Tao Ma, MD, PhD

Dr. Tao Ma received his MD in China and his PhD in neuroscience from Mount Sinai School of Medicine at New York in 2008, working with Drs. Robert Blitzer and Emmanuel Landau. From 2008-10, he was a postdoctoral research fellow with Dr. Gunnar Gouras in the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York City. From 2010-14, he was an assistant research scientist, and then research assistant professor at the New York University Center for Neural Science, in the laboratory of Dr. Eric Klann. Since 2014, Dr. Ma has been a tenure-track assistant professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC, within the Department of Internal Medicine, Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine.  Dr. Ma is a neuroscientist with a specialization in learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity. His research focuses on novel molecular mechanisms underlying pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and seeks to identify potential therapeutic targets or biomarkers for AD and other aging-related cognitive impairments. Primary techniques applied in his laboratory include electrophysiology, confocal microscopy, behavioral tests, and molecular approaches in transgenic mouse models. His original research findings on molecular mechanisms in AD have been published in many high-profile peer-reviewed journals, including The Journal of Neuroscience and Nature Neuroscience, garnering international attention.   Dr. Ma has won numerous awards. He is a recipient and principal investigator of National Institute of Health/National Institute of Aging K99/R00 and R01 research grants, and the Alzheimer’s Association New Investigator award. He has been an editor of the International Journal of Neurology Research,” and associate editor of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. He is a member of the Society for Neuroscience and the New York Academy of Science.