2025 UVA Brain Retreat Hosts Nearly 200 Neuroscience Researchers On Grounds

Over 190 neuroscience researchers including UVA faculty, undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, postdoctoral researchers, and staff gathered last week at Newcomb Hall for the 2025 UVA Brain Retreat.  

The event featured presentations from UVA faculty on the following topics: 

• Doug Bayliss, Pharmacology - Molecular Physiology of Brainstem Respiratory Chemoreceptor Neurons
• John Campbell, Biology - Two Pedals, One Foot: Coordinating the Drive to Eat
• Sarah Kucenas, Biology - Phagocyte Cooperation During Neural Development: Astrocytes and Microglia as Partners in Soma Clearance
• Lori McMahon, Neuroscience - O-GlcNAc Modulation of Synaptic Transmission in Hippocampus
• Jennifer Payne, Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences - Biomarkers of Postpartum Depression: Moving toward Prevention of Mental Illness
• Jaideep Kapur, Neurology - A Scientific Bet Worth 30 Million Dollars 

In addition to research talks, 85 students, staff, and faculty presented posters for the 2025 Poster Contest. This year's poster contest winners were:

• Undergraduate: Emily Douglas - The Influence of Feeding Type on Language Development in Premature Infants
• Graduate: Ethan Nelson - Digital Organoid: A Biologically Inspired Neural Network for Image Classification
• Postdoctoral: Everett Altherr - Behavioral Outcomes in a Mouse Model of Febrile Status Epilepticus

In 2026, the Brain Institute plans to host a larger 2-3 day event with both external and UVA presenters, similar to the 2024 UVA Brain Symposium, and we want your suggestions for our next big event!