Susan Amara facts for kids
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Susan G. Amara is a leading American scientist. She is a professor who studies the brain, a field called neuroscience. She also helps lead a big science group called the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Amara is part of important science groups like the National Academy of Sciences. She also used to be the leader of the Society for Neuroscience, a group for brain scientists. She studied science at Stanford University and the University of California, San Diego.
What She Does
Dr. Amara used to teach and do research at places like Yale University. In 2004, she joined the National Academy of Sciences. This is a special group for top scientists.
Her main work is about how certain drugs affect the brain. She studies how the brain reacts to medicines like antidepressants. These medicines help people with their mood. She also looks at how the brain responds to drugs that make people feel more awake. Her lab studied how these drugs change brain signals. They looked at tiny parts in the brain called neurotransmitter transporters. These parts help brain cells talk to each other.
In 2011, Dr. Amara spoke to the United States Senate. She asked them to give money to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She explained that NIH funding helps scientists find new ways to treat brain problems. This includes mental health issues.
In 2013, Dr. Amara became a science director at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). She still does her research there. Her lab studies how brain cells send messages. She has also helped review science projects for the NIH since 1992. She helps decide which projects get funding.
Dr. Amara's lab has created many new technologies. They have twenty U.S. patents for their inventions.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Amara has won many awards for her important work:
- Burroughs Wellcome Hitchings Award in drug discovery
- The Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award
- The ASPET John Jacob Abel Award
- McKnight Neuroscience Investigator Award
- NIH MERIT Award from NIDA
- NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Award
- Julius Axelrod Award from the Catecholamine Society
