undergraduates, a requirement for all research faculty members in the Biomedical Sciences Department.
S P O T L I G H T : BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DR. PAUL GASSER Gasser studies brain regulation of stress responsiveness. His research is aimed at identifying how stress-induced hormones known as corticosteroids alter cognitive function motivation and sensory processing and how faulty regulation of these hormones can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder, depression and drug abuse. Gasser appreciates the enhanced creativity that comes from a collaborative working environment, where faculty scientists share new ideas and feedback. There’s a practical application as well. “In the present grant economy, collaborative projects are much more likely to get funded,” he says. “Agencies like the National Institutes of Health have been impressed by our research environment and our strong drive to work together to get questions answered.” 9
S P O T L I G H T : BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DR. M. BEHNAM GHASEMZADEH Ghasemzadeh remembers the exact date and time he joined the faculty at Marquette. “It was Oct. 2, 2002, at 10 a.m.,” he says. “I remember because there was a faculty meeting. I came in and went directly to the meeting.” Ghasemzadeh felt an immediate connection and knew he had found a place where he could thrive. “It was an up-and-coming department, developing in the direction of neuroscience, with a vibrant, progressive faculty enthusiastic about building a strong research environment. I felt like I was in the right place at the right time.”
“Teaching is my contribution to the next generation of neuroscientists and clinicians,” says Ghasemzadeh. “I expect a substantial contribution from the undergraduates who work in my lab. They’re not washing beakers; they’re designing studies and carrying out experiments. It’s easily graduate-level or higher work in many cases.”
Teaching is my contribution to the next generation of neuroscientists and clinicians.
Research in Ghasemzadeh’s lab focuses on understanding the neurobiology of addiction and schizophrenia, studying issues like plasticity in glutamate receptors. Ghasemzadeh is also co-founder of AviMed Pharmaceuticals, a startup company dedicated to generation of central nervous system pharmaceuticals through drug repurposing. With two distinct pharmaceutical companies developing from the department, both focusing on drug development to treat schizophrenia, it would be common to assume some level of competition. Ghasemzadeh doesn’t see it that way. “Schizophrenia is not a simple disease — there’s not one cause, and there are many ways it is manifested,” he says. “With two companies, we can approach the disease and provide treatment from different angles. “Success is based solely on developing the science. If we hold that as the criteria, then there is no competition; it doesn’t make sense to compete.” 9
Having come from a larger institution, Ghasemzadeh was also drawn to the idea of teaching and working with
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