Sandra J. Hewett's appointment as the inaugural Beverly Petterson Bishop Professor in Neuroscience was celebrated on Oct. 12, 2011. Hewett came to SU from the University of Connecticut Health Center, where, in addition to running an internationally recognized research program, she was deeply involved with the university’s neuroscience graduate program as a member its Graduate Faculty, as program director, and as vice chair of the Graduate Programs Committee.

Hewett is charged with shepherding a joint Ph.D. program in neuroscience with Upstate Medical University, State University of New York. A 2010 memorandum of understanding paved the way for joint faculty appointments and graduate research opportunities at both institutions.

Hewett’s research focuses on brain injury and is funded by more than $2.5 million from the National Institutes of Health. She studies the molecular and biochemical processes that occur after a brain injury and the role of astrocytes in the inflammatory response to brain injury.