About the Jungers Center

Frank and Julie Jungers, casual photo
Frank and Julie Jungers

The Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research is a collaborative effort of the Department of Neurology and the Vollum Institute at OHSU.

The Center is housed on the 4th floor of the Lamfrom Biomedical Research Building, which is dedicated to accelerating the pace at which promising discoveries move from the laboratory to the patient’s bedside. The Jungers Center is also home to the Jungers Imaging Facility, which provides the high resolution light microscopy needs of the Jungers Center faculty and the OHSU neuroscience community.

A generous gift from Frank and Julie Jungers and Gary and Mariellen Jungers made the Jungers Center possible. Established in 2006, the Center has broad goals to enhance understanding of neurological diseases with a focus on neurodegeneration and neuroregeneration through research in Center laboratories and training programs in disease-oriented neuroscience research.

Director’s message

Ben Emery Ph.D., Director, Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research
Ben Emery Ph.D.

Ben Emery, Ph.D.

Neurological conditions pose a significant burden worldwide, impacting millions of individuals and their families. The Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research was founded on the premise that the development of treatments for neurological conditions will require a solid foundation in basic neuroscience, providing an understanding of the molecular and cellular processes that contribute to disease states. Our center was founded in 2006 as a collaborative effort between the Department of Neurology and the Vollum Institute at OHSU. Our goals are to conduct groundbreaking research that bridges the gap between basic neuroscience and the treatment of neurological disorders and to provide training programs in disease-oriented neuroscience research. The six laboratories in our center conduct foundational research using a range of experimental models. Our work encompasses both the neurons and glial cells of the nervous system and their roles in healthy brain function and disease. We seek to make discoveries that will transform the treatment of neurological disorders including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular disorders, brain injury and multiple sclerosis.

Our faculty partner with the Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP), the Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (PBMS), and other OHSU programs to train research associates, graduate and medical students, postdoctoral and clinical fellows to become the leading scientists of the future. Our annual symposium and weekly Work in Progress meetings seek to showcase international/national and local research efforts, respectively. We have strong interactions with clinical groups on campus including the OHSU Parkinson’s Center, the Layton Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and the Neuroimmunology Division to help translate our discoveries to the bedside. The Center also houses the Advanced Light Microscopy Core that provides state-of-the-art light microscopy imaging support for investigators in the neuroscience community at OHSU.

If you are a prospective graduate student, postdoctoral researcher or faculty member, we invite you to browse our individual faculty and laboratory pages to learn more about the research performed at the Jungers Center and the research positions available. If you are a patient or donor, we likewise hope that you will browse this site to learn more about our work to better understand and treat neurological conditions. If you are interested in donating to support the efforts of the Jungers Center, please feel free to reach out to individual faculty members to learn more about their work, visit our Foundation Giving page or contact Maddy Abulencia at the OHSU Foundation.

Ben Emery Ph.D.
Director, Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research
Associate Professor, OHSU Department of Neurology

emeryb@ohsu.edu

Founding co-Directors (2006-2020)

Drs. Westbrook and Bourdette, collage
Gary Westbrook, M.D. (left) and Dennis Bourdette, M.D. (right)