Maria-Adelaide Micci, PhD
January 2021
Dr. Maria-Adelaide Micci received her doctorate in biological sciences from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in Rome, Italy, and her Ph.D. in cell biology through the UTMB Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS). She completed postdoctoral appointments in the Marine Biomedical Institute and the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and served in leadership roles at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in Rome.
Dr. Micci began teaching at UTMB in 1996 in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and is currently a tenured associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology. During her time at UTMB, Dr. Micci has also served as Co-Director of the Confocal Microscopy Facility and Director of the Histopathology Core Facility.
Dr. Micci’s current research focuses on nanopulsed laser therapy for the treatment of traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative brain disorders and the development of mechanisms for resistance to Alzheimer’s disease. Her research has been well-funded and is currently supported by the National Institute on Aging, Department of Defense, and The Kleberg Foundation. She holds multiple patents for her scientific discoveries, has over 40 peer-reviewed publications and reviews, and has been an invited speaker at numerous local and international symposia and conferences. She has served as a scientific reviewer for multiple scientific journals and as a grant reviewer for the Italian Ministry of Health and NIH study sections, including the National Institute of Mental Health, Neurogenesis and Cell Fate, and Neuroscience study sections.
During her tenure at UTMB, Dr. Micci has also shown strong dedication to graduate education. She teaches in both the GSBS and the School of Medicine and has successfully mentored 12 PhD students for rotations or dissertation studies, 1 medical resident, 11 medical students, 6 undergraduates, and 5 high school students. Two recent PhD graduates have obtained impressive positions post-graduation, one as a postdoctoral fellow at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy, and another as an Assistant Professor and Director of Community Engagement and Education for the newly established Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Micci is also active in the administration of the Neuroscience Graduate Program, most notably as current chairperson of the Neuroscience Graduate Program admissions committee and member of the Advisory committee for the joint PhD program between UTMB and the University of Palermo. She holds faculty appointments in the Human Pathophysiology and Translational Medicine Graduate Program and the Neuroscience Graduate Program and serves as a member of the GSBS Kempner Fellowship Committee.
Dr. Micci’s contributions to education have been recognized by awards such as the Neuroscience Graduate Program Excellence in Teaching Award and the Italian Flame Award for Character, Leadership And Community Service, among others. For her dedication to the advancement of graduate student education, please join the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in celebrating Dr. Micci as the January 2021 GSBS Focus on Mentoring designee.