Since turning to a career in clinical research in 2002,
neuropsychologist Jeff Wozniak has been successful
in securing funding from various sources, including
the Walker Foundation, the National Academy of
Neuropsychology, and the Dana Foundation. He also has completed his
first two neuroimaging projects as a principal investigator.
Yet, even with this promising track record in clinical research, Wozniak,
assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, knew that to really
succeed in this competitive field he would benefit from more formal
training in research methodology and increased mentoring. To advance
his research career in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), he applied
to the CAPS program.
“My background is clinical psychology,” he says, “which included
research methodology training, but it wasn’t as focused on purely clinical
research.” The CAPS program will provide more grounded training in this
crucial component of clinical research. The program’s mentoring aspect
was also a “big draw” for Wozniak, providing the opportunity to formalize
his mentoring relationships with Kelvin Lim, MD, professor, Department
of Psychiatry; Pi-Nian Chang, PhD, director of the University’s FASD
clinic; Monica Luciana, PhD, associate professor, Department of
Psychology; and statistician Paul Thuras, PhD, research associate,
Department of Medicine.
The program provides 75% protected time to allow Wozniak to pursue
his research interests on understanding the impact of neurological insults
on developing brain systems and related cognition using new MRI
techniques. Specifically, he chose to study Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorders because of the relative dearth of brain imaging and
neurocognitive research despite the high prevalence of the problem and
the difficulty of diagnosing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which relies
on biological features that are sometimes not present or are present for a
time but often disappear with age. The majority of individuals with
alcohol-related cognitive and behavioral deficits do not have the
characteristics of FAS.
His most recent project demonstrated that white matter microstructural
abnormalities are detectable using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) in the
large sub-group of children with prenatal alcohol exposure who lack the
FAS stigmata. Wozniak is continuing that line of research, recently adding
a group of children with severe FAS for comparison. He expects to learn
a great deal about the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of damage
from prenatal alcohol exposure, especially in cerebral white matter.
Return to: Academic Health Center : myU : U of M Home
