BHI Launches New Brain Health Educational Content on Website & Social Media | | We’re excited to launch a new educational content, including a video series aimed at helping the lay public better understand key topics in brain health and neuroscience. Our first topic is on fentanyl, as it is one of the most searched words in the field of substance use disorders. As part of this series, we are inviting faculty at the Brain Health Institute to share insights from clinical, research, and policy perspectives. Please reach out to Lily Zhang (lily.zhangty@rutgers.edu) if you are interested in contributing to this series. In the first video in this series, Dr. Ethan Cowan, Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at NJMS, Associate Director of Treatment & Recovery at the Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC) in the BHI, and Core Member of BHI, offers a clinical overview of fentanyl. He explains what fentanyl is, how dependence differs from addiction, and why medication-assisted treatment is a critical tool in saving lives. Watch the video. |
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Beyond Mental Health Awareness Month:
A Conversation with Dr. Anna Konova
| | | | Mental health conditions affect one in five Americans, yet effective care remains out of reach for many. Dr. Anna Konova, co-Director of the Rutgers-Princeton Center for Computational Cognitive Neuro-Psychiatry (CCNP) in the BHI, reveals how addiction fundamentally alters decision-making in the brain, making relapse prevention particularly challenging. By uncovering these neurological patterns through interdisciplinary research, her work points the way to personalized, predictive care solutions. Read more about Dr. Konova’s groundbreaking research and the promising future of neuroscience-informed treatments. Learn more |
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FDA Clears Blood Test for Alzheimer’s:
Commentary from Dr. Michal Schnaider Beeri
| | | | The FDA has approved the LumipulseⓇ blood test, the first-ever diagnostic blood test for Alzheimer’s disease. This is a turning point in dementia care, offering a faster, less invasive, and more accessible method for detecting amyloid plaques and tau tangles, the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s pathology. Dr. Michal Schnaider Beeri, Director of the Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Research Center in the BHI, commented that the blood test marks a major milestone in efforts to diagnose the disease more easily. Learn more |
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Dr. Jennifer Mulle Promoted to Full Professor
Dr. Mulle, faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology at RWJMS and Vice-Chair of the BHI Neurodevelopment Focus Area Working Group (ND-FAWG), studies the genetic etiology of schizophrenia. Learn more
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Dr. Huaye Zhang Promoted to Full Professor
Dr. Zhang, a BHI member and faculty member in the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, studies polarity determinants in synaptic plasticity and neurodegeneration. Learn more
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Dr. Bonnie Firestein Promoted to Distinguished Professor and Published Study in Science Advances
Dr. Firestein, a BHI member and faculty member in the Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience at Rutgers-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences, studies the role of guanine metabolism in neuronal development and recovery after injury. Her new study, published in Science Advances, reveals a critical role for the brain protein cypin in maintaining strong connections between brain cells, essential for learning and memory. Learn more
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Maia Choi Named Vice-Chair of BHI Postdoctoral Alliance Working Group (PAWG)
Maia Choi, a fifth-year graduate student in the Behavioral Systems and Neuroscience Program in the Department of Psychology, has been named Vice-Chair of BHI's PAWG. Maia is a member of Dr. Danielle Dick’s Translational Psychiatric Genetics Lab, where her research focuses on the genetic influences on externalizing and substance use behaviors using deeply phenotyped, large-scale longitudinal datasets. Learn more
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BHI Core member and Associate Director in RARC, Dr. Kristina Jackson, Awarded T32 Grant to Launch Postdoctoral Program in Alcohol Research
The grant from NIAAA will provide training in the etiology and consequences of alcohol involvement across the lifespan. The interdisciplinary training program will be led by a core team of 11 faculty mentors affiliated with the Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC) in the BHI. These faculty are from across Rutgers and have active NIH funding portfolios and successful mentoring histories. Learn more
| | Claim your minute (and possibly more) of fame!! If you want to share any news (e.g., awards, grants, publications, patents, donor gifts) in future monthly newsletters, please send them to Lily Zhang (lily.zhangty@rutgers.edu) or use this Microsoft form to submit your news. We will also push these out on social media. So don’t be shy! Share your good news with us! We would love to hear from you!! | | New Event Calendar Aggregator on the BHI Website | We encourage the Rutgers Neuroscience community to add their neuroscience and brain health research-related events to the Event Calendar on the BHI website. To put your events on the BHI website Event calendar, BHI has obtained an event calendar aggregator software that can pull events you post on a shared Outlook or Google calendar created by BHI. If you’d like instructions on how to add your event, or if you have any questions, please contact Lily Zhang (lily.zhangty@rutgers.edu) to request access to the shared BHI Event Outlook or Google Calendar. Learn more |
| New Banner Ad Opportunities on the BHI Website | We’ve launched a new banner ad section on the BHI website to help faculty and trainees promote events, study recruitment, job openings, and news announcements. With monthly traffic projected to reach 10,000 visitors, and placements on the most-visited pages, your message will gain high visibility across Rutgers and beyond. Your ad will reach not only the Rutgers community but also external experts, prospective students, and potential collaborators and donors who visit the site. We will assist with designing engaging graphics and placing your announcement on high-traffic pages across the site. If you are interested in featuring your announcement, please contact Lily Zhang (lily.zhangty@rutgers.edu). Advertise with us |
| Human Neuroscience Trainee Seminar Series: 2025–2026 Sign-Up & End-of-Year Survey | | As we are nearing the end of the first year of the seminar series, we are gathering feedback to help us improve and sustain the program in future years. Please complete the survey before it closes at the end of August. The sign-up sheet for the 2025–2026 Seminar Series is now open. All graduate students and postdoctoral scholars studying human neuroscience are welcome to present. Complete the Survey or Sign Up | | BHI Postdoctoral Alliance Working Group (PAWG) Trainee Information Collection Form | | The PAWG is dedicated to all Rutgers trainees in neuroscience, brain, and mental health research. Please complete this survey to help us build a trainee database for sharing opportunities and compiling useful anonymous stats for your grant and fellowship applications. Complete the Survey | | BHI Announcements & Opportunities | | |
2025-2026 BHI Trainee Travel Awards
We are pleased to announce the BHI Fall 2025 trainee travel award for Rutgers PhD, MD/PhD students and Post-docs from labs engaged in neuroscience and mental health research. BHI will provide $500 awards to help offset the cost of attending a national or international conference related to neuroscience or mental health research during the current calendar year (i.e., by December 31, 2025). Submit all materials by August 15. Learn more
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New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Funding Opportunities
The New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury is announcing their Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2026. The estimated amount of money in the grant program available for all grant categories in the 2026 grant cycle is $6 million. Learn more
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BHI Funding Opportunities Newsletter
We are excited to launch a new monthly Funding Opportunities email! Each month, we will share a curated selection of federal (NIH) and non-federal (private and nonprofit) funding opportunities relevant to neuroscience, brain health, and mental health research. Visit our website to explore the full list and discover more funding opportunities. Learn more
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BHI Motivational and Affective Neuroscience FAWG Mock Grant Review Program
The BHI and the RARC are pleased to announce the mock grant review program at Rutgers University. The primary objective of this program is to increase the success of grant proposals submitted to NIH by Rutgers investigators from the BHI and/or the RARC. Learn more
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TMS-EEG Study of Eye Movements and Memory
The Brain Modulation & Control Lab is recruiting paid volunteers to perform computer-based tasks while recording electroencephalography (EEG) data and applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to study brain dynamics related to eye movement tasks. Learn more
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Brazilian Aging in New York - New Jersey (BRAINY-NJ) Study
The project investigates risk and resilience factors for mental/brain health and dementia in Brazilian immigrants (55+ years old), a growing Latino population underrepresented in health-related research in the U.S. Participants may receive up to $125 for compensation. Learn more
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Alzheimer’s Risk Among South Asian Populations
The study aims to understand the characteristics that may place South Asian populations at heightened risk for Alzheimer's disease and seeks to recruit individuals with ethnic or racial backgrounds from South Asian countries, aged 45-70, who have one or more parents with AD. Learn more
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IFPR – Rutgers Research Collaboration
The RARC is partnering with the Institute for Prevention and Recovery (IFPR) to establish a streamlined process for collaboration among Rutgers researchers who want to partner with RWJBarnabas to analyze substance use disorder outcome data and/or implement new studies in the health system. Learn more
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Rutgers Research Community Partnership (RCP)
The RCP, overseen by the RARC, is a central enrollment hub for community members to participate in Rutgers research projects, and for researchers to recruit for their studies. By signing up for the RCP, individuals agree to be contacted by approved researchers to participate in projects. Learn more
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Join the ADRD Research Center Community
The Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center in 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. Learn more
| | Join us and make a lasting impact in neuroscience research and education. Discover current opportunities to advance your career and collaborate with leading experts at Rutgers. View all open positions here | |
- Director of Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education and Services (RUCARES) at BHI
- Director of Neurotechnology Innovation Center at BHI
- Director of Center on Research in Pain and Pain Therapeutics at BHI
- Open Rank Associate Professor/Professor in Data Science
- Human Neuroimaging Faculty Position in Alzheimer’s Disease
- Tenure-Track Faculty Position in Early Intervention Research in Autism
- Human Neuroimaging Faculty Positions
- Postdoctoral Associate in the Addiction Neuroimaging, Motivation, and Interventions (ANMI) Lab
| | If you want to share any opportunities (e.g., open positions, grants, surveys) in future monthly newsletters, please send them to Lily Zhang (lily.zhangty@rutgers.edu) or use this Microsoft form to submit your opportunities. | | | | |
ASN/ISN conference
The International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN) and the American Society for Neurochemistry (ASN) will host the ISN-ASN 2025 Meeting at the Javitz Center in New York City. The Meeting will encompass important and emerging concepts in the field of neurochemistry. Learn more
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BHI JFWG NIH Grant Writing Workshop
The BHI Junior Faculty Working Group is sponsoring a grant-writing workshop, delivered by AtKisson Training Group, for junior faculty looking to get concrete guidance on how to prepare R01-level grants for the NIH. The workshop will be held in person over two half-days and will be highly interactive. Register now
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Rutgers Addiction Research Center (RARC) Fall Symposium
The symposium brings together researchers, clinicians, and community partners to share new findings and innovative approaches in addiction science. It is an opportunity to connect with experts across disciplines and explore the future of addiction research at Rutgers. The program will feature a keynote address by Dr. Huda Akil, invited presentations, research sessions, a panel on translating evidence into practice, and a poster session. Abstracts are being accepted for both oral presentations and posters—apply by August 5. Register now
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NJACE and Rutgers Center for Autism Research, Education, & Services (RUCARES) Symposium
We aim to bring together leading local and national researchers and physicians in the field of autism and related areas. Keynote speakers are Dr. Dorothea Lerman, Director of the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities at the University of Houston, Clear Lake, and Dr. Sara Jane Webb, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscientist at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Learn more
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2025 BHI 11th Annual Symposium
Join us for a day of discovery and connection as we highlight the five BHI centers and hear cutting-edge talks by Rutgers neuroscience faculty and trainees. The keynote speaker is Moses V. Chao, PhD, Professor of Cell Biology, Neuroscience & Physiology, and Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center. Learn more
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Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center Symposium
Save the date for the ADD Center’s Annual Symposium – bringing together leading researchers, clinicians, and members of the ADRD community. Learn more
| | If you want to feature any news, opportunities, and events in future monthly newsletters, please send them to Lily Zhang (lily.zhangty@rutgers.edu) or use this Microsoft form to submit your news. Thank you for your cooperation and support! | | | | |
