We’re excited to announce that two members of our Depression Task Force recently received prestigious awards from the Society for Neuroscience, the largest society of professional neuroscientists in the world. Its annual meeting draws over 44,000 participants.
Huda Akil, PhD
Dr. Akil received the Julius Axelrod Prize for her enduring influence on the field. She is recognized for her major achievements in neuroscience as well as her exemplary efforts in mentoring young scientists.
Dr. Akil is Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry and the co-director of the molecular and behavioral Neuroscience Institute at the University of Michigan. Her research has transformed our understanding of the molecular, anatomical and behavioral mechanisms of mood and emotion.
Akil is also a founding member of the Depression Task Force and we have seen, first hand, how dedicated she is to guiding and encouraging the next generation.
Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD
Dr. Dzirasa received the highly competitive Young Investigator Award for outstanding contributions by a young neuroscientist. He is an associate professor of Psychiatry and a biomedical engineer at Duke University; he was recruited to the Depression Task Force this summer.
Dr. Dzirasa is recognized for his groundbreaking development of state-of-the-art experimental approaches that reveal the circuits and electrical states that may underlie depression.
The awards were presented over the weekend at the Society for Neuroscience annual conference in Chicago.
We congratulate Drs. Akil and Dzirasa and thank them for the extraordinary contributions to depression research.