Fralin Biomedical Research Institute to host talks by nationally renowned AI, cancer, addiction experts
The Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture Series at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC spotlights world-class experts who explore the most pressing contemporary topics.
Michael Friedlander, Vera Gorbunova, Luis Diaz Jr., Regina Barzilay, Vivian Ho, Marian Betz, Jordan Smoller, Huda Zoghbi, and Warren Bickel will each deliver a public lecture at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
The tradition of introducing some of the world’s leading scientists to local and Virginia Tech audiences will continue this fall through the Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture Series.
Renowned scholars, including members of the U.S. National Academies of Medicine, Science, and Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and other top institutions, will deliver public lectures at the institute beginning in September.
For more than a decade, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC has introduced many of the world’s leading scientific and medical voices to the Roanoke–Blacksburg area.
“Bringing together these esteemed scholars at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute to engage with our community and meet Virginia Tech faculty and students is a rare and extraordinary experience,” said Michael Friedlander, executive director of the research institute and Virginia Tech vice president for health sciences and technology. “These events enrich our academic environment and create collaborations and insights that are seldom available anywhere else. Moreover, they shine a clear and understandable light on the latest advances in science and medicine that will impact all of our lives for all members of the greater community.”
Topics this season will cover issues from early cancer detection and brain development to artificial intelligence (AI), health economics, and the public health crisis of gun violence.
Friedlander will open the new season Sept. 12 with a talk titled, Conducting the Neuro-Symphony — Space, Time, and Calcium. His lab's recent work explored how the timing of electrical signals in the brain affects its ability to adapt after injury, and how calcium helps regulate nerve cell communication, which is crucial for learning.
In addition, Warren Bickel, the Virginia Tech Carilion Behavioral Health Research Professor, will be scheduled later in the season to deliver a presentation about the Addictionomics of Self-Control.
As a leader of a large research team and two research centers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Bickel and his work on addiction, decision-making, and other health behaviors have earned numerous awards and recognition from multiple national organizations including the American Psychological Association and the National Institutes of Health. He has been among the top 1 percent of the most highly cited researchers in the world.
Other lectures include:
- Oct. 10: Mechanisms of Longevity: From Mice to Whales by Vera Gorbunova, Doris Johns Cherry Professor, professor of biology, co-director, Rochester Aging Research Center, University of Rochester
- Nov. 21: Clinical Applications of Cancer Genetics by Luis Diaz Jr., head, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; member, National Academy of Medicine
- Jan. 23, 2025: Rethinking Human Health with AI: Solving Old Mysteries with Modern Tools by Regina Barzilay, Distinguished Professor for AI and Health, School of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; AI faculty lead, Jameel Clinic, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab; MacArthur Fellow; member, National Academy of Engineering; member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; member, National Academy of Medicine
- Feb. 20, 2025: How Big Med Drives Rising Healthcare Costs and What to Do About It by Vivian Ho, chair, health economics, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University
- March 6, 2025: Suicide by Firearm in the United States: A Collaborative Path for Prevention by Marian Betz, professor, emergency medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine; deputy director, Emergency Medicine Injury and Violence Prevention Center, Department of Epidemiology, University of Colorado School of Public Health; member, National Academy of Medicine
- April 10, 2025: Bringing Precision Medicine to Psychiatry by Jordan Smoller, Massachusetts General Hospital Trustees Endowed Chair in Psychiatric Neuroscience; professor, psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; professor, epidemiology, T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health; director, Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital
- May 1, 2025: Molecular and Neurobiological Studies in Rett Syndrome and Other MECP2 Disorders by Huda Zoghbi, professor, pediatrics, molecular and human genetics, neuroscience, and neurology; director, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Baylor College of Medicine; member, National Academy of Medicine; member, National Academy of Sciences
The events are free and open to the public and begin with refreshments at 5 p.m. Presentations begin at 5:30 p.m. at 2 Riverside Circle in Roanoke at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. Most lectures are also available via Zoom and YouTube.
The lecture series has become a cornerstone of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s outreach. It launched during the 2010-11 academic year and, since 2018, has been supported by a generous donation from longtime Roanoke resident Maury Strauss, who passed away in June.
“Mr. Strauss and his family have always been great friends of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the entire Roanoke community,” Friedlander said. "We will miss him and strive to honor his legacy by advancing the institute's mission. We are committed to fostering innovation, education, and community engagement, values that Mr. Strauss championed throughout his life, characterized by giving back to the community.”
