In 2024, the Brain Health Institute (BHI) marks its 10th Anniversary, highlighting a decade of significant growth and achievements. Since its establishment in 2014, BHI has evolved into an internationally recognized center for basic, translational, and clinical research into the biological bases of human brain function and dysfunction. We look forward to celebrating BHI’s anniversary with many upcoming exciting events and activities!  

The BHI is embarking on a planning and priority-setting process to develop a strategic plan that will guide the Institute’s growth and success for years to come. We will review our mission and values and envision the BHI of the future, setting priorities to serve the membership and fuel further expansion. In Fall 2023, we assembled a Strategic Planning Committee to steer this process and began engaging the membership at all levels during the BHI Symposium in November.

We are requesting your insights and observations regarding our mission, vision, and core values. Your responses to the survey will help to inform how we best serve our members, engage with one another, and pursue our core areas of focus as an Institute. If you can, please complete this survey by Friday, February 9, before our first town hall. However, if you miss this deadline, the survey will remain open for continued feedback.

BHI invites all faculty and trainees (undergrads, grads, postdocs….) interested in neuroscience and brain health to help develop its next strategic plan. Please join us at the virtual townhall meeting in February to provide ideas about how you would like BHI to support your research, clinical and academic endeavors. Kindly RSVP to let us know if you will be able to attend the virtual townhalls. Thank You!

• Faculty Townhall #1 for early risers: Wed, Feb 7th at 9 AM
• Faculty Townhall #2 for the rest of us: Thur, Feb 8th at 4 PM
• Trainee Townhall: Wed, Feb 14th at 4 PM

Dr. Sabine Hilfiker, Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, published a new paper, “A potential patient stratification biomarker for Parkinson´s disease based on LRRK2 kinase-mediated centrosomal alterations in peripheral blood-derived cells”, in npj Parkinson's Disease.

Dr. Hoda Gebril, Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, and Dr. Prabhas Moghe, Distinguished Professor and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, published a new paper, "Nanotechnology for microglial targeting and inhibition of neuroinflammation underlying Alzheimer’s pathology", in Translational Neurodegeneration.

Dr. Danielle Dick, Greg Brown Endowed Chair and Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Rutgers Addiction Research Center at the Brain Health Institute, shared insights on the health effects of Dry January and whether cutting back on alcohol for a month can yield long-term benefits. 

Jaclyn Eisdorfer, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Victoria Abraira's lab, received a two-year fellowship through Rutgers University's Diversity Initiative. Fellows will receive a $65,000 annual salary, $10,000 in discretionary research funds per year, a dedicated workspace, access to a university computer, health benefits, and a dedicated mentor. Jaclyn’s project title is “Identifying endogenous biomarkers that can be leveraged as predictive indicators and therapeutic targets for enhancing recovery following spinal cord injury”.

The New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence (NJACE) at BHI’s CSH-RUCARES announces funding opportunities for two $150,000 seed grants. One seed grant will support interdisciplinary research that will form the basis of a future federal center or multiple principal investigator grant. The second seed grant will support an interdisciplinary training grant that will form the basis of a future large federal interdisciplinary training grant. The deadline for the Letter of Intent is February 5. The Application deadline is March 29.

The New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence (NJACE) aims to help New Jersey researchers connect with individuals with autism and their families who may be interested in participating in research. We anticipate funding up to four seed grants with a maximum of $2,000 per award. Please complete the request form and submit it to Hnorris@childrensspecialized.org to be considered for funding.

The newly established Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center at BHI will serve as a hub for collaboration, innovation, and transformative research, with the mission of making meaningful strides in the prevention, diagnosis, and care of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD). If you are interested in learning more or collaborating with the center, please submit the form to provide your contact information.

Two full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate positions are available in Dr. Kristina Jackson’s laboratory at the Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC). Candidates will have the opportunity to make contributions to ongoing grant-funded studies at Rutgers and collaborating sites while also developing their own research careers. 

Auditory Neuroscience Research Initiative (RANRI)

The BHI and the Dept. of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, RWJMS are recruiting a tenured or tenure track faculty member at the Associate or Full Professor level to expand our research portfolio in auditory neuroscience, broadly defined to include animal- or human subjects-based research programs. The successful candidate must have a PhD, MD, or equivalent doctoral degree as well as a research program with currently active federal funding addressing key questions regarding auditory neuroscience.

Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center

The Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center at BHI seeks a neuroimaging leader for a tenure-track position at the Associate or Full Professor level, a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist with clinical experience in caring for persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, and a neuropsychologist with a research career devoted to the neuropsychology of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.

Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC)

The BHI, RARC, and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine are recruiting a tenure-track faculty member at the Associate or Assistant Professor level with expertise in addiction, substance use, or overdose. We are particularly interested in candidates with research programs in opioid and/or alcohol addiction.

Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education and Services (RUCARES)

The BHI, RUCARES, and Department of Pediatrics at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) are seeking a tenure-track assistant or associate professor for a clinical research program focused on improving interventions for young children with autism spectrum disorder. 

Center for Advanced Human Brain Imaging Research (CAHBIR)

The CAHBIR is recruiting for multiple faculty positions at all levels (Assistant/Associate/ Professor). We seek investigators who use innovative MRI approaches to image human brain structure and function. Individuals who utilize additional approaches such as EEG, tDCS, and rTMS to study human brain function would also be attractive.