Neuroimmune Interactions in Neurodevelopment: Implications for Long-term Health

Dr. Staci Bilbo is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Neurobiology, and Cell Biology at Duke University whose research is broadly focused on the mechanisms by which the immune and endocrine systems interact with the brain to impact health and behavior, particularly during critical developmental windows. Her research program is primarily aimed at exploring the mechanisms by which innate central nervous system immune cells - microglia - and signaling molecules such as cytokines and chemokines, influence both normal and abnormal brain development, and the implications for (mal)adaptive behavioral outcomes later in life, including a focus on neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, but extending to later life neurodegeneration as well. Dr. Bilbo received her B.A. in Psychology and Biology from the University of Texas at Austin and her PhD in Neuroendocrinology at Johns Hopkins University. She was on the faculty at Duke University from 2007-2015 before she joined the faculty at Harvard where she served as the Lurie Family Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and as the Director of Research for the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. She returned to Duke in 2019 as the Haley Family Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, and maintains an appointment at MGH to continue her research collaborations in Boston and beyond. Link to join: https://duke.zoom.us/j/93942265633