Joanne Berger-Sweeney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joanne Berger-Sweeney
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Berger-Sweeney in 2012
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| 22nd President of Trinity College | |
| Assumed office October 26, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | James F. Jones Jr. |
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| Born |
Joanne Sweeney
September 21, 1958 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Wellesley College (BA) University of California, Berkeley (MPH) Johns Hopkins University (PhD) |
| Known for | Galantamine proof of concept |
| Spouse(s) | Urs Berger |
| Children | 2 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neuroscience |
| Institutions | Trinity College (Connecticut) |
| Doctoral advisor | Joseph T. Coyle Yvon Lamour |
| Doctoral students | Elizabeth A. Buffalo |
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Joanne E. Berger-Sweeney (born September 21, 1958) is an American neuroscientist. This means she is a scientist who studies the brain and nervous system. She is the 22nd president of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She made history by becoming the first African-American and the first woman to lead the college. Earlier in her career, Dr. Berger-Sweeney helped show that a medicine called galantamine could help treat Alzheimer's disease.
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Early Life and Education
Joanne Berger-Sweeney was born in Los Angeles on September 21, 1958. Her parents were both very accomplished. Her father earned a law degree from Howard University. Her mother was the first African-American woman to lead a Girl Scouts Council in a major city.
Dr. Berger-Sweeney attended Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. Later, at her first graduation ceremony at Trinity College, she invited civil rights leader Rev. James Morris Lawson Jr. to speak. He had been a pastor at her childhood church.
She went to Wellesley College and earned a degree in psychobiology (which is like neuroscience) in 1979. She then got a master's degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981. In 1989, she completed her PhD in neurotoxicology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Her important work on galantamine showed that it could improve memory in mice. This research helped lead to the drug being approved by the FDA. Galantamine is now one of the most used medicines for Alzheimer's disease. After her PhD, she did more research in Paris, France.
Her Amazing Career Journey
Dr. Berger-Sweeney returned to Wellesley College in 1991 to teach and do research. She was the first African-American woman there to become a full professor. She also directed the neuroscience program and served as an associate dean.
In 2010, she became the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University. During her time there, she made the faculty stronger and created new programs that combined different subjects. She helped start the Center for Race and Democracy at Tufts, which studies how race affects people's lives. She also helped create the BLAST program, which supports college students from schools that don't always send many students to college.
On October 26, 2014, she became the first woman and first African American to lead Trinity College (Connecticut). In 2018, her contract was extended through 2024. As president, she has led many important projects at Trinity. These include a new plan for the college's future and a new mentoring program for new students. She also started a campus program to encourage respect and inclusion. Trinity College has also expanded into downtown Hartford under her leadership.
In April 2024, Dr. Berger-Sweeney announced that she plans to retire from Trinity College after the 2024-25 school year.
Other Important Roles
Dr. Berger-Sweeney also serves on the boards of several organizations. She is a director at Hartford Hospital and Hartford HealthCare Corporation. She helps lead the professional development committee for the Society for Neuroscience. She is also on the board of directors for AFS Intercultural Programs/USA. Additionally, she is a trustee for Framingham State University and a member of the board of trustees for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Her Scientific Discoveries
Dr. Berger-Sweeney has received money from organizations like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. This funding supports her research on how the brain learns and remembers. Her work also looks at how this applies to brain development disorders. She has written or helped write over 60 scientific articles.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Dr. Berger-Sweeney has received many awards for her scientific work. Some of these include:
- Member, Sigma Xi (1992)
- Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation (1994)
- Member, The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives
- Lifetime Mentoring Award, Society for Neuroscience (2006)
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2012)
- Distinguished Alumna Award, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (2015)
- Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2018)
Her Family Life
Dr. Berger-Sweeney is married to Urs V. Berger, who is also a neuroscientist and computer scientist. They have two children.
Images for kids
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Joanne Berger-Sweeney's signature
