The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute on Wednesday announced the lineup for the new season of free public lectures in Roanoke that includes a Nobel prize winner and two leaders from the National Institutes of Health.

The VTC Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture Series brings top scientists in to talk about their areas of expertise in a way that the public can understand.

“We strive to present the world’s leading authorities on advanced, thought-provoking topics in science, medicine, health and policy,” said Michael Friedlander, executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. “Sharing the excitement and promise of scientific and biomedical research with the Roanoke community and our Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic colleagues is an important part of our mission. The experts who visit the research institute are leading contributors and voices on the cutting edge of the latest knowledge, vision and implementation of improved health and quality of life.”

The lineup includes biologist and geneticist Michael Young who received the 2017 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine for his contributions to the science of circadian rhythms.

Eliseo Perez-Stable, director of the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, will talk about ways to improve health outcomes in populations that experience health disparities.

Christopher Austin, director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, will explain the process of translating observations in the laboratory or clinic into useful health care interventions.

Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture Series events begin with a free public reception at 5 p.m. followed by the hour-long lecture starting at 5:30 p.m. at 2 Riverside Circle in Roanoke.

Feb. 27: “The Cognition Crisis: Perils and Promise of Technology and the Brain,” presented by Adam Gazzaley, the University of California, San Francisco’s David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry.

https://www.roanoke.com/business/med-beat-fralin-institute-announces-speakers-for-free-public-lecture/article_15c550d1-8d45-585f-b4be-0c98f1d37c47.html