The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has named Lyn Jakeman, Ph.D. as its Director of the new Division of Neuroscience.
“The Director of the Division of Neuroscience will play a central role in overseeing NINDS’s efforts to advance brain and nervous system research,” said Walter J. Koroshetz, M.D., NINDS Director. “While serving as a program director at NINDS, Dr. Jakeman has demonstrated the dedication and leadership needed to run this new division.”
Dr. Jakeman will oversee the staff and extramural basic research programs in the Division of Neuroscience and will help coordinate activities with the Directors and staff of the Division of Translational Research, the Division of Clinical Research, and the Division of Extramural Activities. She will serve as a primary advisor to the NINDS Director and be responsible for facilitating collaborations with other NIH Institutes and Centers.
“We are in the midst of amazing technological and analytical advances that are rapidly accelerating the pace of discovery in fundamental and applied neuroscience research,” said Dr. Jakeman. “I look forward to helping NINDS-funded investigators as they advance our understanding of the structure and function of the nervous system and apply new insights to develop cures and treatments for people with neurological diseases and conditions.”
Dr. Jakeman earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Florida in Gainesville. She was a postdoctoral researcher at Genentech, Inc. in South San Francisco, CA and then worked as a staff scientist at Syntex Research, a small pharmaceutical company, in Palo Alto, CA before joining the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology at the Ohio State University in Columbus. For nearly 15 years as a faculty member at OSU, Dr. Jakeman taught undergraduate and graduate students, participated in national and international service activities, and led an NIH-funded research lab, working with students and collaborators to understand the function of cells and molecules involved in the mechanisms of spinal cord injury and nerve regeneration.
Dr. Jakeman joined NINDS in 2013 as a program director overseeing extramural grants and programs of the spinal cord injury and regeneration portfolio. In this role, Dr. Jakeman led NIH initiatives including the development of Common Data Elements for clinical research in spinal cord injury, organized workshops to facilitate data sharing for preclinical and clinical researchers and has co-led the NINDS Translational Outcomes Project for Neurotrauma Initiative. She has received numerous awards including the 2017 NINDS Merit Award for Mentoring and is the co-recipient of a 2018 NIH Director’s Award for developing the NIH Rehabilitation Research Plan with the Trans-NIH Medical Rehabilitation Research Coordinating Committee.