Rohan Hazra, MD
Director
Division of Extramural Research (DER)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Zoom conference
Talk title: “Pediatric Research at NIH and NICHD”
Spark Meetings are hosted by the Children and Youth Collaborative Network (CYCN)
Click here to register for meeting (required).
Short Bio: Dr. Rohan Hazra has served as director of the Division of Extramural Research (DER) at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) since March 2022, following two years as acting DER director. In 2026, he also served for five and a half months as acting director of NICHD.
DER is NICHD’s sole scientific extramural division and comprises 12 scientific branches spanning the breadth of the institute’s research portfolio. As DER director, Dr. Hazra provides strategic and scientific leadership for NICHD’s extramural research enterprise, including oversight of research priorities, scientific programs, research training, and career development. He works across the institute and with NIH and external partners to advance a broad portfolio of research addressing the health and development of children, families, and populations across the life course.
Before joining DER leadership, Dr. Hazra served as chief of NICHD’s Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch, where he led domestic and international research programs in pediatric and maternal infectious diseases. Prior to joining NICHD in 2007, he conducted clinical research in pediatric HIV in the National Cancer Institute’s intramural research program.
Dr. Hazra’s scientific background includes research on pediatric HIV, the long-term effects of HIV and its treatment, and clinical trials of antiretroviral therapies and treatment strategies, including studies conducted in resource-limited settings.
Dr. Hazra earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Yale University and a medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed a pediatric residency and fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at Boston Children’s Hospital and is board certified in both pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases.
Questions? Contact ChildrenYouthNetwork@wustl.edu.
The Children and Youth Collaborative Network (CYCN) is made possible by a Washington University Transcend Initiative Award. The CYCN aims to catalyze research by facilitating productive collaboration among those at WashU who have the same end goal, to improve the health and wellbeing of children and youth.
BMB Seminar: Itay Budin, PhD (UCSD)
McDonnell Sciences Building, Room 264, Biochemistry Seminar Room
4565 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
“Spying on the private life of lipids”
Itay Budin, PhD.
Associate Professor
Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
University of California San Diego
Location: 264 McDonnell Sciences, BMB Seminar Room, 2nd Floor
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 20, 2026 @ 10:30 a.m. CT
Host: Dr. Janice Robertson
Medicine Grand Rounds
Clopton Auditorium, Wohl Clinic
4950 Children's Pl, St. Louis, MO 63130
This lecture will be recorded and uploaded to the Department of Medicine website. CME and MOC will be available for individuals who are unable to attend in person.
Lunch will be available outside of the auditorium. In-person attendance is beneficial for the speaker, our trainees and faculty.
Charles W. Parker Lecture in Allergy & Immunology
Alam
Speaker –
Rafeul Alam, MD, PhD
Professor
Chief, Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology
Department of Medicine
National Jewish Health
Title –
“Asthma Endotyping for Precision Medical Care”
The CME department announced their transition to the CloudCME data management platform. This upgrade will streamline your CME experience with several key enhancements.
BMB Seminar: James Spudich, PhD (Stanford University)
McDonnell Sciences Building, Room 264, Biochemistry Seminar Room
4565 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
“Myosin, the Exquisite Nanomachine: From Amoebae to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Therapy”
James Spudich, Ph.D.
Professor | Biochemistry
Stanford University
Location: 264 McDonnell Sciences, BMB Seminar Room, 2nd Floor
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 27, 2026 @ 10:30 a.m. CT
Host: Dr. Michael Greenberg
Hope Center/Neurology Monday Noon Seminar
Jeremiah Cohen, PhD
Professor
Department of Neuroscience
University of Minnesota
Zoom/Fort Neuroscience Research Building Auditorium (1st floor, NRB; Medical Campus)
Talk title: “Structure and function of locus coeruleus norepinephrine neurons”
The Monday Noon Seminars are co-hosted by the WashU Hope Center for Neurological Disorders and Department of Neurology.
Mini-series: Brain States
Organizers: Yao Chen (WashU Neuroscience) and Donna Dierker (Wheelock and Benzinger labs, WashU Radiology)
- October 26: Sayaka Inoue (WashU Psychiatry)
- November 2: Jeremiah Cohen (University of Minnesota)
- November 9: Ravi Chopra (WashU Neurology)
- November 23: Nico Dosenbach (WashU Neurology)
Full schedule, Hope Center Monday Noon Seminars
For inquiries contact the Hope Center.
BMB Seminar: Vasanthi Jayaraman, PhD (University of Texas Health Houston)
McDonnell Sciences Building, Room 264, Biochemistry Seminar Room
4565 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
“Dynamics of glutamate receptors”
Vasanthi Jayaraman, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
University of Texas Health Houston
Location: 264 McDonnell Sciences, BMB Seminar Room, 2nd Floor
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 @ 10:30 a.m. CT
Host: Dr. Janice Robertson
BMB Seminar: Damian Ekiert, PhD (Johns Hopkins University)
McDonnell Sciences Building, Room 264, Biochemistry Seminar Room
4565 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
“Bridges, Tunnels, and Ferries: How bacteria move lipids between membranes”
Damian Ekiert, PhD
Associate Professor | Biology
Johns Hopkins University
Location: 264 McDonnell Sciences, BMB Seminar Room, 2nd Floor
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 10, 2026 @ 10:30 a.m. CT
Host: Dr. Eric Galburt
BMB Seminar: Jianfeng Cai, PhD (Purdue University)
McDonnell Sciences Building, Room 264, Biochemistry Seminar Room
4565 McKinley Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
“AApeptides: From Structure to Function”
Jianfeng Cai, PhD
Professor
Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Purdue University
Date/Time: Tuesday, December 1, 2026 @ 10:30 a.m. CT
Host: Dr. Weikai Li
Hope Center/Neurology Monday Noon Seminar
Shawn Ferguson, PhD
Professor
Department of Cell Biology
Yale University School of Medicine
Zoom/Fort Neuroscience Research Building Auditorium (1st floor, NRB; Medical Campus)
Talk title: “TBA”
The Monday Noon Seminars are co-hosted by the WashU Hope Center for Neurological Disorders and Department of Neurology.
Mini-series: Lysosomal Biology and Autophagy in Neuroscience
Organizers: Conrad (Chris) Weihl (WashU Neurology) and Samantha Swift (Karch lab, WashU Psychiatry)
- December 7: Conrad (Chris) Weihl (WashU Neurology)
- December 14: Patricia Dickson (WashU Pediatrics)
- January 11: Shawn Ferguson (Yale University)
- January 25: Marco Sardiello (WashU Pediatrics)
Full schedule, Hope Center Monday Noon Seminars
For inquiries contact the Hope Center.
Hope Center/Neurology Monday Noon Seminar
Marco Sardiello, PhD
Professor
Genetics & Genomic Medicine
WashU Pediatrics
Zoom/Fort Neuroscience Research Building Auditorium (1st floor, NRB; Medical Campus)
Talk title: “TBA”
The Monday Noon Seminars are co-hosted by the WashU Hope Center for Neurological Disorders and Department of Neurology.
Mini-series: Lysosomal Biology and Autophagy in Neuroscience
Organizers: Conrad (Chris) Weihl (WashU Neurology) and Samantha Swift (Karch lab, WashU Psychiatry)
- December 7: Conrad (Chris) Weihl (WashU Neurology)
- December 14: Patricia Dickson (WashU Pediatrics)
- January 11: Shawn Ferguson (Yale University)
- January 25: Marco Sardiello (WashU Pediatrics)
Full schedule, Hope Center Monday Noon Seminars
For inquiries contact the Hope Center.
Hope Center/Neurology Monday Noon Seminar
Laura Cox, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Zoom/Fort Neuroscience Research Building Auditorium (1st floor, NRB; Medical Campus)
Talk title: “TBA”
The Monday Noon Seminars are co-hosted by the WashU Hope Center for Neurological Disorders and Department of Neurology.
Mini-series: Gut-Brain Axis and Microbiome in Neurological Disease
Organizers: David Holtzman (WashU Neurology) and Wade Self (Holtzman Lab, WashU Neurology)
- February 1: David Holtzman (WashU Neurology)
- February 8: Barbara Warner (WashU Pediatrics) and Makedonka Mitreva (WashU Medicine)
- February 22: Laura Cox (Harvard Medical School)
- March 1: Gautam Dantas (WashU Pathology & Immunology) and Beau Ances (WashU Neurology)
Full schedule, Hope Center Monday Noon Seminars
For inquiries contact the Hope Center.
Hope Center/Neurology Monday Noon Seminar
Gautam Dantas, PhD
Conan Professor of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine
WashU Pathology & Immunology
Beau Ances, MD, PhD
Daniel J. Brennan, MD Professor
WashU Neurology
Zoom/Fort Neuroscience Research Building Auditorium (1st floor, NRB; Medical Campus)
Talk title: “TBA”
The Monday Noon Seminars are co-hosted by the WashU Hope Center for Neurological Disorders and Department of Neurology.
Mini-series: Gut-Brain Axis and Microbiome in Neurological Disease
Organizers: David Holtzman (WashU Neurology) and Wade Self (Holtzman Lab, WashU Neurology)
- February 1: David Holtzman (WashU Neurology)
- February 8: Barbara Warner (WashU Pediatrics) and Makedonka Mitreva (WashU Medicine)
- February 22: Laura Cox (Harvard Medical School)
- March 1: Gautam Dantas (WashU Pathology & Immunology) and Beau Ances (WashU Neurology)
Full schedule, Hope Center Monday Noon Seminars
For inquiries contact the Hope Center.
CYCN Conference: Moriah Thomason (New York University)
Moriah Thomason, PhD
Barakett Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Department of Population Health
New York University
Danforth Campus, Brown School of Social Work, Hillman Hall, Clark-Fox Forum
6350 Forsyth Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63105
Hosted by the Children and Youth Collaborative Network (CYCN)
The CYCN Conference is an opportunity for the WashU Community to address successes and challenges in driving research on child health and well-being, and foster community relations.
Stay tuned for more information!
Hope Center/Developmental Biology/Neurology Monday Noon Seminar
Ben Deverman, PhD
Senior Director
Vector Engineering
Institute Scientist
Broad Institute
Zoom/Neuroscience Research Building Auditorium (1st floor; NRB; Medical Campus)
Talk title: “TBA”
This Monday Noon Seminars mini-series is co-hosted by the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, the Department of Developmental Biology and the Department of Neurology.
Mini-series: Gene editing for neurological disorders
Joint mini-series with the Department of Developmental Biology
Organizers: Joanna Jankowsky (WashU Neuroscience) and Ella Borgenheimer (Jankowsky lab, WashU Neuroscience)
- April 19: Timothy Miller (WashU Neurology)
- April 26: Jonathan Cooper (WashU Pediatrics)
- May 3: Harrison Gabel (WashU Neuroscience)
- May 10: Ben Deverman (Broad Institute)
Full schedule, Hope Center Monday Noon Seminars
For inquiries contact the Hope Center.
Genetics Shreffler Lecture – Dr. Jef Boeke
Department of Genetics