Shaffer Family Foundation Endowed Science Lecture

List of 24 items.

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  Dr. J. Peter Davis - Feb. 6, 2020

  Why Science Matters in the Age of Twitter
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  Earthquake risk is of keen interest to many Californians. Dr. Davis will describe his work on the Global Seismographic Network (GSN), a versatile tool used to study scientific problems ranging from those of purely abstract intellectual interest to those of enormous practical importance. The construction and operation of the GSN illustrate how STEM subjects may be employed to address questions of great societal value. He will present examples of these questions conclude with a group earthquake prediction exercise. Please join us in the Michael and Marlene Teitelman Science Center at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6.
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  Nicole Capretz - Dec. 15, 2020

  Environmental attorney, founder and executive Director of Climate Action Campaign
  
  Read about the presentation here.
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  While we haven’t been able to host guest speakers in person on campus this year, we were able to invite Nicole Capretz of Climate Action Campaign to be a virtual guest speaker for this year’s Shaffer Family Foundation Science Lecture Series. Students and faculty had the opportunity to join the Zoom live or watch the recording.
  
  

  Students in the Environmental Science class and members of the GoGreen club submitted questions in advance, and Ms. Capretz addressed those. An environmental attorney and the founder and executive director of Climate Action Campaign, she has 20 years’ experience in energy, equity and climate policy for local governments and the nonprofit sector. She discussed the local adoption of 100 percent clean energy climate plans and how to raise awareness regarding sustainability measures both as individuals and as a community.
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  Brian Joyal - Sept. 12, 2019

  The Apollo Lunar Module - The First True Spacecraft
  
  Watch video of his presentation here.
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  How NASA employed STEM skills to design, manufacture and successfully employ the first "true" human spacecraft.  What do a birthday balloon and the Lunar Module have in common? 
  
  RSVP here.
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  Thomas Buchholz, MD - May 9, 2019

  How Science and Medicine Can Change Lives - Reflections of a Cancer Doctor
  
  View the video of his presentation here.
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  Thomas Buchholz, M.D., is Medical Director of the Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center - a comprehensive and clinically integrated cancer care program.
  
  

  In this role, Dr. Buchholz is responsible for directing all clinical activities and programs at Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center, ensuring care delivery is efficient, effective and supports the patient-centered mission of the program. He leads the development of clinical research activities within the program, including collaboration with MD Anderson clinical trials and other industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated trials.
  
  

  As a radiation oncologist with a clinical focus on breast cancer, Dr. Buchholz has made significant scientific and academic contributions over the course of his career. His research in the area of breast cancer has been published in more than 350 peer-reviewed journals.

  Dr. Buchholz comes to San Diego after spending 20 years in Houston at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center where he held a variety of academic and executive leadership positions with MD Anderson, including division head and department chair of radiation oncology, and serving as Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief.

  
  RSVP here.
  
  
  
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  Dave Starkey - February 7, 2019

  Dave Starkey provides a perfect example of applying STEM to the arts. The 360-degree piano he designed and developed is now part of Lady Gaga's show.
  
  Watch his presentation to the Bishop's community here.
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  An electrical engineer, his pianos are used by major musical artists and bands such as Journey, Pete Townsend, Elton John, John Legend, Bette Midler, Chick Correa, Herbie Hancock, Bruce Hornsby, Taylor Swift and Guns ‘n’ Roses.

  
  He holds 16 patents and has won an Edison Innovation Award; he was a finalist in the Mass Accelerator Challenge. He will discuss the design and development process, how electrical engineering is applied to the piano, and also enables electronic musical instruments to communicate with each other. 
  
  Watch his presentation to the Bishop's community here.
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  Marc Milstein, Ph.D. - March 8, 2018

  Get the Best Night's Sleep Based on How Your Brain Works
  Marc Milstein, Ph.D. Biological Chemistry
  
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  Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Are you waking up feeling exhausted? The latest breakthrough research uncovers how precious sleep really is for our mental and physical health. Discover proven and simple brain science-based tips and strategies to maximize health and productivity by getting the best night's sleep.
  
  In this lecture you will learn:

  · How to fall asleep faster and stay asleep based on how your brain really works

  · How to get over jet lag

  · What is real and what is myth about sleep medications and sleep aids

  · Actionable tips that can be used immediately to maximize sleep

  · How sleep can boost your memory 

   

   

  Bio:

   

  Dr. Marc Milstein specializes in taking the leading science research on human health, productivity and happiness, and presents it in a way that entertains, educates and empowers his audience to live better. His lecture topics range from cutting-edge brain science topics such as sleep, memory, stress and emotions to how our DNA and trillions of cells work in concert with our environment to determine our health.
  
  He earned both his Ph.D. in biological chemistry and his bachelor of science in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from UCLA. Dr. Milstein has conducted research on topics including genetics, cancer biology, neuroscience and infectious disease, and his work has been published in multiple scientific journals. Dr. Milstein has been quoted breaking down and analyzing the latest research in popular press such as USA Today, Huffington Post and Weight Watchers Magazine. Dr. Milstein can also be seen on TV's Dr. Oz show, explaining the latest science breakthroughs that improve our lives.
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  Sam Kean - January 24 - 25, 2018

  "Spoons and Thumbs: Funny, spooky, poignant and true science stories"
  Best-selling science writer and lecturer 
  
  
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  Sam Kean's stories have appeared in The Best American Science and Nature Writing, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, and Psychology Today. His work has been featured on “Radiolab” and NPR’s “All Things Considered” and “Science Friday,” among other shows. His books The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist’s Thumb were national bestsellers, and both were named an Amazon Top Five science book of the year.

   

  His newest book, Caesar’s Last Breath, was just released in July 2017. All four books will be available for purchase and for signing at the event (cash or check only).
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  Todd Hylton, Ph.D - October 25, 2017

  "Of Men and Machines"
  Executive Director, Contextual Robotics Institute
  Professor of Practice, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
  University of California, San Diego
  
  
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  "Of Men and Machines"
  
  An emerging technological revolution promises machines that are able to do what we do – smart robots, smart homes, smart cities, smart grids and smart cars. We are naturally concerned that these machines will create massive economic and social disruption and even that they may become smarter than we are. On Oct. 25, Dr. Todd Hylton will speak about robotics and machines' evolving impact on society.
  
  Dr. Hylton joined UC San Diego in 2017 as the executive director of the
  Contextual Robotics Institute and professor of practice in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Prior to his appointment at UC San Diego, he was executive vice president of strategy and research at Brain Corporation, a San Diego-based robotics startup. From 2007 to 2012, Dr. Hylton served as a program manager at DARPA where he started and managed a number of projects including the Nano Air Vehicle program, the SyNAPSE program and the Physical Intelligence program. Prior to DARPA, he ran a nanotechnology research group at SAIC, co-founded 4Wave, a specialty semiconductor equipment business, and served as CTO of Commonwealth Scientific Corporation. Dr. Hylton received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Stanford
  University in 1991 and his B.S. in Physics from M.I.T. in 1983. Dr. Hylton’s research interests address understanding and building intelligent systems, such as those required for autonomous robotics.
  
  
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  James C. Nieh, Ph.D. - April 18, 2017

  Professor and Chair of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution
  Division of Biological Sciences
  University of California, San Diego
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  “Honey Bee Health: Challenges and Hope” 
  
  Dr. James C. Nieh was born in Taiwan, but grew up in Southern California. He received his B.A. at Harvard in 1991 and his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1997. He subsequently received a NSF-NATO Postdoctoral fellowship to study at the University of Würzburg in Germany. After this, he received the prestigious Harvard Junior Fellowship. Watch his lecture here. 
  
  In 2000, he joined the faculty in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of California, San Diego where he is currently a professor and chair of the Section of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution. Dr. Nieh’s interests focus on bee communication, cognition and health. He studies many types of social bees, including honey bees, bumble bees and stingless bees. His lab studies foraging and communication in honey bees and honey bee health. The research on honey bee health focuses on how neonicotinoid pesticides alter honey bee behavior and learning, how a common pathogen, Nosema ceranae, infects bees and alters their behavior, and how honey bee immunity can be boosted to fight Nosema infection. 
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  Kelly Parsons, M.D. '88 - January 17, 2017

  Professor of Surgery and Endowed Chair
  UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
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  “Medicine, Science and Innovation: Creativity Through Collaboration” 
  
  Using examples from his research, Dr. Parsons explored the ways in which collaborative, transdisciplinary science invigorates and accelerates medical discovery. Watch his presentation here. 
  
  Dr. Kelly Parsons ’88 (Leah '19 and Nathaniel '21) is a board-certified urologic surgeon and professor of surgery at the UC San Diego Moores Comprehensive Cancer Center. He earned an A.B. in history from Stanford University, an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.H.S. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He completed urology residency and oncology fellowship training at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. 

   

  Dr. Parsons specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer and is an expert in robotic surgery, laser surgery and cryosurgery. An author on over 140 medical papers, including studies in The New England Journal of Medicine and The Journal of the American Medical Association, his research focuses on vaccines and other non-invasive treatments for early stage prostate cancer, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and patient safety. 

   

  Dr. Parsons is also the author of the award-winning novel DOING HARM (St. Martin’s Press, 2014), which author Stephen King called “the best medical thriller I’ve read in 25 years,” and the forthcoming novel UNDER THE KNIFE (St. Martin’s Press, 2017). 
  
  
  
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  Katja Lamia, Ph.D. - October 27, 2016

  Katja Lamia, Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Physiology
  The Scripps Research Institute
  
  
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  "The Fourth Dimension: Time is a Key Component in Biology”
  
  With a background in physics and biology, Dr. Lamia has been recognized internationally for her research connecting circadian clocks with metabolic disease and cancer. Watch her presentation here.
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  Sujan Shresta, Ph.D. - April 19, 2016

  Sujan Shresta, Ph.D. 
  Associate Professor, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology
  Center for Infectious Disease, Division of Inflammation Biology
  
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  "Dengue and Zika Viruses: Major Public Health Problems Worldwide"

  
  

  Zika Virus is an emerging virus that is similar to Dengue Virus and has putatively been linked to fetal microcephaly and adult Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Dengue Virus and Zika Virus share geographic ranges, mosquito vectors and symptoms. Developing Dengue Virus and Zika Virus specific vaccines is a global health priority. However, the adaptive immune response to these viruses may play a dual role in both protection and pathogenesis, complicating vaccine development. Dr. Shresta discussed her work towards understanding the key features of protective vs. pathogenic immune response to Dengue Virus and Zika Virus. Watch her presentation here.
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  Shafali Jeste, M.D. - January 28, 2016

  Director, Neurophysiology Core
  UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment
  Bishop's Class of 1993
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  "From Biomarkers to Targeted Treatments: Can We Reach the Goal of Precision Medicine for Autism Spectrum Disorders?” 
  
  Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous group of disorders that are diagnosed based on behavioral symptoms. However, it has become increasingly clear over the last decade that ASD is a neurobiological disorder, with changes in brain connectivity and function that likely occur in early infancy and that can be quantified with advanced imaging methods. Dr. Jeste's lab has been studying biomarkers of ASD, from genetics to electrophysiology and imaging, in order to identify early predictors of diagnosis and outcome with interventions and to guide the selection of targeted treatments. Watch her presentation here.
  
  Dr. Jeste is a behavioral child neurologist specializing in autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. She is an associate professor in psychiatry and neurology in the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and a lead investigator within UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART).

   

  After graduating from Bishop's in 1993, she earned a B.A. from Yale University and her M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Jeste then completed a residency in child neurology, a fellowship in behavioral child neurology at Children’s Hospital, Boston, and post-doctoral training in developmental cognitive neuroscience at Harvard.
  
  Dr. Jeste was recruited to UCLA CART in 2010 as the director of its electrophysiology core. CART has played a leading role nationally and internationally in developing an improved understanding of the biological and psychosocial basis of autism and is the only center to be awarded an NIH Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) grant twice, in 2007 and 2012.
  
  Dr. Jeste has been the recipient of the Child Neurology Foundation’s Researcher-in- Training Award and the American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) Clinical Researcher-in-Training Award. She was selected in 2014 as a member of the AAN Emerging Leaders Forum. She serves on the board of directors of the Child Neurology Foundation and the AAN Science Committee.  
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  Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D. - October 29, 2015

  Professor, The Scripps Research Institute
  Dept. of Immunology & Microbial Science
  Co-Director, Global Virus Network Center of Excellence
  Director, Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Immunotherapeutic Consortium
  
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  "Imaging Ebola Virus at the Molecular Level: The Road Map to a Cure"

   

  Dr. Erica Ollmann Saphire revealed the molecular architecture of deadly viruses like Ebola and Lassa. By understanding how each virus assembles and replicates, she can discover where each virus is vulnerable and how drugs and vaccines can defeat them. Her work has shown us that the molecules these viruses encode are surprisingly nimble, playing multiple roles in the virus life cycle, and even transforming like Jekyll and Hyde into different forms at different times. Understanding these transformations provides new opportunities for medical defense. Indeed, the structural information that her lab provides is so clear and compelling that she was able to galvanize an unprecedented collaboration of Ebola virus researchers around the globe to work together to discover and provide antibody-based therapeutics. During her talk, Dr. Saphire showed us how the Ebola virus assembles and how it can be defeated, and she described new findings of the global consortium that she leads. Watch her presentation here. 
  
  Education: 
  Ph.D., Macromolecular and Cellular Structure and Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute
  
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  Jerold Chun, Ph.D. - April 7, 2015

  Professor, The Scripps Research Institute
  Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
  
  
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  "The Myriad Genome Brain" 

  Classical views of the brain have recognized its diversity of cell types, but have assumed that diversity arises from a single, constant genome. This assumption has been proven to be wrong, with many – perhaps all – neurons showing distinct genomes. This new realization has bearing on many aspects of brain function and disease, including new insights into Alzheimer’s disease. Watch his presentation here.

  
  Jerold Chun (Natalie ’14, Andrew '16) is a professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. He received M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University, and did his postdoctoral training at MIT. Recognized by Thompson Reuters among the world’s most influential scientific minds, his laboratory is recognized for its neuroscience contributions, particularly as they relate to a molecular understanding of brain disorders.
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  Hillary Young, Ph.D. - January 29, 2015

  Assistant Professor and Community Ecologist

  University of California, Santa Barbara
  

  Bishop’s Class of 1997
  
  
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  "Of Mice and Men: Effects of Wildlife Loss on Ecosystem and Human Health”  
  
  

  More than a third of the animal life on the planet has been lost in the last 40 years. These rates of decline are accelerating. Yet we still have very limited understanding of how these changes to Earth's animal life are likely to affect human health and well being. In this presentation, Dr. Young discussed recent research that suggests that these losses are likely to have profound - and largely negative - impacts on basic functions of ecosystems, and the societies that depend on them. 
   

  Education:

  Ph.D., Biology, Stanford University

  M.A., Environmental Management, Yale University 

  B.A., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

  
  
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  Stephen Wilson, Ph.D. - October 30, 2014

  Executive Vice President

  La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology

   
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  "Life Without Disease: Unleashing the Power of Our Immune System to Keep Us Healthy"
  
  

  In his presentation, Dr. Wilson described the goals of immune system research and how it is bringing forth interventions in health and medicine that will help people live better lives. Dr. Wilson shared concrete examples of how the aim of “Life Without Disease” is being tackled and how this area of research is even altering the way we look at the possibilities for our future: each of us living long lives without symptoms associated with diseases such as autoimmune disorders, infection, heart disease and cancer.

  
  Education:
  
  B.S.A., Microbiology, University of Arizona's School of Medicine
  Ph.D., Immunology, University of Arizona's School of Medicine
  
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  Adah Almutairi, Ph.D. - April 1, 2014

  Director, Center for Excellence in Nanomedicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Studies, Principal Investigator, Laboratory for Bioresponsive Materials, University of California, San Diego.
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  "The Art of Falling Apart"
  This presentation explored the Laboratory for Bioresponsive Materials’ recent progress in designing nanomaterials that fall apart in response to biological or external triggers and demonstrating their applicability to imaging and drug delivery.
  
  Education:
  Ph.D., Materials Chemistry, University of California, Riverside
  
  
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  Todd P. Coleman, Ph.D. - January, 30, 2014

  Assistant Professor, Bioengineering
  UC San Diego
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  "Smart Skin Sensors and Analytics in the Cloud to Advance the Frontiers of Wearable Health"
  Dr. Coleman's presentation outlined the efforts his research group is making in combining skin-integrated wearable sensors with multi-modal analytics algorithms that can be efficiently implemented in the cloud.
  

   

   

  Education

  B.S., Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, University of Michigan

  M.S., Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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  Karen Christman, Ph.D. - October 24, 2013

  Assistant Professor, Bioengineering
  UC San Diego
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  Healing the Heart with Biomaterials

  Heart failure following a heart attack continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, and the rest of the western world. Yet, the only successful treatment for end-stage heart failure remains total heart transplantation, which is plagued by limited donor hearts. Statistics necessitate the development of new therapies for heart attacks and heart failure. Biomaterial and tissue engineering approaches to repairing the heart are providing exciting new possibilities. 
  
  

  Dr. Karen Christman’s presentation will cover examples of biomaterials that are being used to heal the heart, with a particular focus on injectable materials which have the potential to be delivered via a minimally invasive approach, thereby requiring less recovery time and reducing risk to the patient. 
  
  

  Education

  B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University
  Ph.D., Bioengineering, UC Berkeley and San Francisco
  
  
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  Andrew T. Young, Ph.D. - November 29, 2012

  Astronomer and Adjunct Professor of Astronomy
  San Diego State University
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  Green Flashes: Examples, Causes, and How to Look for Them

  Green flashes are brief but spectacular natural phenomena produced by the Earth's atmosphere at sunrise and sunset. They are the most vividly colored of all such displays, far exceeding the saturation of colors seen in rainbows. Because they rarely last more than a second, they are seldom noticed; but you can see them fairly often from the San Diego coastal region. Photographs and explanations of green flashes were  shown. Additional information is available at http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/GF/.

   

   
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  Inder Verma, Ph.D. - November 29, 2011

  Research Scientist, Laboratory of Genetics,
  Salk Institute Molecular Biology Professor,
  Irwin and Joan Jacobs Chair in Exemplary Life Science,
  American Cancer Society Professor, UCSD
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  Cancer: King of All Maladies 

  In his presentation Dr. Verma talked about glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and the incredible versatility and deception that a cancer cell uses to survive and spread mercilessly. Genetic or epigenetic events leading to mutations or alterations of genes can either lead to gain of function (oncogenes) or loss of function (tumor suppressor genes) to cause cancer. In some simplistic way the problem of cancer is disarmingly simple—stop the function of uncontrolled oncogenes and replenish the gene product of a deficient tumor suppressor gene.
  
  
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  Paul Negulescu, Ph.D. - October 30, 2012

  Vice President, Research and San Diego Site Head
  Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
  
  
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  Can We Fix The Broken Protein That Causes Cystic Fibrosis?
  
  Dr. Negulescu's lecture discussed the ability to fix the broken protein that causes cystic fibrosis. He is responsible for leading the Vertex San Diego research site which, under Paul’s leadership, has produced four novel drug candidates that have entered human clinical trials. One of these, Kalydeco, was approved in January 2012 for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Kalydeco is the first drug to treat the underlying cause of this genetic disease and has been recognized as a successful example of personalized medicine.
  
  

  Education
  
  B.S., Ph.D. Physiology, University of California, Berkeley
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  Vilayanur Ramachandran M.D., Ph.D. - February 21, 2012

  Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition,
  Professor in the Department of Psychology and
  Neurosciences Graduate Program, UCSD
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  Probing Human Nature Through Neurology

  Vilayanur Subramanian "Rama" Ramachandran, born 1951, is a neuroscientist known for his work in the fields of behavioral neurology and visual psychophysics. Dr. Ramachandran is noted for his use of experimental methods that rely relatively little on complex technologies such as neuroimaging. According to Dr. Ramachandran, "too much of the Victorian sense of adventure [in science] has been lost." Despite the apparent simplicity of his approach, Dr. Ramachandran has generated many new ideas about the brain. He has been called "The Marco Polo of neuroscience" by Richard Dawkins and "the modern Paul Broca" by Eric Kandel. In 1997 Newsweek named him a member of "The Century Club," one of the "hundred most prominent people to watch" in the 21st century. In 2011 Time listed him as one of "the most influential people in the world" on the "Time 100" list.