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Dear faculty, staff and students,

On behalf of the �ǿմ�ý School of Medicine, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Congrong “Ron” Yu, PhD, as the new chair for the Department of Neurosciences.

The department’s faculty are known for using state-of-the-art techniques to study diverse aspects of the brain and its neurotransmission systems that include neural circuitry and stem cell plasticity, understanding the role of genes in circuit formation, synaptic function and how these systems lead to neurological disorders as well as methods to understand the anatomical, biochemical, computational and behavioral functions of the normal and developing nervous system. 

The department has a long history of exceptional training in graduate, postdoctoral and undergraduate students earning bachelor's of science, master’s or PhD degrees.

Dr. Yu is planning to maintain and expand expertise and training of the department. He will also oversee the school’s Brain Health Collective that brings together researchers from across disciplines, schools, institutes and Cleveland's academic medical centers—Cleveland Clinic, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, MetroHealth System and University Hospitals. The goal of the collective is to build translational programs from basic to clinical that integrate discovery science with interest in applications to patient diagnosis and therapeutics. 

A leading authority on the complex neural circuitry of behavior, with specific focus on the mammalian olfactory system, Yu’s research explores on a systems level how different molecules and genes contribute to the circuitry that allows animals to perceive and understand the world. Yu most recently served as an investigator at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Missouri, and a professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Cell Biology and Physiology in Kansas City, Kansas.

“I am honored to become chair of the �ǿմ�ý Department of Neurosciences, with its long history of success and many prominent neuroscientists,” he said. “To be able to step into their shoes and further the work of the department is a very exciting opportunity.” 

A highly funded researcher, Yu is currently supported with three National Institutes of Health R01s. He has combined molecular genetics, electrophysiology, optical imaging and studies of animal behavior to explore the development and function of the nervous system. 

Yu earned his PhD in molecular, cellular and biophysical studies from Columbia University, working in the lab of Lorna Role on ion channels. He continued his postdoctoral training at Columbia working with Richard Axel—Axel was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2004 for identifying odorant receptors. A discussion about the “molecular shenanigans” Axel employed to remove cell types from the nervous system by deleting certain transcription factors inspired Yu to investigate the switch-like nature of transcription factors as they interact with neurons in the brain. 

“Once we understand the fundamental neurobiology and circuit function of the brain, we have the golden opportunity to translate that knowledge to discoveries and clinical applications related to aging, mental health and diseases including Alzheimer’s disease,” Yu said.

Using molecular, cellular, systems and behavioral approaches, the �ǿմ�ý neurosciences department investigates nervous system development and function in health and disease, as well as the mechanisms underlying responses to injury and regeneration.

Please join us in welcoming Ron Yu to his new role and to Cleveland. We look forward to his guidance and expertise as we advance the impact of basic and translational neurosciences research to improve human health.

Sincerely,

Stan Gerson, MD 

Dean, �ǿմ�ý School of Medicine

Director, National Center for Regenerative Medicine