Roles
Research Associate Professor
Brain Endowment Bank
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Biography
Dr. Davis received his PhD in Neuropathology from Boston University School of Medicine and completed his post doctorate training at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology located at the University of Southern California.
In 2013, Dr. Davis joined the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank with the goal of utilizing his training to provide investigators with the highest quality biospecimens to catalyze their research. He has participated in and supervised the dissection and allocation of more than 14,000 biospecimens for NIH NeuroBioBank investigators.
In addition to his activities in the Biorepository, Dr. Davis is developing a multidisciplinary research program involving the collaboration of environmental scientists, ethnobotanists, neurologist, pathologists, and toxicologists all focused on investigating the effects of environmental exposures on brain health.
Dr. Davis has devoted his scientific career to explore the relationship between toxins in our environment and their potential roles in causing neurodegenerative disease. His current research focuses on the connections between the cyanobacterial neurotoxin BMAA, methylmercury and nanoplastics with disease such as Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson disease.
One recent publication in the Journal of Experimental Neurology and Neuropathology (January 2020) has documented the chronic dietary exposure to BMAA can cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-type pathology in a preclinical vervet model. In South Florida, our water systems are frequently affected by cyanobacterial blooms that produce the BMAA toxin. Dr. Davis is currently focused on how exposure to the BMAA neurotoxin is impacting the health of residents in Florida.
He is a member of the American Association of Neuropathologists, the American Association of Bioanalysts Board of Registry, the Society of Toxicology Southeastern Chapter, and the International Society of Neurotoxicology. His research on cyanobacterial toxins has been featured in nationwide publications including the Miami Herald, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The London Economic, the Washington Post and featured in six film documentaries. -
Teaching Interests
As our society ages, new and complexed health issues will require diverse team science, especially from historically underrepresented groups . My goal is to recruit these individuals to be a part of the next generation of neuroscientist. As an underrepresented minority, I greatly appreciate the need for equal representation in the research for cures to age-related diseases. Therefore, I strive to introduce fellows, residents, students and mentees to areas of environmental neurotoxicology research focused on age-related neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, our laboratory provides an opportunity to learn about the importance of biobanking, daily operations of a human tissue biorepository, and its impact on neuroscience research. -
Research Interests
I am a Research Assistant Professor of Neurology, Associate Director of the Brain Endowment Bank, and I am trained in neuropathology and toxicology. I have had a long-standing interest in how environmental stressors can modulate our lifespan by targeting the brain and accelerating age-related diseases. Toxins of interest have included nanoparticulate matter from vehicular exhaust, cyanobacterial toxins, methylmercury, and nanoplastics. My research is aimed at the molecular detection of these toxins in the brain and investigating their toxicological mechanism on neurons and glia cells. In addition, I am particularly interested in how disadvantaged populations are more vulnerable to these toxins through dietary practices and their geographical location. -
Publications
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