About

Over 2500 years ago, the Greek philosopher Hippocrates recognized that “only from the Brain springs our Pleasures our Feelings of Happiness, Laughter and Jokes, our Pain, our Sorrows and Tears……this same Organ makes us Mad or Confused, inspires us with Fear and Anxiety”.  Indeed, we have learned that every decision, emotion, artistic expression, philosophic thought and even spirituality is ultimately the result of computations conducted by billions of nerve cells that form the human brain.

Francis Crick, the founder of modern-day genetics who discovered the double helix remarked that “there is no scientific study more vital to man than the study to his own brain. Our entire view of the universe depends on it.”

Impairments of brain function, whether inherited or caused by trauma, infection, a tumor, stroke, or neurodegeneration are among the most debilitating diseases and collectively neurological illnesses are the leading cause for lost productivity and second leading cause of death word-wide*

The Department of Neuroscience at UVA’s School of Medicine is dedicated to gaining a better understanding of Brain function in Health and Disease, with the ultimate goal to inform future treatment and improve quality of life. Our researchers use multi-disciplinary approaches ranging from cell biology and genetics to biophysics and immunology and their work is at the cutting edge of biomedical discovery. Examples of diseases actively researched include Brain Tumors, Infection, Hearing loss, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke, Seizure disorders, Neurodevelopmental disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury, Huntington Disease and Alzheimer Dementia. Importantly, many of our investigators are neuroimmunologists and glial biologists who take a particular interest in the interaction between neurons and immune or glial cells, respectively. Being an academic research Department within the School of Medicine, our faculty take great pride in educating and inspiring the next generation of Neuroscientists and Academic Physicians. We are a very interactive and collaborative group of scientists, so whether you are an aspiring student, postdoc, faculty colleague, a member of the community or a potential donor wishing to support our mission, we invite you to reach out for conversation.

Diversity drives discovery. We are committed to the inclusion of scientists across all races, genders, ages, religions, and identities.

*GBD 2015 Neurological Disorders Collaborator Group. Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders during 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet Neurol. 2017 Nov;16(11):877-897).