News and Announcements

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Meghan Puglia
Announcement

Meet Meghan Puglia: UVA Brain Institute Director of Community Engagement

The University of Virginia Brain Institute announces the appointment of Meghan Puglia as Director of Community Engagement.
Tanya Evans
Announcement

Meet Tanya Evans: UVA Brain Institute Co-Director

Tanya Evans joins the Brain Institute as Co-Director, where she will lead initiatives to enhance collaboration and deepen engagement across UVA’s neuroscience community. Dr. Evans brings a deep commitment to fostering interdisciplinary partnerships and advancing team science approaches that accelerate discovery and translation.
fractured outline of man with injury spot on head
News

Why a mild brain injury can trigger Alzheimer’s

John Lukens, director of UVA’s Harrison Family Translational Research Center in Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases and his team discovered that even one mild traumatic brain injury can set off damaging changes, paving the way for the development of Alzheimer’s Disease.
UVA Today
Man in front of MRI
News

UVA, Military Researchers Seek Better Ways to Identify, Treat Blast-Related Brain Injuries

James Stone, MD, PhD, in UVA's department of Radiology & Medical Imaging, is helping lead studies to better identify and treat blast-related brain injuries in soldiers.
UVA Medicine in Motion

The Latest

Elizabeth Harrison

Meet Elizabeth Harrison, Assistant Professor of Neurology

Elizabeth Harrison is an Assistant Professor of Neurology whose research bridges neuroscience and women’s health. Her work focuses on improving care for women with epilepsy by exploring how neurological and reproductive health intersect, particularly the impact of antiseizure medications on hormonal contraceptives and pregnancy risk.
Brain graphic

2025 Transformative Neuroscience Pilot Grant Awards

The Brain Institute is pleased to announce the 2025 Transformative Neuroscience Pilot Grant awardees.
Three polaroid photos - two with couples, one with MRI brain

Why Alzheimer’s patients forget loved ones, and how UVA researchers are fighting back

New research led by Dr. Harald Sontheimer and graduate student Lata Chaunsali found that when protective structures around brain cells break down, people may lose the ability to recognize loved ones.
UVA Today
headshot

Postpartum Psychosis: International Experts Seek to Save Lives of Mothers, Babies

An international panel of leading women’s mental health experts – including UVA Health’s Jennifer Payne, MD – is calling to reclassify postpartum psychosis as its own category of mental illness to improve the care new mothers receive.
UVA Medicine in Motion
Brains with chemical diagram overlaid

Q&A: What new drug is the FDA reviewing to treat Parkinson’s disease?

Richard Mailman, professor of pharmacology and neuroscience, spoke with UVA Today about a major new drug treatment for Parkinson’s Disease.
UVA Today
Person with hair down in front of lab bench

Researchers Secure Major Grants to Study How Birth Shapes Mothers’ Health and Their Brains

Allison Perkeybile and Jessica Connelly, from the Department of Psychology, are leading groundbreaking studies that could transform our understanding of women’s brains across the pregnancy experience.
UVA A&S News
orange background, white brain, blue outlines

Missing molecule holds clues to Down syndrome

Ashley N. Brandebura, a new assistant professor of neuroscience, was part of the team whose research suggests a missing brain molecule may hold the key to understanding – and potentially treating – the faulty neural circuits seen in Down syndrome.
UVA Today
Lulu J

Lulu Jiang, MD, PhD, and Colleague Receive CureAlz Award for Research to Protect Synapses in Alzheimer’s Disease

Dr. Lulu Jiang, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, and collaborator will investigate how tau proteins contribute to synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease, a key driver of memory loss and cognitive decline.
UVA Medicine in Motion
Blue background, orange brain

Q&A: Is the medical community on the brink of a cure for Huntington’s disease?

Dr. Alex Dalrymple spoke with UVA Today about a new therapy that has been shown to slow the progression of the Huntington's Disease by 75% and why he says there’s room for “cautious optimism.
UVA Today
Kucenas presenting

Neurodevelopment Retreat | October 13, 2025

Learn more and RSVP for the 2025 Neurodevelopment Retreat on 10/13!