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Sept. 24, 2025
Multi-institutional researchers offer first look at early data on childhood brain development
Researchers from across the nation, including Virginia Tech scientists, have made the first release of data from the nation’s largest long-term study of early brain and child development.
The effort, called the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study Consortium, unites researchers from 27 institutions across the country to explore influences on human brain development in utero and during childhood.
In the western Virginia area, the research team is in the process of recruiting 300 pregnant women and following them and their babies through age 10, according to Brittany Howell, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, who is leading the Virginia Tech arm of the study.
“We’ve had just over 1,000 visits,” Howell said. “This is a 10-year long-study, and just being able to involve them for two whole years is amazing.”
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From molecules to mind: Leading scientists share health insights , articleTopics for the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Pioneers in Biomedical Research lecture series include the effects of alcohol on smell and taste, habits of a healthy brain, exercise and the aging heart, and time-restricted eating.
Creating a healthier future. For everyone.
The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is one of the nation’s fastest-growing academic biomedical research enterprises and a destination for world-class researchers. The institute’s Virginia Tech scientists focus on diseases that are the leading causes of death and suffering in the United States, including brain disorders, heart disease, and cancer. Since its founding in 2010, the research institute has experienced unprecedented growth: doubling its enterprise and lab facilities in Roanoke, while also investing in brand-new laboratories on the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C.
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Redirect ItemAcademic Minute: How mice and maybe humans deal with stressful situations , redirect Date: Sep 03, 2025 -
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Organization and Control of Hippocampal Networks , homeOct. 17, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Ivan Soltesz, Ph.D., James R. Doty Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurosciences, Stanford University | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Neurobiology Research
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Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture , homeOct. 30, 2025, 5:30 p.m. (Reception at 5 p.m.) | Jennifer Munson, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Cancer Research Center — Roanoke, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute; Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech College of Engineering | Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture
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Thinking the Right Thoughts , homeOct. 31, 2025, 11 a.m. | Nathaniel Daw, Ph.D., Professor, Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Princeton University | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Human Neuroscience Research
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Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture , homeNov. 6, 2025, 5:30 p.m. (Reception at 5 p.m.) | Teresa Lambe, Ph.D., OBE, Calleva Head of Vaccine Immunology, Professor of Vaccinology and Immunology, University of Oxford | Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture
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Understanding Vascular Morphogenesis and Morphology: Live Insights from Zebrafish , homeNov. 21, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Arndt F. Siekmann, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania | Co-Sponsored by the Center for Vascular and Heart Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
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The Metabolic Switch in Development and Degeneration , homeDec. 12, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Elizabeth Jonas, M.D., Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Internal Medicine (Endocrinology), Yale School of Medicine | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Neurobiology Research
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