Elizabeth Engle, M.D., a pediatric neurologist who discovered a group of genetic disorders affecting cranial nerves, will present the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 6.
Her lecture, “Cranial Nerve Development in Health and Disease,” will begin at 4 p.m. in room 208 Light Hall. It is sponsored by the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program.
Engle is professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is also a member of the departments of Neurology, Ophthalmology and Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and an associate member of the Broad Institute.
Cranial nerves are sensory and motor nerves that emerge directly from the brain and control sensory and motor activity in the head and neck. Engle and her colleagues discovered genetic mutations that perturb the development or connection of cranial nerves and give rise to various disorders. The researchers are focused on understanding the molecular underpinnings of these disorders.
Engle has received the Sidney Carter Award in Child Neurology from the American Academy of Neurology, the E. Mead Johnson Award from the Society for Pediatric Research and the Alcon Research Institute Award. She is a member of the Association of American Physicians.
For a complete schedule of the Flexner Discovery Lecture series and archived video of previous lectures, go to www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/discoveryseries.
