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Yong Kim, PhD

Researcher

Dr. Kim earned his PhD degree for the studies of phospholipid lipases-mediated signal transduction at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in Korea. Driven by his interest in signal transduction mechanism in nerve cells, Dr. Kim joined the laboratory of Dr. Paul Greengard at the Rockefeller University, where he receivedpost-doctoral training in molecular and cellular neuroscience research. After completion of his post-doctoral training, Dr. Kim continued to work in the laboratory as a research group leader and collaborated with Dr. Paul Greengard. While at Rockefeller, Dr. Kim investigated molecular and cellular mechanisms associated with the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, and drug addiction.

Recently, Dr. Kim started a new laboratory as an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University, where he studies molecular and cellular compensatory or repair mechanisms by which neurons, neuroglia or cerebrovascular cells maintain homeostasis in response to brain injury or risk factors of neurodegenerative diseases or psychiatric disorders. Particularly, Dr. Kim is interested in depression and epilepsy comorbidities, and his research team aims to reveal key molecular and cellular pathways mediating comorbidities using transgenic and brain injury animal models. Dr. Kim’s research is currently supported by a Seed Grant from American Epilepsy Society. Dr. Kim has published 53 articles with an h-index of 37 in the areas of neuroscience, biochemistry, and cell biology.

 

Research Interests:

  • Molecular and cellular pathways mediating neurological and psychiatric comorbidities
  • Traumatic brain injury-induced depression comorbidity in epilepsy
  • Molecular and cellular mechanisms in the regulation of blood-brain barrier permeability
  • Homeostatic control of neuronal activity or survival mediated by actin regulators

 

Publication Highlights: