Dean’s DistinguisheD Lecture
Winter 2026
AGENDA OPENING REMARKS
Frank LaFerla, PhD
Dr. Lionel and Fay Ng Dean
LECTURE
Tallie Z. Baram, MD, PhD
Q & A
RECEPTION
About the Lecture
How Early-Life Experiences Shape Our Adult Behaviors
Although we do not remember events that happen to us during our first months and years, these experiences shape our emotions and actions. Dr. Baram will focus on how early-life experiences, including stress, are perceived by our brains, and how these transient events can have enduring influence on our mental health.
About the Speaker
Tallie Z. Baram, MD, PhD
D. Shepard & Bren Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology and Neurology
Baram is best known for her pioneering and cutting-edge work on how adversity during sensitive developmental periods influences life-long cognitive and emotional health. Her group addresses these important questions at molecular, cellular and circuit levels, in both experimental animals and humans. Baram’s influential discoveries, published in top journals, have been cited ~40,000 times and recognized by numerous awards. Baram is passionate and committed to mentoring, and her former trainees, from a broad range of backgrounds, are now contributing independently to our understanding of the brain in health and disease.
