Dr. Pletnikov received his M.D. from I.M. Sechenov First Moscow Medical Institute and went on to receive Ph.D. from P.K. Anokhin Institute of Normal Physiology. He joined IBNS in 1999, previously served as the 2015-2017 IBNS President, as well as served as the Program Chair and Co-Chair.
In addition to being hands-on with IBNS, Dr. Pletnikov is also Professor, Lab Director, and Behavioral Core Director at Johns Hopkins University. The focus of his research is molecular pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. His lab uses various genetic animal models to uncover the molecular pathology of abnormal brain and behavior development and function.
In his down time, he enjoys raising saltwater fish and reading long novels.
A graduate of Monash University with Honors, Dr. Gundlach attended medical school at the University of Melbourne. He has been an IBNS member since 2009. In addition to being an IBNS Council Member, Dr. Gundlach is also currently researching neuropedptides and their G-protein coupled receptors in the brain, relaxin-family peptide, and receptor systems in the context of ascending control of behavioral state, and affective and sensory modalities.
In his free time, he enjoys cycling, hiking, and water sports.
Awards/Recognition: 2014 – Initiative of Excellence Visiting Scholar Fellowship, University of Bordeaux 2013 - NARSAD Independent Investigator Award
Dr. Liisa Galea received her Ph.D. at the University of Western Ontario. In addition to being a member of IBNS since 2012, her roles also include: Director of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia, Scientific Advisor at the Women’s Health Research Institute, and Professor of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Galea’s research investigates how sex hormones influence brain health and disease; and her main goal is to improve brain health for men and women by examining the influence of sex and sex hormones on normal and diseased brain states, such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease.
In her spare time, Liisa enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and hiking.
Awards/Recognition: 2015 – Women of Distinction Award for Science, Technology and Research (Vancouver, Canada); Dean of Arts, Faculty Research Award 2013 – Fellow in International Behavioral Neuroscience Society 2012 – Cattell Sabbatical Award 2009 – Kavli Fellow 2007 – NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement; Killiam Research Prize at the University of British Columbia 2006 – Senior Scholar, Michael Smith Health Research Foundation
Europe
Benoit Martin
INSERM U1099
Rennes, France
Dr. Benoit Martin is a graduate of Université de Paris VI. In addition to being a long-time member of IBNS, he is the treasurer of the French League Against Epilepsy (LFCE) and Comité National pour l’Epilepsie (CNE). Dr. Martin is also involved in epilepsy research: genetic, pharmaco and pharmacogenetic, SUDEP, and neuromodulation.
Dr. Davide Amato is a graduate of Sapienza University of Rome. Dr. Amato became an IBNS member in 2013 and served as a guest editor for the IBNS newsletter. Now, in addition to being a Council Member, he is Chief Editor of the newsletter as well as a member of the Program Committee and the Communication Committee. Additionally, he is on the teaching staff of the Medical University of South Carolina (Behavioral Neuroscience) and conducts and supervises research in neurocircuitry of relapse to cocaine (MUSC).
In his free time, he enjoys cycling, competing in triathlons, and volunteering his time to cook for those with debilitating medical conditions and without family support.
Awards/Recognition: 2015 – Japan Neuroscience Society Travel Award (Kobe, Japan) 2014 – Humboldt Research Alumni Travel Meeting Award (Berlin, Germany); G.A.-Lienert Foundation Research Scholarship (South Carolina, USA); International Behavioral Neuroscience Society Travel Award (Las Vegas, USA); Schizophrenia International Research Society – Bowman Foundation Travel Award (Firenze, Italy) 2012 – European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Fellowship Award (Vienna, Austria) 2011 – Selected posted at the Advancing Drug Discovery for Schizophrenia Meeting – The New York Academy of Science (New York, USA) 2010 – European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Young Scientists Fellowship (Nice, France) 2007 – European Behavioral Pharmacology Society Travel Fellowship (Tübingen, Germany)
Latin America
Ana Lucia Rodrigues
Federal University
of Santa Catarina Florianopolis, Brazil
Dr. Rodrigues is a graduate of the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil, and received her Ph.D. in 1996. She has been a member of IBNS since 2014.
At the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil, Dr. Rodrigues is the Associate Professor of Biochemistry, head of the Neurobiology of Depression Laboratory, and the main investigator of the research group, “Neurobiology of Depression.” Her research group consists of 3 PostDoc Fellows and 5 PhD students, and has contributed to the understanding of mechanisms that may be responsible for mood regulation – pointing out several endogenous compounds that may act as antidepressant agents and the mechanisms underlying their effects.
In her free time, Dr. Rodrigues loves listening to music and traveling.
Awards/Recognition: Google Scholar – H-index of 45, having published over 180 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters (>6400 citations) Editorial Board Member of Journal Psychiatric Research
Dr. Barha has been a member of IBNS since 2008. She received her Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, and is currently the Postdoctural fellow in the Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience lab at the University. She effectively leads the team’s efforts in examining biomarkers of aging and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying exercise effects on the brain.
In her downtime, she stays active by hiking, running, playing basketball and beach volleyball, reading, and volunteering.
Awards/Recognition: January 2018-2021 – Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship Michael Smith Foundation for Heart Research/The Pacific Alzheimer Research Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Postdoctoral Fellowship CIHR Institute of Aging Age + Prize CIHR Institute of Aging Recognition Prize on Aging
Dr. Brummelte received her Ph.D. from the University of Bielefeld, Germany, and went on to Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of British Columbia. She joined IBNS in 2009, as a Postdoc, and was previously Council Secretary from 2012-2015.
She is currently teaching classes on “Brain and Behavior” and the effects of “Drugs on Behavior and Society.” Her current research focuses on the effects of early adverse life experience on brain development and the subsequent behavioral and neuroanatomical changes in both males and females. She is particularly interested in the consequences of exposure to depression, stress, or glucocorticoids during pregnancy/postpartum period and how this affects brain neurochemistry and stress responsivity later in life. Dr. Brummelte’s lab also uses rats, as the animal model, to study the effects of early pain exposure as well as medications, such as antidepressants, on brain development. The research addresses important questions on how exposure to early adverse conditions, such as pharmacological treatments, can influence the maturation of the nervous system and the long-term outcome of the offspring.
In her spare time, she enjoys time with her family, hiking, playing foosball, and being outdoors. During grad school, she played in a rock band and will now sometimes listen to their song on Amazon, “Curious.” Dr. Brummelte also spends her time reviewing several manuscripts throughout each month, as well as volunteering as a judge to local science fairs.
Awards/Recognition: 2012 – Award for Outstanding Achievements by a Postdoctoral Fellow, from the Child and Family Research Institute 2011 – Kucharski Young Investigator Award of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP) 2009 – Young Investigator Award of the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology (ISPNE) 2009 – Young Investigator Award of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology (SBN)
A graduate of Rutgers University with Honors, Dr. Silverman attended medical school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. She completed her postdoctoral research training in the Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Intramural Research Program.
Dr. Silverman became an IBNS member in 2013; and in addition to being a Council Member, she also serves as Chair of the Education and Training Committee. On top of her involvement with IBNS, she was recruited with a faculty appointment to the University of California Davis and MIND Institute. Her recruitment was based on previous research projects that have employed a multi-tiered comprehensive phenotyping strategy, leading to the discovery of clinically relevant phenotypes in mutant rodent models of human genetic diseases associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
In 2015, Dr. Silverman was awarded with resources to develop her own research program on preclinical models of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by ASD, intellectual disabilities, and pediatric epilepsies. In recent years, her laboratory has focused on innovative lines or research that use both mouse and rat genetic models with altered expression of the key developmental genes, including the E6 ubiquitin ligase (UBE3A).
In her time away from researching, she enjoys yoga on a regular basis, fostering and adopting pit bulls, and volunteering with rare disease advocacy groups for advancing research.
Awards/Recognition: UC Davis Office of Research – Academic Senate Research Travel Award Program Joe P. Tupin Research Awards Program in Psychiatry NIH Performance Award for Research Excellence Howard Hughes Medical Institute – Student Internship Mentor Award
