Tracks Summer 2017

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FEATURE

T H E A D A P T I V E B R A I N

Graduate student Benjamin Okyere sets his sights on fifth leading cause of death

By Carrie Cousins

esearch happening right now at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine may one day change the future for patients of traumatic brain injuries, thanks to a graduate student’s prestigious grant recognition. Benjamin Okyere, a Ph.D. student in biomedical and veterinary sciences, is just the ninth student from Virginia Tech to earn the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). His research focuses on adaptive brain and behavior as it relates to people who experience strokes and ways to help increase life expectancy after such an event. Okyere’s three-year, $116,000 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke grant will advance research on stroke, which is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. He studies in the laboratory of Michelle Theus, assistant professor of molecular and cellular neurobiology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, and says the grant is the result of hard work and Theus’ mentorship. R

Getty Images and David Hungate

TRACKS — Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine

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