC Fall Symposium
2026-09-16 | Busch Student Center, Multipurpose Room 604 Bartholomew Rd, Piscataway, NJ 08854
This year marks RARC’s fifth anniversary. Join fellow researchers, clinicians, trainees, staff, and community partners to share new findings and innovative approaches in addiction science, connect with colleagues, and learn about the future of addiction research at Rutgers as we explore advancing research to real-world impact. Register Now
Keynote speaker: Dr. Yasmin Hurd
Director, Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai
Professor, Pharmacological Sciences
Professor, Neuroscience
Professor, Psychiatry
Professor, Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Date and Time: Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Location: Busch Student Center, Multipurpose Room
604 Bartholomew Rd, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Registration Fees:
Faculty: $50
Trainees, including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows: $25
Staff: $25
Undergraduate students: Free
External attendees: $50
Note: Principal investigators are welcome to register and pay for their lab members through a single registration submission. The form includes a space to list additional attendees.
Please see the flyer and schedule for additional details.
Questions may be directed to rarc@bhi.rutgers.edu.
We hope you will join us as we celebrate five years of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center within the Brain Health Institute!

Brink of Pink Symposium
2026-09-15 08:00 - 13:00
This year’s theme is Brain Health, Burnout, and Cognitive Resilience in the Workplace, featuring four 25-minute student-led panels:

Brain Health in Women – Hormones, stress, and cognitive load across a woman’s life and career
Brain Health in Men – Stigma, emotional suppression, and stress’s impact on mental health
The Aging Workforce – Cognitive longevity, neuroplasticity, and workplace support strategies
Clinicians, Caregivers & First Responders – Burnout, compassion fatigue, and mental resilience

Date and time: September 15, 2026, from 8 am-1 pm.
The symposium is seeking research staff and APPs who are passionate about brain health and interested in speaking as a panelist.
Here are a couple of links from last year’s event for reference:

AMWA Recap Article
Brink of Pink Symposium Webpage

Center for NeuroMetabolism Special Seminar: Xiao Wang, PhD (University of Pennsylvania)
2026-08-26 10:00 - 11:00 | CHI 3209, 89 French Street, New Brunswick
“Therapeutic Gene Editing for Metabolic Diseases: Toward a Platform for In Vivo Corrective Editing”
Guest Speaker: Xiao Wang, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Date and Time: Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 10-11 AM EST
Location: CHI 3209, 89 French Street, New Brunswick
Zoom: https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/91458902759?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 914 5890 2759 | Password: [REDACTED]
Hosted by: Zhiping Pang, MD, PhD
Director, Center for NeuroMetabolism

Rutgers Network Neuroscience Interest Group: Christopher Lynn, PhD (Yale University)
2026-07-31 13:00 - 14:00
“Quantifying the compressibility of the human brain”
Speaker: Christopher Lynn, PhD
Assistant Professor of Physics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University
Date and Time: Friday, July 31 at 1:00 PM
Zoom: https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/7497180605?pwd=[REDACTED]
In-Person: SRB seminar room
Summary: In the human brain, the allowed patterns of activity are constrained by the correlations between brain regions. Yet it remains unclear which correlations—and how many—are needed to predict large-scale neural activity. Here, we present an information-theoretic framework to identify the most important correlations, which provide the most accurate predictions of neural states. Applying our framework to cortical activity in humans, we find that the vast majority of variance in activity is explained by a small number of correlations. This means that the brain is highly compressible: Only a sparse network of correlations is needed to predict large-scale activity. We find that this compressibility is strikingly consistent across different individuals and cognitive tasks and that, counterintuitively, the most important correlations are not necessarily the strongest. Together, these results suggest that nearly all correlations are not needed to predict neural activity, and we provide the tools to uncover the key correlations that are.

Medical and Graduate Student Shared Symposium
2026-07-17 09:00 - 15:30 | East Lecture Hall, 675 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway (Busch Campus)
We are excited to invite you to the inaugural Medical and Graduate Student Shared Symposium, taking place this summer on Friday, July 17th from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM in the East Lecture Hall, Busch Campus.

This first-of-its-kind event brings together students and faculty across fields to bridge basic science, clinical medicine, and public health in one shared space. The day will feature:

Faculty talks spanning the medical and graduate schools

Student poster presentations and flash talks

A “Poolside” Chat: a candid panel featuring clinical, research, and public health voices on topics including public perceptions of medicine and science

We hope this symposium becomes a meaningful tradition that fosters the kind of cross-disciplinary conversation that doesn’t happen often enough.

For students: We encourage you to submit an abstract for a poster or flash talk by July 1st. All are welcome, regardless of where you are in your training.
For faculty: We warmly invite you to attend and engage with the breadth of work students are doing across departments.

Details about the event:
Date: Friday, July 17th, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Location: East Lecture Hall, 675 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway (Busch Campus)

Register and submit abstract here: https://forms.gle/RowScMfbEcg4jKAM7

Sponsored by the Rutgers School of Graduate Studies, Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and NJ ACTS.

Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Translational Work-in-Progress (ADRD-TWIP): Seungjoon Kim, PhD (Sangmi Chung Lab)
2026-07-01 12:00 - 13:00
“Targeting Network Hyperexcitability in Alzheimer’s Disease via Human iPSC-Derived MGE Cell Transplantation: A K99/R00 Grant Application”
Speaker: Seungjoon Kim, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Neurosurgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, working in the laboratory of Dr. Sangmi Chung
Date and Time: Wed, July 1, 2026, 12-1 PM
Zoom: https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/94769804345?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting code: 947 6980 4345
Passcode: [REDACTED]
This presentation will focus on a K99/R00 grant application proposing a circuit-repair strategy for Alzheimer’s disease. The project tests whether human iPSC-derived MGE-lineage interneuron grafts can restore hippocampal inhibitory balance, normalize early network hyperexcitability, and reduce subsequent tau propagation. This is intended as a work-in-progress discussion, and feedback on the grant structure, Specific Aims, experimental approach, and reviewer-response strategy would be greatly appreciated.

KKARC Chalk Talk: Itzhak Norman, PhD (UC San Francisco)
2026-06-30 10:30 - 12:00 | IFH, 3rd Fl. Conference Room, 112 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ
Chalk Talk Title: “Mechanisms of Neural Coordination in Speech and Memory”
Date and time: Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Speaker: Itzhak Norman, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow in Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco
HYBRID
Location: IFH, 3rd Fl. Conference Room, 112 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ
Zoom: https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/91030457395?pwd=[REDACTED]
Bio sketch:
Itzik holds a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, where he trained under Prof. Rafael Malach. His doctoral research combined intracranial recordings from neurosurgical patients with non-invasive techniques such as 7T fMRI to investigate the cortical-hippocampal interplay underlying human memory functions.
For his postdoctoral training, Itzik joined UC San Francisco to work with Prof. Edward Chang and Prof. Loren Frank on the neural mechanisms of speech production. His research uncovered a key role for theta oscillations in coordinating articulatory movements during fluent speech and revealed a dynamic interplay between the speech cortex and hippocampus that supports verbal memory formation.

Rutgers Network Neuroscience Interest Group: Maria Grazia Puxeddu, PhD (Virginia Tech)
2026-06-26 13:00 - 14:00
“Linking network architecture to function and behavior across scales: from human brain dynamics to Drosophila circuits”
Speaker: Maria Grazia Puxeddu, PhD
Assistant Professor, School of Neuroscience
Virginia Tech
Date and Time: Friday, June 26, at 1:00 PM
Zoom: https://rutgers.zoom.us/my/lp756?pwd=[REDACTED]
In-Person: SRB seminar room
Summary: Network neuroscience has been highly successful in describing brain organization in terms of modules, hubs, and pathways. Its next challenge is explanatory: understanding how the described architecture underlies brain function, behavior, and disease. In this talk, I will present two lines of work that address this challenge at different scales. The first uses multivariate information theory to define brain modules through patterns of higher order redundant and synergistic interactions. This framework reveals how the balance between within-module redundancy and between-module synergy reorganizes across the human lifespan and, in ongoing work, across the progression of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. The second turns to the Drosophila brain, where circuit architecture, neural activity, and behavior can all be measured directly. I will describe ongoing work characterizing the network role of distinct thermosensory neurons and how it can be used to predict neural function and behavior. Together, these projects suggest that network architecture, more than the conventional classification of brain regions and neurons into systems and cell types, provides a fundamental substrate for understanding brain function, behavior, and their disruption in disease.

KKARC Chalk Talk: Corey Bolton, PsyD (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)
2026-06-25 15:00 - 16:30 | IFH Building 112 Paterson St, New Brunswick. Conference room 301
Chalk Talk Title: “Blood-Based Biomarkers in ADRD: Optimization, Discovery, and Clinical Implementation”
Date and time: Thursday, June 25, 3 pm – 4:30 pm
Speaker: Corey Bolton, PsyD
Clinical Neuropsychologist & Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
HYBRID
Location: IFH Building 112 Paterson St, New Brunswick. Conference room 301
Zoom: https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/99664824542?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 996 6482 4542 | Passcode: [REDACTED]
Bio sketch:
Dr. Corey Bolton is a clinical neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the division of Geriatric Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a collaborator with the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project, and an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr. Bolton earned a doctorate in clinical psychology with a concentration in neuropsychology from Wheaton College in suburban Chicago. Prior to joining Vanderbilt as faculty, he completed a doctoral internship in clinical neuropsychology at Rush University Medical Center and the Rush ADRC and a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Neurology. Dr. Bolton’s research focuses on the use of novel methods for early identification of Alzheimer’s disease, with a particular focus on blood-based biomarkers. He has received numerous grants from the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association to better understand the ability of blood-based biomarkers to predict meaningful clinical changes in older adults, and to understand clinical, ethical, and social aspects of disclosing Alzheimer’s disease biomarker results to patients and their loved ones.

CCNP Seminar: Alex Shackman, PhD (University of Maryland)
2026-06-17 10:00 - 11:00
“The Nature and the Neurobiology of Anxiety”
Speaker: Alexander Shackman, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland
Date and Time: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 10-11 AM
Zoom: https://princeton.zoom.us/j/6397147065
Abstract: Anxiety—widely conceptualized as a sustained state of heightened distress and arousal triggered by uncertain threat—is a fundamental aspect of mammalian experience and a key component of the National Institute of Mental Health’s influential RDoC framework. When extreme or pervasive, anxiety imposes a staggering burden on patients, public health, and the global economy. Existing treatments are far from curative for many, underscoring the urgency of developing a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Here, I will highlight data gleaned from studies of humans and monkeys. Using a combination of approaches—from genetic assays and loss-of-function experiments to ecological momentary assessment and computational neuroimaging—this work provides fresh insights into the nature and the neurobiology of anxiety-related states, traits, and psychiatric disorders.

Special BHI Seminar: Rajiv R. Ratan, MD, PhD
2026-06-05 10:00 - 11:00
“Resilience or Ruin: The Janus Faces of Stress signaling in stroke, cognitive aging, and Alzheimer’s disease”
Speaker: Rajiv R. Ratan, M.D., Ph.D.
Winifred Masterson Burke Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience
Associate Dean (affiliate), Weill Cornell Medicine
CEO, Burke Neurological Institute
Director, Laboratory for Neural Redox Biology and Homeostatic Transcription
Date and Time: Friday June 5th, 2026, at 10 AM (EDT)
Join Zoom Meeting: https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/97065237648?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 970 6523 7648
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Joint Neurodegeneration and Injury & Neurodevelopment FAWG Workshop
2026-06-03 13:30 - 17:30 | Conference room 3101, Child Health Institute, 89 French Street, New Brunswick
The purpose of this workshop is to spawn new scientific interactions by bringing two Focus Area Working Groups (FAWGs) of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute together. The Neurodegeneration and Injury FAWG and Neurodevelopment FAWG will explore areas of common interest and overlap.
Eight scientific presentations at the intersection between both interest groups are expected to jumpstart new discussions and ideas for future collaboration. Learn more
Date and Time: Wednesday, June 3, 1:30 to 5:30 pm
Location: Conference room 3101, Child Health Institute, 89 French Street, New Brunswick
View event program

Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Translational Work-in-Progress (ADRD-TWIP): Alice Butera, MS (Christoph Buettner Lab)
2026-06-03 12:00 - 13:00
“Role of Adipose Tissue Lipolysis in Alzheimer’s Progression”
Speaker: Alice Butera, MS
PhD Student, Christoph Buettner Lab
RWJMS Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
Date and Time: Wed, June 3, 2026, 12-1 PM
Zoom: https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/94769804345?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting code: 947 6980 4345
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Alice studies the role of peripheral metabolic dysregulation in modulating neuroinflammation in normal physiology, Alzheimer’s disease, and traumatic brain injury. She will present preliminary findings suggesting that adipose tissue lipolysis contributes to neuroinflammation and hyperactivity in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (5xFAD). She would appreciate any feedback on future research aims, focusing on improving clinical significance and methodology.
This is not a formal talk, and thus discussion and critiques are much appreciated.

CCNP Seminar: Christopher Rozell, PhD (Georgia Institute of Technology)
2026-06-03 10:00 - 11:00
“Brain Biomarkers for Understanding Depression Recovery with Deep Brain Stimulation”
Speaker: Christopher Rozell
Professor, Executive Director of Institute for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology & Society (INNS)
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Simultaneous advances in neurotechnology and data science have created new opportunities to measure, modulate and understand the neural activity underlying complex psychiatric disorders such as treatment resistant depression (TRD). Despite promising explorations of deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a therapy for TRD, one of the barriers to scaling this treatment is the lack of objective information supporting clinical decision making during recovery. I will describe our recent efforts collecting and analyzing longitudinal intracranial electrophysiology data from TRD patients undergoing subcallosal cingulate cortex (SCC) DBS, as well as our development of novel AI techniques to identify electrophysiology biomarkers of disease recovery state. Finally, I will show how this data-driven biomarker can potentially be used in clinical decision support through patient case studies, as well as shed light on the microcircuit structures and complex behaviors that underly TRD pathology and recovery.
Date and Time: Wednesday, June 3rd, 10-11am EDT (Eastern)
Zoom: https://princeton.zoom.us/j/6397147065
FYI, abstracts for previous talks are posted on the CCNP website: ccnp.princeton.edu. A list of upcoming seminars, job announcements, and other info about CCNP are available there as well.

NCB Seminar (Hybrid): Jakob Voigts, PhD (HHMI Janelia Research Campus)
2026-06-02 10:00 - 11:00
Please join us on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 10:00 am in the Research Tower, Room V12 for an RWJ-Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology Seminar Series featuring Jakob Voigts, PhD, Group Leader at HHMI Janelia Research Campus. Dr. Voigts will be presenting on the topic of “Mice Use a Sparse Vocabulary of Paths to Navigate Complex Environments.” The host for this seminar is Dr. Ipshita Zutshi (RWJ-Neuroscience and Cell Biology). All are welcome to attend.
Click Here to Join
Meeting ID: 991 8562 6685
Password: [REDACTED]

Rutgers Network Neuroscience Interest Group: Lucina Uddin, PhD (University of California, Los Angeles)
2026-05-29 13:00 - 14:00 | SRB seminar room
“Towards a universal taxonomy of functional brain networks”
Speaker: Lucina Uddin, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences University of California, Los Angeles
Date and Time: Friday, May 29, at 1:00 PM
Zoom: https://rutgers.zoom.us/my/lp756?pwd=[REDACTED]
In-Person: SRB seminar room
Abstract: While the idea that the human brain is composed of multiple large functional networks has been gaining traction in cognitive and network neuroscience, the field has yet to reach consensus on several key issues regarding terminology. What constitutes a functional brain network? Are there “core” functional networks, and if so, what are their spatial topographies? What naming conventions, if universally adopted, will provide the most utility and facilitate communication amongst researchers? Can a taxonomy of functional brain networks be delineated? The Workgroup for HArmonized Taxonomy of NETworks (WHATNET) was formed in 2020 as an OHBM–endorsed best practices committee to provide recommendations on points of consensus, identify open questions, and highlight areas of ongoing debate in the service of moving the field toward standardized reporting of network neuroscience results. The group has developed a Network Correspondence Toolbox (NCT) to permit researchers to examine and report spatial correspondence between their novel neuroimaging results and multiple widely used functional brain atlases. The adoption of the NCT will make it easier for researchers to report their findings in a standardized manner, thus aiding reproducibility and facilitating comparisons between studies to produce interdisciplinary insights.
The interest group is sponsored by Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research (CAHBIR) and the Cognitive And Sensory Neuroscience Focus Area Working Group of the BHI.
If you have questions about the interest group, please email Dr. Linden Parkes linden.parkes@rutgers.edu or Dr. David Zald david.zald@rutgers.edu

RARC Interest Group on Cannabis with Dr. Malik Burnett
2026-05-28 13:00 - 14:00
Join us for the next RARC Interest Group on Cannabis meeting featuring Dr. Malik Burnett on Thursday, May 28, at 1:00 PM. Dr. Burnett will present “In the Weeds: An Overview of the Cannabis Rescheduling Rollercoaster.”
Dr. Burnett is a physician, entrepreneur, and drug policy expert whose work focuses on shifting U.S. drug policy from a criminal justice framework to one grounded in public health. Drawing on his experience in addiction medicine, harm reduction, opioid treatment, and public policy, Dr. Burnett will provide an overview of the evolving cannabis rescheduling landscape and its implications for researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals.

Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026
Time: 1:00-2:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting: https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/98341604328?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 983 4160 4328
Passcode: [REDACTED]

BHI/SHP Virtual Seminar: Hemant Bhargav, MD, PhD
2026-05-21 11:00 - 12:00
“Yoga for Stress Management and Mental Resilience”
Rutgers Brain Health Institute and Rutgers School of Health Professions Virtual Seminar
Speaker: Hemant Bhargav, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Integrative Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India
Adjunct Associate Professor, Massachusetts Mental Health Centre, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Date and Time: Thursday, May 21, 2026, 11:00 AM (ET)
Zoom Meeting:
https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/91022658183?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 910 2265 8183; Passcode: [REDACTED]

BHI Research Seminar (Hybrid): Shaoyu Ge, PhD (Stony Brook University)
2026-05-21 10:00 - 11:00 | Staged Research Building Conference Room (661 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway NJ 08854, Busch Campus)
“Newborn neurons in the hippocampus: from birth to maturation”
Speaker: Shaoyu Ge, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. College of Arts and Sciences, Stony Brook University, State University of New York
Date and Time: Thursday, May 21, 2026, 10:00 AM (EST)
In-person location: Staged Research Building Conference Room
(661 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway NJ 08854, Busch Campus)
Zoom: https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/95385482824?pwd=[REDACTED]
Zoom Meeting ID: 953 8548 2824; Password: [REDACTED]
Hosted by Mi-Hyeon Jang, Department of Neurosurgery

CCNP Seminar: Vanessa Brown (Emory University)
2026-05-20 10:00 - 11:00
Anxiety is distinctly associated with maladaptive exploration of uncertainty
Speaker: Vanessa Brown
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Emory University
Date and Time: Wednesday, May 20th, 10-11 am EDT (Eastern)
Zoom: https://princeton.zoom.us/j/6397147065
Avoidance is a central impairment in anxiety disorders, but what causes maladaptive avoidance in this population is unclear. To date, empirical data suggest that the uncertainty associated with negative outcomes, rather than the presence of negative outcomes alone, drives avoidance in anxiety. Here, we used the explore-exploit dilemma – whether to explore options with uncertain options versus stay with known choices with certain options – to understand how exploration goes awry in anxiety and leads to avoidance. Across two tasks, we did not find an overall avoidance of uncertainty, manifesting as increased exploitation, in anxiety. Instead, people with anxiety were unable to adaptively adjust exploration, under-exploring when exploration was adaptive and over-exploring when exploration was harmful. This impairment was specific to anxiety and not to depression or general internalizing symptoms. In a follow-up study, we tested whether this maladaptive exploration of uncertainty was distinct from previously established alterations in model-based decision-making in compulsivity. Anxiety was associated with increased model-based planning while compulsivity showed patterns of exploratory behavior distinct from anxiety. These results show a computational dissociation of exploratory behavior among internalizing symptom clusters and suggest that maladaptive exploration of uncertainty is a unique signature of anxiety-related disorders.
FYI, abstracts for previous talks are posted on the CCNP website: ccnp.princeton.edu. A list of upcoming seminars, job announcements, and other info about CCNP are available there as well.

2026 Rutgers Health and Rutgers Brain Health Institute Postdoc Peek: Postdoc Recruitment Event
2026-05-19 - 2026-05-20
Rutgers Health and Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI) invite senior graduate students and early postdoc fellows to apply for Postdoc Peek, a two-day, all-expenses-paid, on-campus visit on May 19–20, 2026.
Participants will explore postdoctoral training and research opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines at Rutgers, connect with faculty, and learn about life and research across Rutgers campuses. Learn more
Key Dates:

Application submission deadline: February 23
Faculty application review period: February 24 – March 23
Virtual information session: March 23, 12–2 PM
Faculty Zoom interviews with top candidates: March 24 – April 6
On-campus visit for selected candidates: May 19–20

Please fill out this application form. If you have any questions, require further information, or have trouble submitting your application, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us by email

Neuroscience Seminar Series for Rising Scholars (Hybrid): Sunyoung Park, PhD (Noelle Stiles lab)
2026-05-18 12:00 - 13:00
“Functional changes in visual areas during imagination in the blind following vision restoration”
Speaker: Sunyoung Park, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, PI: Noelle Stiles
Date and Time: Monday, May 18, 2026, 12:00 PM
In-Person: Room 127, Staged Research Building (SRB), Busch Campus
Join via Zoom: Please email the host, Dr. Noelle Stiles (noelle.stiles@rutgers.edu), or check the CAHBIR Slack #General thread for the link
Abstract: The Argus II retinal prosthesis can restore ultra-low vision in the late blind through electrical stimulation of ganglion cells. Our previous study showed that cortical thickness increases following the Argus II device implantation in visual areas, such as cuneus cortex and lateral occipital cortex, suggesting partial reversal of visual cortex atrophy associated with long-term vision loss. However, it remains unclear whether these structural changes are accompanied by increased functional engagement of visual areas during visual tasks. Here, we investigated changes in visual cortex activation during a visual imagery task using fMRI in ten Argus II patients, four blind controls, and three sighted controls. The visual imagery task was used as it has been shown to functionally engage visual areas and the Argus II device cannot be activated inside the scanner. During the task, participants alternated between imagination blocks in which they imagined visual objects or places, and rest blocks in which they did not perform a task. We extracted task-related univariate activations (imagination > rest) from anatomically defined visual regions of interests (ROIs). On average, the Argus II group showed greater activation than the blind control group, approaching but not fully reaching the activation levels observed in sighted controls. In addition, longitudinal comparisons in two participants revealed differing post-implantation patterns: The participant with longer device use (44.5 months) showed increased activation across most ROIs after implantation relative to pre-implantation, whereas the participant with shorter device use (6.5 months) showed a mixture of increases and decreases across ROIs. These findings suggest that cortical re-engagement following vision restoration may evolve over time, and that both upregulation and downregulation of task-relevant regions may contribute to functional reorganization after visual restoration. Together, these results complement prior evidence of structural cortical changes by demonstrating functional changes in visual areas following vision restoration in late-blind individuals.

BHI Special Seminar: Katerina Akassoglou, Ph.D.
2026-05-13 12:00 - 13:00
“Neurovascular interactions: from mechanisms to clinical trials”
Speaker: Katerina Akassoglou, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Neurovascular Brain Immunology
Senior Investigator, Gladstone Institutes
Professor, Department of Neurology
University of California, San Francisco
Date and Time: Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 12 Noon (EDT)
Zoom Meeting: https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/98749402685?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 987 4940 2685; Password: [REDACTED]

RWJ-NCB Seminar Series (Hybrid): Dr. Thomas S. Vierbuchen - Sloan Kettering Institute
2026-05-12 10:00 - 11:00 | Research Tower, Room V12
“A Pluripotent Stem Cell Platform for Systems Genetics Studies of Mouse Development and Disease”
Please join us on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 10:00 am in the Research Tower, Room V12 for an RWJ-Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology Seminar Series featuring Thomas S. Vierbuchen, PhD, Assistant Member, Developmental Biology Program in the Center for Stem Cell Biology at Sloan Kettering Institute. The host for this seminar is Dr. Tulsi Patel (RWJ-Neuroscience and Cell Biology). All are welcome to attend.
Click Here to Join
Meeting ID: 991 8562 6685; Password: [REDACTED]
