Pant received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from Agra University, Agra, India. His postdoctoral studies were conducted on the mechanisms of electron and ion transport in model membrane systems at the Department of Biophysics at Michigan State University. He joined the Laboratory of Neurobiology in the NIMH as a senior staff fellow in 1974 with Dr. Ichiji Tasaki where he studied the function of the axonal cytoskeleton in the squid giant axon. In 1979 he moved to the NIAAA extending his studies on the neuronal cytoskeleton and the effects of alcohol on its regulation. Dr. Pant moved to the NINDS, Laboratory of Neurochemistry in 1987 where he is presently chief of the section on Cytoskeleton Regulation. His laboratory is studying the mechanisms of topographic regulation of neuronal cytoskeleton proteins by post-translational modification, including the role of kinase cascades in normal brain and during neurodegeneration.

Parkinsion’s and Alzheimer’s Diseases

Ateeq Ahmad, Ph.D. is vice president for science & technology at Jina pharmaceuticals, Inc., USA. Prior to joining Jina in 2006, Dr. Ahmad worked at Neopharm, Inc., Pharmacia (Searle), Sanofi, J &J, Medarex, Biotherapeutics and National Institutes of Health. He has more than 30 years of experience in drug discovery, drug targeting, therapeutic proteins, immunotoxins, liposomes and clinical pharmacology. Currently, Dr. Ahmad is directing drug development program including safety assessment, efficacy evaluation and pharmacokinetics of drug candidates for cancer therapeutics and neurological disorders. He has authored 61 original articles in peer reviewed scientific journals.

Drug discovery, drug targeting, therapeutic proteins, immunotoxins, liposomes and clinical pharmacology

Sanjoy Sanyal is Associate Dean, Clinical Neuroscience Professor, Surgeon and Informatician in Texila American University, Guyana, South America. He holds double Master's degrees from India and UK. He has published more than 50 papers in print and online journals. He is a Neuroscience editor and peer-reviewer of WebmedCentral. He has posted more than 300 Neuroscience videos online, accompanied by his running commentaries. He is currently writing a Neuroscience book for medical students. He has presented papers in more than 10 international forums. He holds a provisional patent from USPTO on a computerized program for staging 26 human cancers.

Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder

In 1993 Kerensa started her study nutrition and dietetics in Amsterdam. After finishing the bachelor in 1997, she continued with a master degree nutrition and food management at Huddersfield University in the UK. From 2000 until 2005 she worked as a PhD student at Wageningen University on the biophysics of unfolding, refolding and aggregation of food related proteins. Her first postdoctoral work was at the Medical Research Council – Laboratory of Molecular Biology in the Neurobiology department in Cambridge, UK. This work focused on fatty acid – a-synuclein interactions employing both biophysics and cell culture as research tools. Her second postdoc was at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) in Belgium where she started working on the role of amyloid beta peptide in Alzheimer’s disease. Here she also obtained an Odysseus grant from the Belgian government and, as a result of that, was offered a position as assistant professor. Kerensa moved to her current position as an assistant professor at the University of Twente in March 2011. She prefers to spend her spare time in the dojo doing karate, travelling, gardening or reading.

Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, prion diseases

Dr. Hernández, Ph.D. has been studying traumatic brain injury (TBI) using basic and clinical neuroscience models since 1985. Her ongoing, extramurally funded research program assesses the degree to which recovery and functional outcome after TBI can be optimized in a variety of populations (Veterans, civilians, athletes). This includes conducting randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded trials of novel interventions, such as acupressure. This work is accomplished through her appointment as Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at CU Boulder, her appointment as a Senior Investigator and Research Psychologist in the Eastern Colorado Healthcare System, Rocky Mountain MIRECC (Mental Illness, Research, Education & Clinical Center) and through her role as one of the co-Directors of the PAPRR (Promoting Athlete Performance, Recovery and Resilience) Board at CU Boulder. She is also the Director of the CAIRR (Clinical Assessment of Injury, Recovery and Resilience) Neuroscience Laboratory.

Research is aimed at providing an experimental basis for improving clinical treatment following brain insult so that neurobehavioral function is optimized. We are currently accomplishing this via two tracks: one aimed at the initial post-injury period and a second focusing on the stable post-insult period

Dean Faculty of Pain Medicine 2015 – 2018. Consultant and Medical Director Pain Medicine, St. James’ Hospital, Dublin. Primary Investigator, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience. Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin. Editor: BJA; Continuing Medical Education. Pain Clinic, Blackrock Clinic 2004 – date. Graduated RCSI 1988. Trained in Ireland, UK and Karolinska Institute, Stockholm and Lund University Hospital, Sweden.

Spinal Neuronal,Chronic Pain, Cancer Pain

Hans von Holst received his Medical Doctor´s degree in 1976 and specialist in Neurosurgery 1982 at Karolinska University Hospital. In 1985 he earned his PhD and Associate Professorship in Neurosurgery, Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet. During 1991-1996 he was appointed as Chairman of the Dept of Neurosurgery and Division Manager of the Neuroclinics at Karolinska University Hospital, respectively. In 1995 he became Professor in Neuroengineering at the Royal Institute of Technology. He has published around 140 original papers in reputed journals, reviews and books and has been serving as an editorial board member in several journals.

traumatic brain injury and stroke

Ru-Rong Ji, Ph.D., is a professor of anesthesiology. He also serves as chief of pain research in the Department of Anesthesiology. He previously was an associate professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, before joining the Duke faculty in 2012. His research focuses on molecular and cellular mechanisms of chronic pain, such as inflammatory pain, neuropathic pain, and cancer pain. He is internationally recognized for his contributions to demonstrating critical roles of MAP kinase signaling pathways and glial cells in the pathogenesis of chronic pain. His recent work has demonstrated powerful antinociceptive actions of pro-resolution lipid mediators (e.g., resolvins). Dr. Ji lectures internationally and reviews papers for numerous international journals. He also serves on National Institutes of Health review panels and the editorial boards of Pain, Neuroscience, and Neuroscience Bulletin. Dr. Ji earned a Ph.D. in neurobiology at Shanghai Institute of Physiology and completed postdoctoral training at Peking (Beijing) University Medical School, Karolinska Institute, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He later joined Massachusetts General Hospital as an instructor.

Inflammatory pain, neuropathic pain, and cancer pain

After his BSc Honours and an MSc in theoretical mathematics, Professor Toro obtained a PhD in computational mathematics applied to fluid dynamics. Since then, much of his research has been centred on the numerical analysis of partial differential equations and aerospace, industrial, environmental and medical applications. He is author of almost 300 works and has received several awards, including two honorary doctorates and the honorary title OBE from her majesty The Queen Elizabeth II. Prof. Toro’s current research is focused on the bio-physics of neurological diseases and their potential link to venous haemodynamics and transport across the blood vessel wall

Neurodegenerative diseases

Mark S. Kindy, Ph.D. is Professor of Neurosciences at the Medical University of South Carolina, Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering at Clemson University, Adjunct Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of South Carolina, Adjunct Professor of Management and Entreprenurialism, School of Business, College of Charleston. He received his BA in zoology from the University of Massachusetts in 1980. Dr. Kindy received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Boston University School of Medicine from 1982-1987. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Salk Institute from 1987-1989 in Molecular Biology and Virology. From 1989-2002, Dr. Kindy was a faculty member in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky and rose from Assistant Professor to Full Professor. Dr. Kindy is currently the Admiral Pihl Endowed Professor in the Department of Neurosciences. Dr. Kindy is also a Research Career Scientist at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston. Dr. Kindy has served on many NIH, AHA, AA review panels, has reviewed for many journals and is currently on the editorial board of 10 journals. Dr. Kindy has over 140 peer reviewed publications and is funded by the NIH, VA , NSF and several foundations.

Neurological disorders