麻豆影院

Dynamic Duo

Dynamic DUOThis husband and wife neuroscience team is helping launch a new collaborative at 麻豆影院 State that aims to make Northeast Ohio a national center for brain health research.

By Dan Pompili

Even with all the advances of modern science, the brain still holds a myriad of mysteries. Two nationally known neuroscience researchers have joined 麻豆影院 State to continue their quest to uncover the brain鈥檚 complex functions鈥攁nd to collaborate with researchers from a wide range of disciplines at the university and across the region to advance our knowledge of the human brain and translate those discoveries into new treatments and care for brain and nervous system diseases.

In January, 麻豆影院 welcomed Michael Lehman, PhD, as the Brain Health Research Institute鈥檚 inaugural director, and his longtime collaborator and wife, Lique Coolen, PhD, a globally renowned neuroscientist, as the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Lehman and Coolen have built elite neuroscience programs everywhere they have worked, most recently at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, in Jackson, Mississippi.

There, Lehman served as a professor and chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences and as founding chairman of the board of the medical center鈥檚 Neuro Institute, and Coolen served as professor of physiology and neurobiology and anatomical sciences and as associate dean of postdoctoral studies in the School of Graduate Studies in Health Sciences.

The couple recently discussed their research, why they came to 麻豆影院 State and how their experiences will help them build success here, too.

To create an institute that bridges with other regional partners in academia and medicine is appealing.鈥 鈥 Michael Lehman, PhD, Director, BHRI

Building Bridges

鈥淚 want to be at places where I can make a difference,鈥 Lehman says. 鈥淭hat means looking for opportunities where I can contribute in different ways, and this was a unique opportunity.鈥

He says the vision 麻豆影院 State leaders presented made it an easy decision. 鈥淚 was impressed with the neuroscience community here having developed this idea for the Brain Health Research Institute (BHRI), and the senior leadership鈥檚 commitment,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hose things helped me in laying a framework for what I could do.鈥

Since his days at the University of Cincinnati鈥攚here he began his career and eventually became director of UC鈥檚 Neuroscience Graduate Program and vice chair for research鈥擫ehman has known KSU and some of its leaders, including James Blank, PhD, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and also a neurobiologist.

Lehman sees the Brain Health Research Institute as a means to draw in regional partners鈥攊ncluding Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), Cleveland Clinic and Akron Children鈥檚 Hospital鈥攖o build a network of collaborations that will expand 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 expertise beyond its campuses.

鈥淲hat I鈥檝e been able to accomplish before as a leader has been within a single university or academic medical center, and to create an institute that bridges with other regional partners in academia and medicine is appealing,鈥 he says. 鈥淭he other attractive thing is the impressive diversity and breadth of neuroscience research here, spanning not just science-based departments and social sciences, but also arts and humanities.鈥

麻豆影院 State鈥檚 research profile appealed to Coolen, too. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good match. There鈥檚 a lot of strength here in our areas鈥攏euroendocrinology, behavioral neuroscience鈥攁nd the opportunity to have colleagues who work in those areas,鈥 she says. 鈥淏eing on an undergraduate campus is attractive, as well. We are both educators鈥攊n the research lab as mentors and also in the classroom.鈥

Although Lehman and Coolen will not teach classes at 麻豆影院 State, they will contribute to the university鈥檚 dynamic new neuroscience curriculum, from undergraduate to PhD and postdoctoral training. (In conjunction with the expansion of the Brain Health Research Institute, 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences will offer a bachelor鈥檚 degree in neuroscience beginning in fall semester 2019.)

They also will maintain labs as fully funded researchers. 鈥淲e鈥檙e both passionate about what we do, and we鈥檙e both going to continue our research careers,鈥 Lehman says. 鈥淚n my leadership role, it鈥檚 important for me to still be an active researcher so I can continue to relate to the joys of research, as well as its challenges, on a personal level.鈥

Both specialize in neuroendocrinology and reproduction; Coolen has additional expertise in spinal cord injury and in the neural circuits responsible for drug addiction.

鈥淟ique and I consider ourselves integrative-level neurobiologists,鈥 Lehman says. We鈥檙e interested in how sets of neurons and pathways in the brain mediate basic aspects of physiology and behavior.鈥

Increasing Visibility

The husband and wife neuroscience researchers are perhaps best known for discovering KNDy (pronounced 鈥渃andy鈥) neurons鈥攁 group of cells that synthesize specific peptides in the hypothalamus, without which mammals are infertile.

Lehman has been consistently funded with at least two parallel National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants for more than 30 years; Coolen for more than 20. Most of their graduate students and postdocs also receive NIH training fellowships, including Aleisha Moore, PhD, who accompanied Lehman and Coolen from the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Lehman and Coolen work closely, holding weekly joint meetings of all grads and postdocs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like a mini NIH training grant, because trainees get to see different projects going on, different brain systems and learn a lot from what each other are doing,鈥 Lehman says.

In addition to their research and mentorship records, Lehman and Coolen鈥檚 r茅sum茅s boast memberships in several prestigious service positions.

Both are grant reviewers at the NIH and active in the Society for Neuroscience. Lehman just completed a term as chair of the NIH鈥檚 Integrative and Clinical Endocrinology and Reproduction (ICER) study section. He is also senior editor at the Journal of Neuroendocrinology; secretary of the international Pan American Neuroendocrine Society; a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, and the American Association of Anatomists.

麻豆影院 State neuroscience is based on understanding the healthy brain, and that鈥檚 where we complement other universities and institutions in Northeast Ohio whose neuroscience research is more focused on brain disease.鈥鈥 Lique Coolen, PhD, BHRI

He was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), the nation鈥檚 largest coalition of biomedical researchers, representing 29 scientific societies and over 130,000 researchers, and serving as the policy voice of biological and biomedical researchers.

鈥淎ll of this is about visibility,鈥 Lehman says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one reason I feel we can contribute here, because we bring a high level of recognition and distinction in our fields.鈥

Their service also brings experience they hope to leverage to help 麻豆影院 State generate visibility on its own.

鈥溌槎褂霸 State neuroscience is based on understanding the healthy brain, and we complement other universities and institutions in Northeast Ohio whose neuroscience research is more focused on brain disease,鈥 Coolen says.

鈥淎 goal for the BHRI is to enhance 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 national visibility, so that鈥檚 where our ties, our service on national committees, will help to further enhance our visibility and reputation on the national and even international platform.鈥
 

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Students in a Lab

Providing Opportunities

A vital element will be helping faculty develop projects and proposals across colleges and departments and with other institutions.

鈥淥ne of the goals of the BHRI is research career and development, preparing people in terms of grantsmanship, mentoring for grant prep at multiple agencies like NSF, NIH and DOD,鈥 Lehman says. 鈥淕etting researchers from different labs, departments and colleges to submit collaborative grants as multiple investigators is a start for planning larger-scale proposals.鈥

In this area, more of Coolen鈥檚 strengths come in. As associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, she is working with Douglas Delahanty, PhD, associate vice president for Research Faculty Development, on a professional development program for faculty and trainees, including grant-writing support.

鈥淭his will provide more opportunities to develop things that people would not be able to develop on their own within departments,鈥 Coolen says.

Another part of growing 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 research profile, Lehman and Coolen say, is making the BHRI a hub for partners and peers to learn and interact in multiple ways.

鈥淏HRI is planning its next neuroscience symposium for September 2020, and we鈥檙e hoping to attract a roster of internationally recognized neuroscientists for that,鈥 Lehman says. 鈥淲ith the experience that Lique and I bring from organizing international meetings and symposia, we hope to contribute to that effort as well.鈥

They also are working with the University Library on another resource. 鈥淢ichael Kavulic, director of Research Strategic Initiatives, and I have been involved with Ken Burhanna, dean of University Libraries, in developing a publication database, and using that to develop metrics that show co-authorships and collaborations, interactions in a Venn diagram, with a regional network approach,鈥 Lehman says.

鈥淚t鈥檚 useful for us to see our collaborators at other places and find places where there are opportunities we haven鈥檛 taken advantage of yet.鈥

Still to emerge is the completion of the new 鈥渢errace鈥 on the lower level of the Integrated Sciences Building, which will provide opportunities for researchers from other institutes and initiatives to collaborate with the BHRI across common spaces and shared equipment.

鈥淔or example, the shared core facilities, called 鈥榗ollaboratories,鈥 that we鈥檙e proposing to create will be a nexus for multidisciplinary research, similar to [麻豆影院 State鈥檚 recently launched] Design Innovation (DI) Hub.

鈥淭he shared core facilities, called 鈥榗ollaboratories,鈥 that we鈥檙e proposing to create will be a nexus for multidisciplinary research.鈥 鈥 Michael Lehman, PhD, Director BHRI

鈥淚n addition, together with colleagues in the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute (AMLCI) we hope to explore the possibility of growing biomaterials and neuromaterials research beyond what we鈥檙e doing right now.鈥

Ultimately, Lehman and Coolen say, a successful culture comes from successful conversations鈥攊n labs and in boardrooms.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important for us not just to have active collaborations with the other institutes and initiatives, but to be engaged with each other in discussing our policies, best practices and how we interact with departments and colleges,鈥 Lehman says. 鈥淚n this way, we can collectively have synergistic impact as we work to advance the research culture of 麻豆影院 State.

鈥淟ique and I are excited to be here. 麻豆影院 State is a remarkable and distinctive place, and we are delighted to be part of the effort, along with others, to transform the university and its research identity as we move into the future.鈥

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POSTED: Thursday, August 29, 2019 04:21 PM
Updated: Thursday, December 8, 2022 09:27 AM
WRITTEN BY:
Dan Pompili