My undergraduate education began at the University of Liberia, in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa and was completed in 1974 at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, with a B.S. in Microbiology. In 1981, I received my Ph.D. in Neuroanatomy in the Anatomy Department at Howard University College of Medicine under the guidance of Duke Tanaka, Jr. and Gregory Stanton. During 1981-86, my postdoctoral training was with Arthur W. English at Emory University School of Medicine in the Anatomy Department.

I have been a member of the Biological Sciences faculty at FIU since the Fall of 1986. My research interest is in neurodegenerative diseases & neuroprotection as related to learning and memory, chemokine receptors in the CNS, as well as in neuromuscular re-innervation/ regeneration. I supervise research projects of graduate & undergraduate students, teach courses with enrollments that collectively, annually total more than 400 students, serve on numerous departmental and university-wide committees and have received certificates and awards for teaching, service and mentoring. I was named a National Academies Education Fellow in the Life Sciences for 2004-2005. I enjoy playing tennis and golf, watching a good movie, gardening in my yard, traveling, and drinking good red wine.

"The ‘pearls of wisdom’ that we pass on are gained from our life experiences and I have learned that to be empowered, at the very least, requires knowing who you are, believing in yourself and having confidence in your actions."              - O.I.W.