In recognition of the significance and potential future impact of her research, Helen Vuong, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, has been named a 2023 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
"It is an honor to be selected as a 2023 Pew Biomedical Scholar,” said Vuong. “I'm grateful to the Pew Charitable Trusts for supporting my research to understand how microbes interact with the maternal environment during pregnancy to impact long-term brain health of the offspring. I'm excited and look forward to joining the Pew Scholar community."
The Vuong Laboratory focuses its research on dissecting the role of the microbiome in the development of neural circuits and behaviors in health and neurodevelopmental disorders. Using interdisciplinary approaches that bring together experts from a number of fields, Vuong Laboratory looks to identify and characterize the mechanisms of interaction between microbes and host neural cells.
The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are early-career junior faculty. Dr. Vuong was selected from among 188 nominations submitted by leading U.S. academic and research institutions to receive four years of funding to invest in exploratory research.
