Patrizia Casaccia

Casaccia, Einstein Professor of Biology at The Graduate Center and the founding director of the Neuroscience Initiative at the GC’s Advanced Science Research Center, is known for her research on the effects of environmental exposure on brain health. 

Her lab utilizes state-of-the-art molecular and cellular techniques to define key questions in developmental neurobiology and understand the effect of the environment on brain activity and function. Casaccia focuses on glial cell biology — the study of those cells most common the central nervous system. Her work has the potential to lead to new treatments for healthy aging, neurodegenerative disorders, and glial tumors. 

Casaccia is also affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she previously served as professor with the Department of Neuroscience, Neurology and Department of Genomics and Multiscale Biology. She maintains ties to the Friedman Brain Institute, where she directed the Center of Excellence for Myelin Repair.