NIH Center for Scientific Review Appoints Dr. Amanda Kentner to Serve on Study Section

MCPHS psychology professor will play a key role in grant evaluations for groundbreaking neuroscience research.

Amanda Kentner, PhD, a Professor of Psychology at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), was recently appointed to a National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Integrated Review Group.

During her four-year term on the Developmental Brain Disorders Study Section, Dr. Kentner will review grant applications to help direct funding, meet with other members to discuss proposals, and make recommendations to the NIH.

The invitation to join was extended based on the strength of Dr. Kentner's extensive body of research around brain development in early childhood. Her work on behavioral neuroscience has been published in several journals, including “Molecular Psychiatry” and “Neuropsychopharmacology.” At MCPHS, Dr. Kentner directs a laboratory studying how environmental factors like infections, stress, and enrichment influence early brain development. In 2018, the NIH awarded her with a grant for this work, allowing her to expand the laboratory and offer more research opportunities to students.

“The funding is possible because of wonderful reviewers who have volunteered their time to evaluate our grant applications. I think serving on a study section is a great way to pay it forward and help support other scientists in their research, too,” Dr. Kentner said.

The opportunity came Dr. Kentner's way when she was invited to apply as a full member of the Developmental Brain Disorders study group after taking on an ad hoc review assignment for them in 2023. It will not be Dr. Kentner's first time in a position reviewing scientific grant proposals. She has also served on grant review panels for the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense. Her other credentials include memberships on the Executive Board of the PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society and an editorial board role on their associated journal “Brain, Behavior, and Immunity”. This is in addition to a recent appointment to a Senior Editor position for the international journal Neuroscience, and several faculty awards from MCPHS.

The NIH is the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research. In 2022, it allocated $45 billion to research aimed at reducing illness, disability, and enhancing quality of life.

“There are many innovative research initiatives being proposed for the study of brain disorders, which is exciting because they could lead to the development of interventions that may slow or prevent disease progression. My hope is that that the number and amounts of grant funding opportunities will increase to help support these critical projects,” Dr. Kentner said.