Aaron McGee, PhD, leader in visual plasticity, joins the College of Medicine – Phoenix

Aaron McGee, PhD, has joined the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix's Department of Translational Neurosciences as a new tenured professor. McGee is a leading researcher in the field of visual circuitry function and plasticity and comes from the Department of Anatomical Sciences & Neurobiology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

McGee received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado – Boulder in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. He earned his doctorate in neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco, where he studied mechanisms of synaptic functions in the laboratory of David Bredt, MD, PhD. He continued training at Yale University School of Medicine, where he studied developmental aspects of neuroplasticity.

Since becoming an independent investigator in 2009, his laboratory has made notable advances in the understanding of the genes and mechanisms that regulate experience-dependent plasticity within the brain’s visual circuitry. He is studying how disruption at critical developmental stages adversely affects visual system function as well as how to ‘re-open’ critical periods later in life to improve therapeutic outcomes. His lab explores the genes and mechanisms that mediate the transition from robust plasticity during development to more restricted plasticity in the mature brain. Using advanced and innovative approaches, his group is discovering mechanisms that may be targeted to enhance brain plasticity and promote more efficient and complete restitution of function from childhood neurologic disorders and visual impairments.

"Dr. McGee’s move to the College of Medicine – Phoenix will have a significant impact on our growing neuroscience research program here," said Chris Glembotski, PhD, vice dean for Research.

McGee’s work is well recognized and reported in high impact journals — including new findings soon to be published in Nature Neuroscience.

He brings a very experienced team of scientists and a number of innovative approaches to the college. His addition will meaningfully impact the college's goal of improving health care through translational neurosciences research.