2025 Eleventh Annual Rutgers Brain Health Institute Symposium
The 2025 Eleventh Annual Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI) Symposium will be held on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at the Busch Student Center in Piscataway, NJ. Highlights include a keynote lecture by Moses V. Chao, PhD, talks by BHI faculty on their cutting-edge research programs, two-minute flash talks by trainees, an update on the federal funding landscape from Lewis Burke, a Brain Art Exhibition, and a trainee poster session.
Registration is now open, with an early registration deadline of November 1, 2025.
Keynote Speaker
Moses V. Chao, PhD
Professor of Cell Biology, Neuroscience & Physiology, and Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center
Research areas: metabolism, molecular, cellular, & translational neuroscience, molecular mechanisms of trophic factor action
Seminar title: “Mysteries of Neurotrophic Factors”
Trainee Poster Session
Please submit your poster title, author names, PI name, and abstract (250-word limit) to bhi@bhi.rutgers.edu. Only one poster submission per lab will be accepted. Due to limited space, only first 50 poster abstract submissions will be accepted.
Poster Abstract Submission Deadline: November 1, 2025.
Brain Art Exhibition
Agenda
| Time | Speaker | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
8.15 AM | Registration and Continental Breakfast | |
8.45 – 9.00 AM | Welcome Remarks- Dr. Brian Strom | Chancellor of Rutgers Health |
9.00 – 9.15 AM | BHI Updates- Gary Aston-Jones | Director of BHI |
9.20 – 9.30 AM | Detlev Boison, PhD- Professor | RWJMS- Neurosurgery/BHI |
9.35 – 9.45 AM | David Barker, PhD- Assistant Professor | RU-NB- Psychology/BHI |
9.50 – 10.00 AM | Juan Mena Segovia, PhD- Associate Professor | RU-Newark- CMBN |
10.05 – 10.15 AM | Ioana Carcea, MD, PhD- Assistant Professor | NJMS- Pharm, Phys, Neuro/BHI |
10.20 – 10.35 AM | Coffee/Tea Break | |
10.40 – 10.50 AM | Luciana Mascarenhas Fonseca, PhD- Assistant Professor | RWJMS-Psychiatry/BHI/IFH/KKARC |
10.55 – 11.05 AM | Suchismita Ray, PhD- Associate Professor | SHP- Health Informatics/BHI |
11.10 – 11.20 AM | Morgan Firestein, PhD- Assistant Professor | RWJMS-Pediatrics/BHI/CHI/RUCARES |
11.30 – 12.30 PM | Keynote– Moses V. Chao, PhD | NYU Grossman School of Medicine |
12.30 – 1.30 PM | Hot Buffet Lunch | |
1.30 – 1.40 PM | Hyung Jin Ahn, PhD- Assistant Professor | NJMS- Pharm, Phys, Neuro/BHI |
1.45 – 1.55 PM | Pabitra Sahoo, PhD- Assistant Professor | RU-Newark- Biology |
2.00 – 2.10 PM | Miriam Bocarsly, PhD- Assistant Professor | NJMS- Pharm, Phys, Neuro/BHI |
2.15 – 3.00 PM | Special presentation: “Current Federal Funding Landscape” | Lewis Burke |
3.15 – 4.15 PM | Two-Minute Trainee Flash Talks | Top 25 poster submissions |
4.15 – 5.30 PM | Trainee Poster Session | |
4:00 – 5.30 PM | Wine and Cheese & Reception Awards Ceremony |