Kevin Braunscheidel is accepted to Johns Hopkins’ Innovations for Substance Use Disorders (i4SUD) Entrepreneurship Program (July 2024)

Alberto Corona takes a position as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at LaGuardia Community College (September to December 2024).

Alberto Corona is awarded an F32 fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health in 2024.

Alberto Corona is selected to give a ‘Hot Topics Presentation’ at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 63rd Annual Meeting (December 2024).

Alberto Corona is selected as a Neuroscience Scholar (NSP) Fellow by the Society for Neuroscience in 2024.

Stephanie Caligiuri joins the faculty at William & Mary as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition Program.

Alberto Corona is selected to receive the 2023 Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program Award from Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Janna Moen joins Yale University School of Medicine as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the lab of Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, with support from Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Miriam Leifer joins the Kenny lab. Miriam received a B.A in Neurobiology with a minor in Chemistry from Yeshiva University (YU) Stern College for Women.

Lauren Wills is promoted to Research Assistant Professor.

Miriam Shin completes a Masters degree in Clinical Research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

JunShi Wang receives the 2023 Cure Addiction Now (CAN) – Young Investigator Award.

Richard O’Connor receives an award from the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research.

Alberto Corona joins the Kenny lab as a Postdoc. Alberto received a PhD in Neuroscience from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory with Dr. Stephen D. Shea as Advisor.

Piya Pillai joins the Kenny lab as an Associate Researcher. Prior to joining, Piya studied in the Cell and Molecular Neuroscience program at Fordham University before transferring as a pre-medical student to Case Western Reserve University

Brian Acosta and Adam Polanco joined the lab as summer students through the Center for Excellence in Youth Education program.

Molly Gargan and Margaret MacGillivray participated as a summer research volunteer in the Kenny lab.

Richard O’Connor is promoted to Research Assistant Professor.

Molly Heyer‘s research images, “Tree of lIfe” is featured in the Art of the Brain Exhibit 2022, curated by Veronica Szarejko.

Dana Lengel transitions from the lab to a position as a Medical Writer.

Kevin Braunscheidel receives an F32 Fellowship from NIH NIDA titled “Nicotine & Nodose: A Neural Basis for Peripheral Control over Nicotine Intake.”

Janna Moen receives an F32 Fellowship from NIH NIDA titled “Mechanisms of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor modulation of cocaine reward.”

Kavya Devarakonda transitions from the lab to a Freelance Academic Science Writer.

Molly Heyer‘s research image “4 Little Brains” was featured as the cover art on the January 2022 issue of Biological Psychiatry. 

Kevin Braunscheidel is elected as President of MSN Seminar Series (July 2022).

Estefani Aylin Saint-Jour Cubillos joins the lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow after completing her PhD in Neuroscience from the  Institut de Biolgie, Paris Seine, Sorbonne Universites, Paris, France.

Alexander Smith joins the faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina as an Assistant Professor (December 2021).

Molly Heyer‘s research images, “4 little brains” and “I can see clearly” are featured in the Art of the Brain Exhibit, curated by Veronica Szarejko.

Dana Lengel joins the Kenny lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow after completing her PhD in Neuroscience at Drexel University (August 2021).

Soham Ghoshal will be attending Harvard Medical School to pursue an M.D. (August 2021)

Kavya Devarakonda successfully defends her thesis and receives her PhD (July 2021).

Jana Moen is appointed as a postdoctoral fellow on the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience T32 Training Program in Substance Use Disorders.

Kavya Devarakonda will be honored with The Advancement of Women in Science Award. (May 2021).

Soham Ghoshal receives the prestigious Jonas E. Salk Research Scholarship (May 2021)

Paul Kenny is an organizer and speaker at the  Innovators in Neuroscience: From Molecules to Mind, a symposium highlighting recent advances from basic to clinical neuroscience, presented by Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute and Mount Sinai’s Friedman Brain Institute (May 2021)

Janna Moen joins the Kenny lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow after completing her PhD Degree in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (February 2021).

Kevin Brauscheidel is elected as a member of the 2021 MSN Seminars Committee (January 2021)

Soham Ghoshal receives an Else Seringhaus Research Award

Alex Smith is a Panel Chair for “Cells & Circuits Contributing to Opioid Use Disorder” at Winter Conference on Brain Research. Big Sky, MT. 

Alex Smith receives a Travel Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)

Ashley E. Lepack receives the Nemko Prize in Cellular or Molecular Neuroscience from the Society for Neuroscience (October 2020)

Purva Bali is promoted to Senior Scientist in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (September 2020)

Alex Smith is appointed to Instructor in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience (August 2020)

Jun-Shi Wang joins the Kenny lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow (August 2020)

Kevin Braunsheidel joins the Kenny lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow (August 2020)

Alex Smith is awarded a K99 grant from NIH NIDA (DA048119) entitled “Discovery of novel pharmacotherapeutic targets for opioid addiction” (August 2020)

Paul J. Kenny receives the 2020 Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Health (July 2020)

Soham Ghoshal graduated Hunter College as Valedictorian and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society (June 2020)

Stephanie Caligiuri receives a Postdoc Award for the 2020 FBI Annual Retreat (April 2020)

Christie Fowler is promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine (March 2020)

Masago Ishikawa is promoted to Associate Professor in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience (January 2020)

Soham Ghoshal receives a National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Training Reward (IRTA)

Soham Ghoshal receives a Mid-Career Award from Hunter College

Alex Smith receives an Outstanding Mentor Award for his mentorship in the Lloyd Sherman Scholars Program​.

Matt Howe joins the faculty at Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience as an Assistant Professor (December 2019)

Alexandra DiFeliceantonio joins the faculty at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC as an Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the Center for Transformative Research on Health Behaviors (December 2019)

Jessica Ables joins the faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (October 2019).

Molly Heyer is appointed as an Instructor in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience (July 2019)

Richard O’Connor is appointed as an Instructor in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience (July 2019)

Alexandra DiFeliceantonio will be presenting at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) (July 2019).

Victor Mathis receives the 3rd Annual Alkermes Pathways Research Award (June 2019)

Ashley Lepack presents Poster at Keystone Symposia “Epigenetics and Human Disease” (June 2019).

Jessica Ables receives Best Poster, 2nd Place, Friedman Brain Institute Neuroscience Retreat (May 2019).

Stephanie Caligiuri presents poster on “The importance of progesterone and nicotinic acetylcholine signalling in the interpeduncular nucleus for female specific alcohol dependence” at the Neuroscience Retreat, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY (May 2019).

Victor Mathis, Stephanie Caligiuri, Clementine Fillinger and Paul Kenny present Poster on “A prefronto-habenular circuit involved in stress-induced reinstatement” at the Friedman Brain Institute Retreat in New York (May 2019).

Stephanie Caligiuri presents talk on “The bitter taste receptor brain chemosensory network as a target in drug addiction” at the Center for Neurotechnology and Behavior Dinner and Talks, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY (April 2019)

Alex Smith receives a Travel Award for the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (April 2019).

Alexandra DiFeliceantonio receives a Travel Award from the NIDDK Neuroimaging and Modulation in Obesity and Diabetes 10th Anniversary Meeting (April 2019).

Alex Smith serves as Panel Co-Chair in “The Use of in vivo Imaging Techniques to Link Neural Activity with Behavior” during the Winter Conference on Brain Research (January 2019).

Alex Smith receives a Travel Fellowship from the Winter Conference on Brain Research (January 2019).

Paul Kenny is elected a Member of the Institute Director Leadership Review Committee, National Institutes of Health.

Jessica Ables participates in the Career Development Institute for Psychiatry.

Alexandra DiFeliceantonio receives the Promising Young Investigator Travel Award from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Mount Sinai.

Jessica Ables is named Laughlin Fellow, American College of Psychiatrists.

Jessica Ables is elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.

Jessica Ables presents Poster at Society for Biological Psychiatry: “Exploring the role of the Habenula-IPN in Affective States in Diabetes.”

Paul Kenny is elected a Member of the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse (NACDA).

Paul Kenny receives the Daniel H. Efron Research Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (December 2018).

Jessica Ables presents poster at ACNP: “Exploring the role of the Habenula-IPN in Affective States in Diabetes” (December 2018).

Richard O’Connor receives a Travel award to attend the 2019 Winter Conference on Brain Research in Snowmass, CO (2018).

Stephanie Caligiuri presents poster on “The α5 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunit May Mediate Anxiety and Alcohol Reinforcement through Progesterone Signaling in the Interpeduncular Nucleus in a Sex Specific Manner” at the Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA (November 2018).

Richard O’Connor receives a Rolls-Simons travel award from The Obesity Society to attend Obesity Week 2018 in Nashville, TN (November 2018)

Alexandra DiFeliceantonio presents on “When a calorie is not a calorie: fat and carbohydrate combinations potentiate measures of reinforcement independently of caloric load” at the  Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Annual Meeting (November 2018)

Richard O’Connor receives the Center for Neurotechnology and Behavior at Mount Sinai travel award to attend Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. (November 2018)

Victor Mathis, Stephanie Caligiuri, Clementine Fillinger and Paul Kenny present their poster on “A prefronto-habenular circuit involved in stress-induced reinstatement” at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), San Diego, CA (November 2018)

Stephanie Caligiuri, Victor Mathis, Maria Vittoria Micioni Bonaventura, and Paul Kenny present their poster on “The α5 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunit May Mediate Anxiety and Alcohol Reinforcement through Progesterone Signaling in the Interpeduncular Nucleus in a Sex Specific Manner” at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), San Diego, CA (November 2018).

Alex Smith receives the 2018 Brain and Behavior Research Foundation NARSAD Young Investigator Grant in Addiction (October 2018).

Purva Bali successfully defends her thesis and receives her PhD (July 2018).

Jessica Ables is named a Leon Levy Fellow in Neuroscience (April 2018).

Stephanie Caligiuri presents poster on “The α5 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunit May Mediate Anxiety and Alcohol Reinforcement through Progesterone Signaling in the Interpeduncular Nucleus in a Sex Specific Manner”  Neuroscience Retreat, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY (April 2018).

Alex Smith serves as Symposium Chair for “MMP-9 in Psychiatric Disease” during the American Society for Neurochemistry Annual Meeting (March 2018).

Ashley Lepack receives the Best Speaker Prize, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Annual Neuroscience Retreat (March 2018).

Ashley Lepack receives the Hausfeld Award (recognizing the most outstanding Neuroscience PhD student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai).

Ashley Lepack receives the  National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Research Service Award (NRSA), 2018 – 2020.

Paul Kenny received the MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Paul Kenny is elected a Senior Editor for The Journal of Neuroscience.

Paul Kenny is elected a Member of the National Institutes of Health, Council of Councils.

Jessica Ables receives the NIMH Outstanding Resident (July 2017).

Alex Smith receives the NIDA National Research Service Award (F32 NRSA)

Victor Mathis receives a Postdoctoral fellowship for “L’habénula latérale, une structure impliquée dans l’adaptation comportementale liée au stress?” from the Fondation pour la recherche medical, France.

Victor Mathis receives a Postdoctoral fellowship for the “study of the involvement of the lateral habenula in behavioral adaption in stressful conditions” from the Fondation Fyssen, France.

Stephanie Caligiuri receives the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Post-Doctoral Fellowship (September 2016).

Richard O’Connor is the recipient of the 2016 Pfizer, Inc. Postdoctoral Fellowship.  The award presentation ceremony will take place during the Obesity Society’s annual scientific meeting in New Orleans, LA in November.  The fellowship will focus on “Central Control of Obesity, with an emphasis on mechanistic studies to deepen our basic understanding of the homeostatic and reward neurocircuitries underlying food intake” (August 2016).

Diane Damez-werno and Richard O’Connor receive Mentor Recognition from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Center for Excellence in Youth Education for the Lloyd Sherman Scholars Program (August 2016).

Richard O’Connor receives a Postdoctoral fellowship from The Obesity Society (2016).

Richard O’Connor receives Best poster presented by a Postdoctoral Researcher at the 2016 International Behavioural Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting, Budapest, Hungary (June 2016).

Richard O’Connor receives a Travel award to attend the 2016 International Behavioural Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting in Budapest, Hungary (2016).

Paul Kenny received the NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Grant, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (December 2015).

Molly Heyer and Alex Smith presented at the 2015 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) Annual Meeting in Hollywood, Fl (December 2015).

Alex Duncan, Molly Heyer, Sietse Jonkman, Alex Smith, and George Voren presented posters at the 2015 Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Conference in Chicago, Il (October 2015).

Ryan Hakim, NIDA Summer Intern, was selected to present his summer research internship project in the Kenny Lab to the NIDA staff in Bethesda, MD (September 2015).

Paul Kenny received the Tom Connor Distinguished Investigator Award at the 9th Neuroscience Ireland Conference on Frontiers in Neuroscience: Diseases and Treatments (September 2015).

Paul Kenny was an invited Mars Keynote Speaker for the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) annual conference (July 2015).

Paul Kenny was a speaker and session chair at the Janelia Conference on Motivational Circuits in Natural and Learned Behaviors (March 2015).

Paul Kenny was the distinguished guest speaker at the third annual Waggoner Center for Alcohol/Addiction Research Conference at the University of Texas at Austin (March 2015).

Paul Kenny was elected a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).

Paul Kenny was elected as Member of the Advisory Council for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

Paul Kenny was a presenter during the NIDA Mini Convention (November 2015) and presented his talk on Circulating microRNAs as Addiction Biomarkers during the Extracellular RNAs in Neuroscience: Biology, Biomarkers and Therapeutics session.

Paul Kenny was an invited speaker at the Nebraska Research and Innovation Neuroscience Conference (September 2014) . His talk was on Mechanisms Underlying Motivational Properties of Nicotine.

Paul Kenny was an Invited Speaker at the Molecular Basis of Addiction: Synaptic Modification (with Marc Caron, and David Sulzer), American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ASBMB), San Diego (April 2014). His talk was on Molecular Basis of Addiction: Synaptic Modification.

Paul Kenny gave a Basic Science Theme Lecture (February 2014) on New Insights into the Mechanisms of Compulsive Nicotine Intake during the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Conference in Seattle, Washington.

Paul Kenny received the Mathilde Solowey Lecture Award in the Neurosciences Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences, hosted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH).

Paul Kenny received the Jacob P. Waletzky Memorial Award for Innovative Research in Drug Addiction and Alcoholism from the Society for Neuroscience.