Pat Levitt, PhD
Administrative Accomplishments
I have served the Society for Neuroscience (SFN) in multiple capacities, including Chair of the SFN Program Committee, elected member of the SFN Council, Senior Editor for the Journal of Neuroscience, and as Member of the Committee on Committees. My academic administrative experience includes serving as Chair of the Dept. Neurobiology and Anatomy and Co-Director of the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, and Directorships of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute and the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Southern California. I currently serve on the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee, the governing board for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Degree, Institute, Year Earned
| Degree | Institute | Year Earned |
| BA, Biological Sciences | University of Chicago | 1975 |
| PhD, Group in Neuroscience | University of California, San Diego | 1978 |
Current Position(s) at Your Current Institution
I am the Simms/Mann Chair of Developmental Neurogenetics and WM Keck Professor of Neurogenetics, Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of USC. My administrative position is Chief Scientific Officer, Senior Vice President and Director of The Saban Research Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Memberships
| Organization | Position Held | Year(s) |
| Society for Neuroscience | Member | 1976–present |
| SfN – JNeurosci Editorial Board | Associate Editor | 1991–1997 |
| SfN – Program Committee | Member | 1994–1996, 1996–1997 |
| SfN – Council | Councilor | 1996-1997, 1998–2002 |
| SfN – Program Committee | Incoming Chair, Chairperson | 1996–1998 |
| SfN – Ad Hoc on Electronic Initiatives | Member | 1999–2002 |
| SfN – JNeurosci Editorial Board | Member | 2001–2006 |
| SfN – JNeurosci Editorial Board | Senior Editor | 2001–2006 |
| SfN – Public Information Committee | Member | 2001–2004 |
| SfN – Nominating Committee | Member | 2008–2012 |
| SfN – Committee on Committees | Member | 2008–2012 |
| SfN – Young Investigator Award Selection Committee | Chairperson | 2009–2010 |
| SfN – Donald B. Lindsley Prize Selection Committee | Chairperson | 2011 |
| SfN – Gruber International Award Selection Committee | Chairperson | 2012 |
Service Positions
Editorial Boards:
| Publication | Position Held | Year(s) |
| Biological Psychiatry | Associate Editor | 1995–2011 |
| Disease Models and Mechanisms | Associate Editor | 2008–2015 |
| eLife | Reviewing Editor | 2012–2015 |
| Cerebral Cortex | Associate Editor | 1996–present |
| Neuron | Associate Editor | 1997–present |
| Autism Research | Associate Editor | 2008–present |
| Frontiers for Young Minds | Science Mentor | 2021–present |
Other Service Positions:
| Organization | Position Held | Year(s) |
| Cold Spring Harbor Lab | Instructor | 1984–1988; 2007–2013 |
| Board of Scientific Counselors – NIMH | Member and Chair | 1999–2004 |
| National Advisory Council for Mental Health – NIMH | Member | 2005–2010 |
| NSF Review Panels | Member | 1985–1988; 2022–2023 |
| Lieber Institute for Brain Development SAB | Member; Chair | 2011–2023; 2024–present |
| FDA National Center for Toxicological Research SAB | Member | 2002–2005 |
| NIH Study Section Member Neurological Sciences; ZRG | Member | 1990–1994 |
| National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (Harvard) | Member and Co-Science Director | 2003–present |
Science Biography
I am an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Areas of investigation in basic science include determining the mechanisms that underlie early circuit development and their maturation in adolescence, with a focus on those circuits that mediate social, emotional and cognitive development. Studies have included the role of axon guidance molecules in limbic system development, receptor tyrosine kinase signaling in mediating the timing of cortical and brainstem circuit maturation and critical period plasticity, and the influence of prenatal environments on brain development and lifespan function, including maternal-placental-fetal interactions. My lab has used genetic reference panels of mice to determine heritable factors that influence phenotypic heterogeneity, serving as models for individual differences in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorder symptoms that occur clinically. Animal model studies also examine the impact of early life adversity on molecular mal-adaptations, metabolic health and behavioral functioning across the lifespan. These have translated to some of my human research studies that examine brain, behavioral and emotional development of infants who are at risk for experiencing toxic stress due to early adversity. The studies have a focus on developing new, scalable (for pediatric practice) biomarkers for identifying, as early as possible, children who are at greatest risk for toxic stress that can impede physical and mental health and well-being. The research group also examines family and community factors that build resilience, including measures of vagal parasympathetic adaptability. In the past, my clinical research studies have included autistic children with co-occurring medical conditions, such a gastrointestinal disturbances. The research team works with many community organizations to develop best practices to engage families who are underrepresented in research, many participating for the first time. I have been doing policy work for several decades as the Co-Scientific Director of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, with a goal of increasing investments in health and education of children as early as possible to improve lifespan health. Most recently, I have been serving as a Science Mentor (with my granddaughter) on the Frontiers For Young Minds journal.
The full CV for this candidate can be found within the ballot.
