Chia-Yi (Alex) Kuan, MD, PhD, a professor of neuroscience at University of Virginia School of Medicine, will give a Suter Science Seminar at Eastern Mennonite University Wednesday, Nov. 13. The lecture, which begins at 4 p.m. in Suter Science Center, Room 106, is free and open to the public.
Kuan will speak about modeling cerebrovascular diseases in mice. Cerebrovascular disorders are a cause of death and disabilities from infants to the aged population. Better understanding the mechanisms using relevant animals may lead to better treatments of cerebrovascular disorders. Yet animal models do not mimic the full complexity of human disorders, but rather capture some aspects of them. Knowing the differences is critical for preclinical research. Kuan will share results from his lab to discuss the preclinical research on neonatal cerebral hypoxiaischemia and adult thrombotic stroke.
Kuan received the MD degree from National Taiwan University, and the PhD degree in neurobiology from Yale University. He has been a faculty and principal investigator since 2001, working at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (2001-2012), Emory University Department of Pediatrics (2012-2017), and University of Virginia, Department of Neuroscience (2018-present). Kuan serves on the editorial board of academic journals, and the National Institute of Health (NIH) study section. Besides pursuing biomedical research, Dr. Kuan enjoys reading and travels.
The next Suter Science Seminar is Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m. in Science Center 106, with Leah R. Johnson, PhD, assistant professor of computational modeling and data analytics at Virginia Tech. She will speak about Killer Mosquitoes: Predicting Vector Borne Disease Risks Now and in the Future.
The seminars are free and open to the public, and made possible by the sponsorship of the Daniel B. Suter Endowment in Biology and the co-sponsorship of supporting programs. Named in honor of long-time EMU biology professor, Daniel B. Suter (1920-2006), the Endowment in Biology was established in 1986 through the generous donations of alumni and friends and currently consists of over $1 million of invested funds. EMU hopes to double the Suter Endowment in order to more adequately support distinguished faculty and to increase scholarship aid to deserving students.