June 20th, 2023 - The Promise of a Minority Brain Cell in Neurological Pathology - Dr. Ukpong Eyo (pronounced “A”-“Yo”) was born in Nigeria and immigrated to the US in 2003 to pursue undergraduate studies at Northwest Missouri State University. He then went on to graduate school at the University of Iowa where he developed a keen interest in real-time imaging of microglia during development under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Dailey. Following his Ph.D studies, Eyo joined the lab of Dr. Long-Jun Wu, first at Rutgers University in New Jersey, then at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to study microglial-neuronal communications. In August 2018, Dr. Eyo started his independent lab in the Department of Neuroscience and the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG) to continue his research on microglia in (i) neural injury (especially seizure disorders); (ii) neurovascular interactions and function and (iii) sex differences. Thorough his career, Dr. Eyo has published in diverse journals including Nature Communications, Cell Reports, Nature, Neuron, GLIA, Brain Behavior and Immunity, Scientific Reports and others. As a PhD, he has had success in securing grants and his lab is currently funded by 2 R01s from the NIH as well as private funding including a consortium grant to study COVID with HHMI. Dr. Eyo is a passionate advocate for diversity in research and runs a diverse lab. Away from the lab, Dr. Eyo enjoys time with his blessed family including his wife, two sons, and two daughters
