Athens native elected to National Academy of Medicine

Northwestern University Weinberg College neurobiologist Catherine Woolley has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine — an honor that Woolley says is a credit to the importance of fundamental research. Woolley is an Athens, Ohio native. Woolley is widely known for her work on intrinsic biological differences between males and females in the molecular pathways that regulate synaptic communication in the brain. Her research has provided a scientific basis to predict that male and female brains may respond differently to drugs targeting certain pathways. “This is a great honor. I’m looking forward to engaging with members of the NAM and contributing my knowledge and expertise to the translation of basic discoveries in neuroscience to new medicines, therapies, and policies to improve human health,” Woolley said. Election to the National Academy of Medicine is one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. The distinction recognizes those who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. The academy currently counts more than 2,000 of the world’s foremost health researchers among its ranks. Woolley, who is the William Deering Professor in the College’s Department of Neurobiology, also holds an appointment in the Department of Neurology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She has devoted her career to understanding estrogen actions in cognitive areas of the brain and sex differences in molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. A neuroscientist by training, Woolley has authored and contributed to more than 75 publications over the course of her career. Almost 30 years ago, as a graduate student, Woolley discovered that estrogens drive synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. “I never imagined it was the beginning of a new field,” Woolley said. Since then, her work has helped to explain how estrogens enhance learning and memory consolidation. Her research has also helped […]

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