Dr. Maha Saber is an Evelyn F. McKnight post-doctoral fellow in Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease and the Translational Neurotrauma Research Program at the University of Arizona. Dr. Saber is mentored by multiple experts in Alzheimer’s disease and brain injury, and works directly with Dr. Jonathan Lifshitz. Dr. Saber’s research focuses on the effects of brain injury-induced central and peripheral inflammation and their role in neurodegeneration. Dr. Saber will be traveling to Lund University to work with Dr. Niklas Marklund to develop and test a protocol to quantify synaptosomes by flow cytometry. The project will evaluate whether remote ischemic conditioning can reduce neuroinflammation and synaptic reorganization after brain injury. This technique can be extended to mechanisms of rehabilitation and therapeutic interventions for TBI recovery. During Dr. Saber’s time in Sweden, she will be mentored by many other world-class scientists at the Lund Brain Injury Laboratory for Neurosurgical Research. She will exchange ideas with researchers at the institute and receive feedback on experimental design, specifically focused on clinical needs.

Dr. Ursula Rohlwink is a Neuroscience Lecturer and Fellow in the Neuroscience Instiute and Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa. She focusses on translational neuroscience research that is driven by clinical imperatives. Under the mentorship of Professor Anthony Figaji, Head of the Paediatric Neurosurgery Unit at UCT and President of the International Neurotrauma Society (INTS), her work has examined the cerebral immune response, perturbations in intracranial dynamics following injury, and biomarkers of brain injury. The NNS WiNTR Visa Award will offer Dr Rohlwink the exciting opportunity to learn novel skills and gain further insights into neuroinflammation at a cellular level. Dr Sujatha Kannan’s Lab at John’s Hopkins Medical Institute has a strong foundation in basic science research of various paediatric neuropathologies, including traumatic brain injury (TBI). There Dr Rohlwink will learn techniques to isolate and stimulate monocytes derived from paediatric TBI patients to elucidate mechanistic data behind the immune and cell death responses. Microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain, stem from the same lineage as monocytes, which are the key first line immune responders. Isolation and study of monocyte responses is a great opportunity to examine the early peripheral immune response, as well as gain insight into how microglia are likely to respond. Furthermore, these techniques will offer new avenues of research in other forms of brain injury. As an emerging career researcher and newly appointed Fellow of the UCT Neuroscience Institute this award will enable Dr Rohlwink to build capacity within her research group, to strengthen existing collaborations with John’s Hopkins University and open doors for further work and cross-pollination in neurotrauma and other mutual research areas.

Dr. Susana R. Cerqueira is currently a postdoctoral associate at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami. Important safety and efficacy clinical trials are currently ongoing at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis involving Schwann cell transplantation into spinal cord injured subjects. While part of Mary Bunge’s laboratory, Dr. Cerqueira’s research has focused on investigating the potential of combination treatments to be used with SC transplantation after spinal cord injury and maximize its efficacy. Particular focus has been given to enhance transplanted SC survival and to lure regenerating axons to extend and reconnect with the spared tissue. With the 2017 WiNTR-VISA award, Dr. Cerqueira attended and presented two posters at the National Neurotrauma Society Symposium in Snowbird, Utah. She will also use the WiNTR-VISA Award to visit Professor Frank Bradke’s laboratory in Bonn, Germany, at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE). Dr. Frank Bradke is pioneering investigation of axon growth mechanisms using imaging cutting-edge techniques. The goal of this international collaboration is to refine Dr. Cerqueira’s expertise in advanced imaging of regenerating axons, and use it in her immediate and future research. In addition to hands-on training, Dr. Cerqueira will have the opportunity to network with various researchers at DZNE, discuss her current and future research projects, and also debate career progression plans with diverse senior scientists.

The winner for 2014 is Dr. Patricia Washington from Georgetown University. In addition to attending the upcoming 32nd Annual NNS Symposium in San Francisco, Dr. Washington will participate in on-site collaborative research at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, UK, in the neurotrauma research laboratory of Dr. William Steward. The award will be locally recognized during the NNS Awards Ceremony on Wednesday July 2nd. Please join us to congratulate Dr. Washington on her achievement!