Neuroscience professor will present annual Henderson Lecture

Dr. Deanne Buffalari, Westminster College associate professor of neuroscience, will present the 2021-2022 Henderson Lecture at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13, in the Witherspoon Lakeview Room of Westminster’s McKelvey Campus Center.

In Buffalari’s presentation, “Basic Research in Neuroscience Promotes Our Understanding of Addiction,” she will discuss findings from her research on nicotine use, including its relationship with reward centers of the brain, addiction and memory.

“Continued progress in our understanding of how nicotine impacts behavioral and neural processes at the most basic level can promote improved treatment outcomes for individuals who struggle to quit using nicotine,” she said.

Buffalari, who joined the Westminster faculty in 2014, coordinates Westminster’s neuroscience program. Her research centers on motivated behavior, with a particular interest in addiction and how drugs of abuse affect the brain and behavior.

She earned her undergraduate degree from Allegheny College and her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

The Henderson Lecture was founded by the late Dr. Joseph R. Henderson and his wife, Elizabeth, to encourage and recognize original and continuing research and scholarship among Westminster faculty, and to afford the opportunity for faculty to share their learning with the academic community.  Dr. Henderson was a professor of education emeritus at Westminster, having served as chair of the Department of Education and as director of the Graduate Program.

Each year, Westminster faculty members may nominate themselves or others to receive the lectureship, which includes a stipend to support a specific research project. A faculty committee chooses the winner.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information about Buffalari’s research contact her at buffald@westminster.edu. For more on Westminster’s neuroscience program, click here.

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