On April 28, the Kellner Center for Neurogenomics, Behavior, and Society hosted the third event in its Lunchtime Lab series, drawing 30 attendees in person and 10 via Zoom. The session focused on the complex and timely themes of trauma and resilience, with a series of lightning talks that bridged human and animal research.

The featured speakers were:

• Joe Cohen | associate professor, psychology
  Dr. Cohen’s research focuses on how and why certain children and adolescents go on to develop internalizing symptoms, examining the prospective interplay between cognitive, interpersonal, and physiological vulnerability factors and the onset and maintenance of depression.
• Clarissa Richardson | assistant professor, psychology, University of Illinois Springfield
  Dr. Richardson’s research focuses on perfectionism, stress, trauma and coping as well as community-based interventions to improve mental health knowledge and access.
• Paul Bonthuis | assistant professor, comparative biosciences
  Dr. Bonthuis’ research is focused on epigenetic regulation of gene expression patterns in the brain and their effects on social behaviors and psychiatric diseases.

A key point of discussion was the potential to align findings from animal models (e.g., mice) with human research to better understand what enhances or inhibits resilience after trauma. This cross-disciplinary dialogue revealed exciting opportunities for collaboration between researchers working on both sides of the translational science spectrum.

The Lunchtime Lab series is part of the Kellner Center’s broader mission to explore the intersections of genes, brain, behavior, and mental health, with an emphasis on social context. Each session features concise, impactful presentations designed to ignite interdisciplinary connections and inspire future research ideas.

Looking ahead, the series will help lay the groundwork for seed funding opportunities in Fall 2025—more information to come.