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Gabriel DichterDepartment of Psychiatry
Mohanish DeshmukhDepartment of Cell Biology and Physiology
Jessica CohenDepartment of Psychology
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Kelly CaravellaDepartment of Psychiatry
Julie DanielsDepartment of Epidemiology
Jessica WalshDepartment of Pharmacology
Mark ShenDepartment of Psychiatry
Co-Director, T32 Postdoctoral Research Training Program
Dr. Ben Philpot was the Associate Director of the CIDD T32 postdoctoral training program from 2009-2023, and he has been the Director of the program since 2023. Dr. Philpot is a Kenan Distinguished Professor in the Department of Cell Biology & Physiology. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia and performed a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Mark Bear at M.I.T. and Brown University. He is the Associate Director of the UNC Neuroscience Center and a member of the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Philpot seeks to understand the pathophysiology underlying monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders, and he is developing small molecule and gene therapies to treat these disorders. His research focuses on early-stage development of treatments for Pitt-Hopkins, Dup15q, and Angelman syndromes. Dr. Philpot has >100 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has won multiple awards for his work in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Aysenil BelgerDepartment of Psychiatry
Eva AntonDepartment of Cell Biology and Physiology
Co-Director, T32 Postdoctoral Research Training Program
Dr. Mark Shen is a developmental neuroscientist and tenured Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience Center, and the CIDD. He is also the founding Director of the CIDD Clinical Trials Program. Dr. Shen earned his PhD from the University of California-Davis MIND Institute with David Amaral and completed the CIDD T32 postdoctoral fellowship with Joe Piven. Dr. Shen has pioneered research on the role of aberrant cerebrospinal fluid physiology in the pathogenesis of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. His research identifying early brain markers of autism, fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and Angelman syndrome has resulted in over 50 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Shen reverse-translates his research in children to preclinical models, and forward-translates this research to inform clinical trials. As a former T32 fellow himself and then T32 faculty mentor, Dr. Shen began his current role as co-director of our T32 training program in 2023.