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Society for Biological Psychiatry Selects
Nicole Edgar, PhD and Marianne Seney, PhD for Travel Awards

Nicole Edgar, PhD and Marianne Seney, PhD

Congratulations to Nicole Edgar, PhD and Marianne Seney, PhD on their receipt of domestic travel awards from the Society for Biological Psychiatry (SOBP). This highly competitive, merit-based award is presented to promising young investigators within North America who would benefit from attending the annual SOBP meeting, and provides a travel stipend to support their participation at the meeting.  The 68th Annual SOBP Scientific Convention & Meeting will take place May 16-18, 2013 in San Francisco, CA.

Dr. Edgar is a postdoctoral scholar in the laboratory of Dr. Colleen McClung and has been actively engaged in research collaborations at the University of Pittsburgh?s Center for Neuroscience (CNUP) and Translational Neuroscience Program (TNP) since 2006.  With support from two National Research Service (NRSA) awards, she has studied the neurobiology of susceptibility to depression and is currently conducting research on pathways of circadian disruption in major depressive disorder.  Dr. Edgar?s investigations in the laboratory of Dr. Colleen McClung have revealed that the unpredictable chronic mild stress mouse model for depression disrupts circadian rhythms in a brain region specific manner.  In addition to serving as the coauthor of several peer-reviewed publications with some of the leading researchers in the field of translational neuroscience, Dr. Edgar has also presented her findings at poster sessions at the annual meetings of professional societies including the Society for Neuroscience and the Society for Biological Psychiatry. 

Dr. Seney?s research focuses on the cellular/molecular bases of sexual dimorphisms in the vulnerability to develop mood disorders using relevant rodent models.  She is a postdoctoral scholar in the laboratory of Dr. Etienne Sibille and is also engaged in a number of research activities within the TNP and CNUP.  She is the recipient of two National Research Service Awards and is currently investigating the underlying bases of sexual dimorphism of major depression.  The overall goal of this work is to increase our understanding of these sex differences in order to identify novel targets and/or provide new research trajectories for development of better, possibly sex-specific treatments.  Dr. Seney has presented her findings at a number of meetings and conferences of professional societies including the Society for Neuroscience, the American College of Neuropsycopharmacology and the Society for Biological Psychiatry, and has co-written a number of peer-reviewed articles appearing in a number of scientific publications.

 Congratulations to Drs. Edgar and Seney on their selection for these awards!