Colin Studholme, joint UW Professor of Pediatrics and Bioengineering, has been selected to present a lecture in UW Medicine’s Science in Medicine Lecture Series. Dr. Studholme will present his talk 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 25, 2016 at the Health Sciences Building Fialkow Auditorium (K-069).

In his talk “Mapping Living Human Brain Structure and Function Before Birth,” Dr. Studholme will describe his group’s efforts to develop methods to safely study the human brain before birth.

Brain mapping techniques using MRI have dramatically expanded researchers’ knowledge of adult brain structure and function, and how it changes in disease and aging. However, MRI techniques alone present challenges for examining the brain before birth as they are limited in their ability to image moving subjects.

Dr. Studholme will review these challenges and solutions developed at UW to safely collect 3-D and 4-D MR images of the brain as the baby moves freely. He will also discuss how such images can be used to build spatio-temporal statistical models of the brain before birth that capture anatomy and function, and examine its variation in normal and clinically abnormal development in pregnancy.

The Science in Medicine Lecture Series was officially established in 1976 as a means of recognizing and honoring notable School of Medicine faculty research achievements and providing an opportunity for researchers to be apprised of findings outside of their immediate field. See a complete list of previous Science in Medicine speakers (opens in new wind0w). The series has evolved since its inception and now consists of five lecture categories: Science in Medicine Lectures, New Investigator Lectures, the WWAMI Lecture, the Distinguished Scientist Lecture and the Annual Lecture. The speakers are nominated by members of the UW scientific community and final selection is determined by a committee of peers from the Council on Research and Graduate Education.