John H. Morrison, Ph.D.

Administrative Accomplishments
I am currently the Director of the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC), Professor of Neurology, and Distinguished Professor at UC Davis. As Director of CNPRC, I am responsible for the overall scientific program, the maintenance and welfare of the primate colony, administration and finances of the CNPRC, which currently has over 325 employees, 25 Core Faculty members and 100 Affiliate faculty members. The CNPRC is a very complex enterprise with direct interactions with both NIH and the Vice Chancellor for Research at UC Davis as well as multiple deans and department chairs throughout the University. I have also served on multiple institutional committees at UC Davis, including the Neuroscience Strategic Steering Committee and the Steering Committee for the Imaging Research Center. Prior to moving to UC Davis to direct the CNPRC, I was at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) for 26 years, where I held several key leadership positions. I was Dean of Basic Sciences and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at ISMMS from 2006 until I left in October 2015. With respect to Basic Sciences, I was responsible for all aspects of infrastructure related to basic science (e.g., lab space utilization and design, animal facilities, biosafety) and worked closely with the basic science chairs and the Dean of ISMMS on departmental budgets, strategic planning, development of new initiatives, recruitment of basic science chairs, institute directors, and senior faculty, and all other aspects of growth and maintenance of the basic science enterprise. In this role, I worked closely with institutional leaders and chairs on all financial issues and budgets relevant to the basic science enterprise. With respect to the Graduate School, I was responsible for all of the MS, PhD and MD/PhD programs as well as the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs including all financial matters relevant to these programs. In my role as Dean, I chaired many committees, such as Search Committees for Chairs of Pharmacology, Oncological Sciences, and Psychiatry, as well as chairing the Dean-Research Chairs Committee, The Basic Science Advisory Council, Committee on Research Space Risk Assessment, and numerous committees within the Graduate School. Prior to becoming Dean at ISMMS, I was Chair of Neuroscience (2004-2006), Director of Neurobiology (2002-2004), and Co-Director of Neurobiology (1989-2002). Along with my departmental responsibilities as Director/Chair, I sat on and chaired numerous institutional committees such as Executive Faculty, The Planning Committee for the Brain Institute (Co-Chair), The President’s Executive Chair Committee, The Research Planning Committee (Co-Chair), the Neurosciences Workgroup for the Strategic Planning Initiative (Chair), Committee on Academic Priorities (Chair), and the Search Committees for both the Dean of ISMMS and the President and CEO of Mount Sinai Medical Center. Thus, my administrative experience at Mount Sinai and UC Davis is extensive, particularly with respect to building consensus across complex structures with stakeholders at all levels of the academic community. Such experience is particularly well suited for a leadership position at SfN, an organization that embraces leadership and decision-making by consensus, and is strongly reliant on its membership at large, council members, and committees to establish and achieve its desired goals. Finally, I recently completed my term as Secretary of SfN.
Degree, Institute, Year Earned
Degree | Institute | Year Earned |
BA | Johns Hopkins University | 1974 |
PhD |
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | 1979 |
Postdoctoral Fellow |
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine |
1979-1980 |
Postdoctoral Fellow |
The Salk Institute | 1980-1982 |
Research Areas
My general area of research is the neurobiology of aging and neurodegenerative disorders, particularly as they relate to cellular and synaptic organization of cerebral cortex. We are particularly interested in developing a comprehensive profile of synaptic health in regions vulnerable to aging (e.g., prefrontal cortex, hippocampus), and identifying decrements in synaptic health that lead to cognitive decline. We have extended this framework to the interactions between endocrine factors such as estrogen and synaptic health, as well as the effects of stress on cortical neurons. Our capacity to link neuronal and synaptic alterations to cognitive performance has been greatly enhanced by our use of powerful quantitative microscopic techniques that reveal both structural and molecular attributes of the synapse that are either vulnerable or resilient in the context of aging. In recent years at the CNPRC, we have successfully developed rhesus monkey models of Alzheimer’s disease and developed a new research program on the cellular and synaptic pathology of neuro-invasive viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, Zika, and HIV in rhesus monkey models.
Current Position(s) at Your Current Institution
UC Davis Distinguished Professor and Director of the California National Primate Research Center. Professor of Neurology in the School of Medicine and Professor in the Center for Neuroscience (Affiliated Faculty), University of California Davis, Davis, CA.
Organization | Position Held | Year(s) |
Society for Neuroscience | Member Lead Neuroscientist - Life of a Neuron (Artechouse / SfN) Secretary Elect, Secretary Chair - Committee on Committees Member - Nominating Committee Ex Officio - Program Committee Editor-in-Chief - Brainfacts.org Ex Officio - Public Education & Communication Committee Member - Committee on Committees Member - Scientific Rigor Working Group Member - Neuroscience Policy Working Group Council Liaison - Trainee Advisory Group Chair - Website Advisory Group Councilor Member - Brainfacts.org Advisory Group Chair - Professional Development Working Group Chair - Public Education & Communication Committee Incoming Chair - Public Education & Communication Committee Chair - Government & Public Affairs Committee Incoming Chair - Government & Public Affairs Committee Chair - Committee on Animals in Research Member - Committee on Animals in Research |
1977-present 2018-2022 2018-2022 2019-2022 2018-2022 2018-2022 2015-2019 2015-2019 2018 2013-2015 2011-2014 2011-2013 2011-2013 2010-2013 2011-2012 2009-2011 2009-2010 2008-2009 2006-2009 2005-2006 2003-2006 2001-2004 |
National Academy of Medicine | Member Reviewer for NAM Catalyst Awards Member of Planning Committee and Participant, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Workshop on Transgenic and Chimeric Neuroscience Research |
2016-present 2022 2018 |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | Fellow Member Electorate Nominating Committee for Neuroscience |
2006-present 1980-present 2016-2019 |
Cajal Club | Member President-Elect, President, Past President |
1999-present 2000-2006 |
New York Academy of Sciences | Fellow Member |
2006-2015 2000-2015 |
Harvey Society | President-Elect, President Member |
2009-2011 2006-2015 |
Association of Medical School Neuroscience Chairpersons | Member | 2001-2006 |
Service Positions
Editorial Boards:
Publication | Position Held | Year(s) |
Cerebral Cortex | Editorial Board | 2000-present |
Neurobiology of Aging | Editorial Board | 1995-present |
Dana Foundation - Cerebrum | Advisory Board |
2019-2021 |
Brainfacts.org | Editor-in-Chief | 2015-2019 |
Frontiers in Neuroanatomy | Editorial Board |
2008-2016 |
Scientific American - MIND | Board of Advisers | 2005-2019 |
Neuroscience | Editorial Board, Section Editor - Special Issues and Commentaries | 2004-2006 |
Experimental Neurology | Section Editor, Neural Systems | 1998-2006 |
Experimental Neurology | Editorial Board | 1992-2006 |
Series on "Cerebral Cortex" (Plenum Press) | Editorial Advisory Committee | 1995-2000 |
Journal of Comparative Neurology | Editorial Board | 1996-1999 |
Other Service Positions:
Organization (Federal Funding Agencies) | Position Held | Year(s) |
NIH/NIA and Office of Aids Research (OAR) | Speaker, Workshop on Pathogenesis of Age-related HIV Neurodegeneration | 2022 |
NIH/Office of Director (OD) | Organizing Committee and speaker, Validation of Animal Models of Human Disease | 2020 |
NIH | Study Section, Learning and Memory (LAM), Bethesda, MD Discussant, NIH Workshop on Ensuring the Continued Responsible Oversight of Research with Non-Human Primates Member, Scientific Review Group, EUREKA Awards Member, Special Emphasis Panel to review base grant for Oregon National Primate Research Center Group Leader, Workshop on Neuroscience Blueprint for Neuroplasticity Member, Special Emphasis Panel to review base grant for Yerkes National Primate Research Center Strategic Planning Workshop |
2020 2016 2010 2008 2007 2005 2004 |
NIH/OD | Panelist, Workshop on Fostering Rigorous Research: Lessons Learned from NHP Models and Charting the Path Forward Member, Special Emphasis Panel for review of base grant for Yerkes National Primate Research Center |
2020 2010 |
NIH/NIA |
Chair, Special Emphasis Panel for NIA Program Project Grant Review Speaker, Workshop on Age and HIV-related Neurodegeneration Speaker, Workshop on Animal Models for Alzheimer's Disease Challenges Chair, Special Emphasis Panel for NIA Program Project Grant Review Chair, Special Emphasis Panel for NIA Program Project Grant Review Member, Special Emphasis Panel for NIA Program Project Grant Review Speaker, Cognitive Aging Summit II Speaker, Cognitive Aging Summit Member, Special Emphasis Panel for NIA Program Project Grant submission Speaker, Planning Research for a Future Without Alzheimer’s Disease Member, Special Emphasis Panel for NIA Program Project Grant submission Member, Special Emphasis Panel for NIA Program Project Grant submission Speaker, Bench to Bedside: Estrogen as a Case Study |
2019 2019 2018 2015 2014 2010-2012 2010 2007 2006 2006 2005 2005 2004 |
NIH/NIMH | Member, Special Emphasis Panel Supporting New Faculty Recruitment to Enhance Research Resources Member, Board of Scientific Counselors External Review, Section on Behavioral Endocrinology Board of Scientific Counselors External Review Laboratory of Brain and Cognition |
2009 2009 2003 |
Organization (National Academies and Academic Institutions) | Position Held | Year(s) |
Dana Alliance | Member | 1993-2022 |
Salk Institute | Member, Scientific Advisory Board, AHA/Allen Center for Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease | 2019-present |
Society for Women’s Health Research | Member, Interdisciplinary Network on Sex and Gender Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease | 2015-2017 |
Institute of Medicine [now National Academy of Medicine (NAM) | Member, Committee on the Public Health Dimensions of Cognitive Aging |
2015 |
IOM/NAM |
Member, Workshop on Developing a 21st Century Neuroscience Workforce | 2014 |
Yerkes National Primate Research Center |
Member, National Scientific Advisory Board | 2012-2015 |
March of Dimes | Member, Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Committee |
2009-2010 |
Alzheimer’s Study Group |
Member, Task Force Advisory Group |
2008-2009 |
AAALAC | Member, International Board of Trustees |
2005-2006 |
McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida | Member, Scientific Advisory Board | 2005-2010 |
Northwestern University |
Member, External Advisory Committee, NIA Training Grant on “Mechanisms of Aging and Dementia” | 2002-2012 |
Brookdale Foundation |
Member, Medical Advisory & Review Board for the Brookdale National Fellowship Program |
1996-2004 |
Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation |
Member, Scientific Advisory Board |
1996-2006 |
Institute for the Study of Aging |
Member, Scientific Advisory Board | 1999-2003 |
American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) |
Member, Research Committee |
1992-2002 |
American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) |
Member, Board of Directors | 1990-2002 |
Science Biography
Throughout my career, I have retained a focus on the cellular and synaptic organization of cerebral cortex. During my graduate work and postdoctoral fellowship, I focused primarily on the analysis of cortical monoamine systems and intrinsic peptide-containing neurons (e.g., somatostatin, VIP) that led to conceptual frameworks that linked these neurotransmitter-based analyses to established concepts of cortical organization. In the early 90s, we began to focus on receptor localization, particularly the glutamatergic receptors, for which we developed a panel of monoclonal antibodies with subunit-specificity that others and we have used to analyze the molecular profile of glutamatergic synapses.
My focus on cerebral cortex led directly to my interest in the cellular pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), particularly with respect to selective circuit disruption that results in dementia. While our lab and others made significant progress in understanding the neurobiological substrate of dementia and the nature of selective vulnerability in AD, it became increasingly clear to me that we needed to expand our understanding of the aging brain if we were to understand the transition to AD. Thus, we began to focus on the age-related cellular, molecular, and synaptic alterations that lead to cognitive decline in the absence of neuron death, yet might be a precursor to AD in humans. We focused on defining synaptic health in targeted age-sensitive regions, how specific aspects of synaptic health relate to cognitive performance, and the specific deviations from synaptic health that occur in aging and drive cognitive decline. We have shown in nonhuman primates that such alterations can manifest at the molecular, structural, or bioenergetic level with remarkable regional specificity. In addition, such alterations are not inevitable, as evidenced by our work and the work of others on the interactive effects of aging and estradiol on cognitive performance and synaptic health. Importantly, estradiol treatment can help preserve synaptic health and protect against age-related cognitive decline. We and many of our colleagues have concluded that intervention even in early AD is too late- we must develop interventions that preserve synaptic health and prevent the onset of the degenerative cascade. Over the last five years, we have developed rhesus monkey models of AD to test very early interventions that target both the synaptic phase of AD and the degenerative phase that leads to neuron death. In addition, we recently developed a new research program targeting neuro-invasive viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, Zika, and HIV in the rhesus monkey model to address the compelling public health issues inherent to viral infection of brain circuits and neuroinflammation. It has become quite clear over the last several years that the neuroscience community has a crucial role to play in understanding and preventing the potentially devastating effects of viral infections of the brain. Finally, I had the honor of leading the neuroscience team that worked with ARTECHOUSE to create the immersive experience “Life of a Neuron”, which was launched in Washington, DC in November, 2021 and moved to New York City in 2022. The two exhibits attracted over 150,000 viewers.
The full CV for this candidate can be found within the ballot.