Dr. Joana M. Gil-Mohapel obtained her B.Sc. in Biochemistry and her M.Sc. in Cell Biology at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. She then completed her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Lund University, Sweden, followed by four years of post-doctoral training and two years as a Research Associate at the University of Victoria, Canada. She is currently an Assistant Teaching Professor and the Associate Director of Curriculum Years 1 and 2 for the Undergraduate Medical Program at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Her research interests include gaining a better understanding of how the brain is affected by
neurodevelopmental disorders such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Fragile-X Syndrome, neurodegenerative conditions such as Huntington’s disease, aging, and whether different therapies aimed at promoting brain function (such as the use of endogenous stem cells) can be of therapeutic value. Her
research has been funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, and the Brazilian Federal Government Science Without Borders Program. She has co-authored over 70 publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, 22 book chapters, and 30 conference abstracts on these topics.
Ana Lucia S. Rodrigues is a Professor at Federal University of Santa Catarina. She holds an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy (Clinical Analysis) from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, and a Doctoral degree in Biochemistry from the Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR). Her research is aimed at investigating the mechanisms involved in the antidepressant activity of neuromodulators, vitamins, natural and synthetic products, and physical exercise in animal models of depression and models of comorbidity, depression, and neurodegenerative diseases.
