I have over three decades of research experience in the neurobiology of brain injury. Early work defined glutamate neurotoxicity in brain ischemia (Simon, Science, 1984) and the morphologic demonstration of mitochondria and intracellular calcium loading in ischemia (Simon, Griffiths, 1984). More recent work addressed the endogenous biology of neuroprotection (brain ischemic tolerance). Studies of tolerance, have focused on the genomics of the brains response to stroke. We were the first to show that tolerance could attenuate ischemic injury from stroke. We offered the first molecular data demonstrating that gene up regulation characterized ischemic brain injury but that gene down regulation was the phenotype of the tolerant brain (Stenzel-Poore, Lancet, 2003). Recently the lab has used unbiased, proteomics to define the proteome in ischemic tolerance (Stapels, Science Signaling, 2010). These proteins, members of the polycomb protein group (PcG), are epigenetic regulators of transcription. My current position is the director of Translational Programs in Stroke at Morehouse School of Medicine and I am a member of the NINDS funded Stroke Trials Network (directed by Mike Frankel MD) at Grady Memorial hospital. With our laboratory background in the genomics of ischemic brain, we are well positioned to study human brain injury. We (Meller and Simon) have used RNA sequencing in blood to show its diagnostic power and remarkably it’s ability in prognosis (Meller 2016) . We are now testing the accuracy of blood transcriptome analysis as novel biomarkers of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke by gender.
Dr. Roger P. Simon, MD
Specialties
- Neurology
- Internal Medicine
Board Certifications
- ABMS Psychiatry/Neurology
Affiliations
- Morehouse
Education & Training
- Medical School: Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences
- Residency: New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center
Honors & Awards
Harold G. Wolfe Prize for Research in Neurology, Cornell University 1971
NIH Teacher Investigator Award 1979-84
Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching, UCSF 1986
Distinguished Teaching Award (best lecture)-2nd Year Class, UCSF 1987
Distinguished Teaching Award (best lecture)-2nd Year Class, UCSF 1989
Elected to AOA as the Outstanding UCSF Faculty Member for 1990 1990
Golden Toe Award for Excellence in Teaching, Dept. Neurology, UCSF 1990
Outstanding Lecture Series - 2nd year class, UCSF 1993
Dr. Roger P. Simon Day in SF CA for service to patients of the county (17 June) 1994
Best doctors in Pittsburgh: Neurology (Pittsburgh Magazine) 1996
Excellence in Teaching Award, Class of 1999 (twice), Univ. Pittsburgh 1997
Excellence in Teaching Award, Class of 2000, Univ. Pittsburgh 1999
Listed in Best Doctors in America 1999
Best Doctors in Portland (featured) 2004
Board of Scientific Counselors, NIH/NINDS, Ad Hoc Member 2004
ANA’s Victor and Clara Soriano Lectureship 2005
Italian Society for Neuroscience Plenary Lecturer 2005
Scientific Advisory Committee, SNRP, U of Alaska, Fairbanks 2006
Distinguished Scientist Seminar series speaker, Uni Alb at Mobile: 2012
Publications
Complete List of Published Work in My Bibliography: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=simon-rp