October 18-20
Speakers and Performers
Michael Friedlander
Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Mental Health Research
Michael J. Friedlander, PhD, is the Founding Executive Director of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute (VTCRI) in Roanoke, VA, the Senior Dean for Research at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSoM), Professor of Biological Sciences and of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences at Virginia Tech (VT). His research programs on how the brain develops and responds to experience has been continuously supported by NIH for 30 years. Dr. Friedlander joined the VTCRI in June, 2010 following 5 years as the Robertson Professor of Neuroscience, Chairman of the Department of Neuroscience and Director of Neuroscience Initiatives at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, Texas. Prior to that, he served for 25 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine where he was Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Neurobiology, Founding Director of the Neurobiology Research Center, Director of the Mental Retardation Research Center, Director of the Civitan International Research Center for Intellectual Disabilities and the first Evelyn McKnight Professor of Learning and Memory in Aging.
Dr. Friedlander received his B.S. from Florida State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He did postdoctoral training at the University of Virginia and at State University of New York in Stony Brook. He is the founding president of the Association of Medical School Neuroscience Department Chairs (AMSNDC). He has served on the Administrative Board and as Chair of the Council of Academic Societies (CAS), on the Association of American medical Colleges (AAMC) Executive Board, on the Howard Hughes Medical Institute -AAMC Scientific Foundations of Future Physicians Task Force and on the AAMC National Research Advisory Panel. He also serves or has served on the scientific advisory boards of the Civitan International Research Center, the Mission Connect Foundation for Research in Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injury, the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, the University of Wisconsin Waisman Mental Retardation Research Center, on the Michael E. DeBakey Veteran’s Administration Medical Center Clinical Neurosciences Steering Committee as well as the Chair of the National Association of Mental Retardation Research Centers.
Dr. Friedlander is a recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in Neuroscience, an NIH Fogarty Center Senior International Research fellowship, a Lucille P. Markey Foundation Center Award, a W.M. Keck Foundation Center Award, the American College of Physicians’ William Menninger Award for Mental Health Research and the University of Illinois Distinguished Alumnus Award in Molecular and Integrative Physiology. He has held visiting Professorships at Oxford University, the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University and the University of Paris. In addition, Dr. Friedlander has served on various NIH and NSF panels, including as Chair of the NIMH Conte Mental Health Research Centers panel and as a regular member of the NSF Developmental Neuroscience Advisory Panel. He is the President of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (SEBM). In 2012, Dr. Friedlander was elected as a Distinguished Service member of the AAMC. He serves as the Associate Editor for the Neuroscience section of the Journal of Experimental Biology and Medicine as well as on the editorial board of the Journal of Neuroscience and of Eye and Brain.
Dr. Friedlander is married to Sandra Friedlander who worked in the telecommunications industry - they have five daughters, five grandchildren and one labradoodle.