Join Kirkwood Community College for the 53rd Annual Mel Oliven Lecture on Thursday, April 10, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. on Kirkwood’s main campus in Cedar Rapids! The lecture will take place in Iowa Hall Room B and is free and open to the public.

This year’s lecture features Dr. Andy Russo, Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and Neurology at the University of Iowa. His lecture is entitled, “Migraine: Clues from a Neuropeptide.”

The focus of Dr. Russo’s research is the molecular basis of migraine. He is using mouse genetic models to study how the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) contributes to the pain and altered sensory processing of migraine. He is a consultant for several companies developing migraine therapeutics and holds four migraine-relevant patents. He is currently identifying the mechanisms of CGRP action in the nervous system, with a focus on the role of sleep and glymphatic clearance during migraine and post-traumatic headache. The overall goal of his studies is to develop effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for migraine and post-traumatic headache.

Dr. Russo received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and did postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Diego on the neuropeptide CGRP. He has received a number of teaching awards and honors, including the J.P. Long Teaching Award for lifetime teaching commitment, and the Dr. Harold A. Myers Endowed Professorship in recognition of contributions in biomedical teaching and curriculum development. He is currently the course director of a first-year medical student physiology and genetics course and is a co-author of Seeley’s Anatomy and Physiology textbook.