Sam Norwitz

Sam completed his B.A. at Washington University in St. Louis where he graduated valedictorian with majors in Biology, Neuroscience, and Children's Studies. He spent three years researching the effects of socioeconomic status on childhood brain development as part of the Human Connectome Project, the Cognitive Control & Psychopathology Lab, and the Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry under the mentorship of Professor Deanna Barch. Outside the lab, he founded the region's first Special Olympics program, where he became interested in the biological underpinnings of the neurodevelopmental disorders in the children he coached. He also served as President of Synapse Neuroscience Organization, working with inner city schools to promote STEM education. 

As both a Gates Cambridge Scholar and NIH OxCam Scholar, he will complete his PhD in the MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge. The goal of this research is to better understand the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, such as SYT1-related Baker-Gordon syndrome under the mentorship of Dr. Kate Baker (Cambridge) and Dr. Chris McBain (NICHD). When note in the lab, he can be found on the 'football' field or playing his guitar alongside the River Cam.

After completing his PhD, Sam plans to return to the U.S. for medical school. His long-term goal is to become a physician-scientist with a focus on pediatric neuroscience, seeking international dialogue and research collaboration in bettering the lives of children with neurodevelopmental challenges.