WASHINGTON — The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) has selected 10 members from a highly competitive applicant pool to participate in the Society’s annual Capitol Hill Day on March 11–13, 2025. The 10 Early Career Policy Ambassadors (ECPAs), representing many career stages and geographic locations, were chosen for their dedication to advocating for the scientific community, their desire to learn more about effective means of advocacy, and their experience as leaders in their labs and community.
The ambassadors are:
- Izan Chalen, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Nicole D’Souza, University of California, Riverside
- Lana Ruvolo Grasser, PhD, Department of Psychology Ben L. Silberstein Institute for Brain Health, Wayne State University
- J. Alex Grizzell, PhD, Emory University
- Joseph Hennessey, Medical College of Wisconsin
- Riley Kemna, University of Kansas Medical Center Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
- Blakely Lockhart, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech
- Showmick Paul, University of Rochester
- Alex Rich, Yale University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program
- Kiarash Shamardani, Stanford University School of Medicine
The ECPA program is a 10-month commitment designed to create an extensive network of neuroscience advocates. Ambassadors gain the necessary skills to advocate for science funding and other issues affecting the neuroscience field, and to encourage those in their personal networks to join the conversation. Over the course of the program, ambassadors engage in at least two additional advocacy-related activities at their home institution and within their community.
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The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is an organization of nearly 35,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and the nervous system.