Personale docente

Name:
PAOLA PALANZA
Current Position:
Professor at the Department of Medicine, University of Parma, Department of Neuroscience, Viale delle Scienze 11A, Parma (Italy)
Co-directos of the Intrnational School of Ethology "danilo "Mainardi", Ettore Majorana Center and Foundation for Scientific Culture, Erice (italy)

Education
* Ph.D. in Animal Biology (Ethology), University of Firenze, 1992.
* Degree in Biological Sciences (110/110 cum laude), University of Parma, 1987. Title of Doctoral Thesis:"Proximal and ultimate causations of different forms of intraspecific aggression in the House mouse (Mus musculus)".

Career / Employment
Dec 2016-current
Professor of Biology, University of Parma
2000 –2016 - Associate Professor of Applied Biology at the University of Parma
1999-2000 - Researcher (Zoology) at the University of Parma
1999-2004 - Assistant professor in Ethology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bologna
1997-98 - NATO-CNR Fellowship for Advanced Research at the Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia (USA)
1996-99 -Assistant Professor of Biology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Parma.
1993-95 - Post-doctoral position at the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Venice, Italy.
1991, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002- Visiting scientist at the Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri.
1990 – Visiting scientist at the Biomedical and Physiological Research Group, University of Swansea, U.K.
1988-91 - Ph.D student in Animal Biology (Ethology), University of Parma, Pisa, Florence

Research Activity
Biological bases of behavior, more specifically social and emotional behavior and the interaction between genes and developmental events. I take a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the neuroendocrine substrates and the adaptive significance of the sex-specific differences in reproductive strategies, and social, emotional, feeding and cognitive behavior through mice models.
As a researcher, I have a substantial presence in academia: I have authored 105 papers in International journals, 22 book chapters, more than 200 International conference abstracts.

h-index = 46; number of citations = 7563. From Scopus
h-index = 51; number of citations= 11449. From Google Scholar

Main research topics are:
---Effects of developmental exposure to estrogenic endocrine disrupters on reproduction, behavior and metabolism
-- Gene-environment interactions in behavioral development
-- Sex differences in behavior and reproductive strategies: neuroendocrine bases and adaptive significance.
-- Social stress models and vulnerability to psychiatric and metabolic disorders.
-- Social organization of mice colonies in artificial territories and female competitive strategies.
- Ethology and animal welfare

PUBLICATIONS IN INTERNATIONAL PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL
For the complete list of my publications:
Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.it/citations?user=uf0LA4QAAAAJ&hl=en).
ORCID (orcid.org/0000-0003-2873-4260)

Main Scientific Collaborations
• Prof. F.S. vom Saal (University of Missouri Columbia, USA). Endocrine disruptors, reproduction and behavior
• Prof. C. Eva and Prof G. Panzica (NICO, Fondazione di Neuroscienze Cavaliere Ottolenghi e Dip. Di Neuroscienze, Università di Torino), NPY1R conditional KO mice, sex differences
• Prof. A. Bartolomucci (University of Minnesota, USA) Models of chronic psychosocial stress, obesity, diabetes.
• Prof. A. Vidal-Puig (MRL-University of Cambridge, UK). Obesity, diabetes.
• Dr. C. Gross (European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL, Monterotondo, Italy). Molecular biology; gene x environment vulnerability to chronic stress exposure.
• Dr. G. Laviola (Istituto Superiore di Sanità). Development, hormones
Scientific collaboration
• Prof C. Blanchard, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, USA. Social neuroscience, autism models
• Prof. Vassilios Fanos, Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche, Università di Cagliari. Latte materno e sviluppo infantile.
• Prof. S. Parmigiani, Dr. G. Ceresini, Prof. R. Volpi, Prof M. Tonna, Prof. A. Sgoifo, Prof. L. Carnevali, Prof. A Cabassi, Dr. P. Govoni, Prof. PF Ferrari, Prof. R. Tirindelli, Prof. M. Ventura, Prof. F. Nonnis Marzano, Prof. S. Esposito, Prof. T. Frusca, Prof. T. Ghi, Prof. F. Pisani, Prof. S. Perrone (University of Parma, Italy): Co-workers and main collaborators for past and current research at the University of Parma

Research Grants
Current:
•Coordinator of EC LIFE18 ENV/IT/000460 Project "Mother and infant dyads: lowering the impact of endocrine disrupting Chemicals in milk for a healthy Life" (LIFE-MILCH) - Project Leader
• Co-PI - Programma Nazionale di Ricerca in Antartide: PNRA18_00341 - F – TEARplay - Tear-film Evolution in Antarctic Region: bioinstrumental, biochemical and behavioural PLAYers - Partecipazione: Co-PI
•Co-PI - 'Agenzia Spaziale Italiana "MARSE-PRE: MARcatori biologici e funzionali per la biomedicina aStronautica di PREcisione.
Past Grants:
- 2000-2002. MIUR (Italian Ministry of University and Research) - Research Projects of National Relevance (PRIN): Behaviour as a biomarker of developmental exposure to estrogenic endocrine disruptors;. Principal investigator.
- 2002-2008. University of Parma Intramural Funds for Research: Sex differences in behavior: role of endogenous hormones and EDCs;. Principal investigator
- 2007-2008. Private Company: Zealand Pharma A/S, Glostrup, Danimarca- Drug Discovery Program: Effects of peripheral TLQP-21 treatment on mice adipose organ physiology, sympathetic activation and cardiac histology,. Co-Investigator
- 2008-2009. Private company: Takeda Cambridge (UK):Research Advancement Program. “Behavioural characterization of the C129 strain of mice for response to social stress and sex differences. Principal investigator.
- 2008-2011. Foundation Compagnia di San Paolo, Neuroscience Project. Conditional knockout NPY-YIR mice as an experimental model to study vulnerability to psychopathology; Principal Investigator.
- 2009-2011. MIUR (Italian Ministry of University and Research) PRIN- Projects of relevant national interest: Behavioral analysis and response to stress in conditional Knockout NPY-Y1R mice; Principal Investigator.
- 2012-2015. MIUR (Italian Ministry of University and Research), PRIN- Projects of relevant national interest: Infancy, adolescence and psiychopathology: effects of early maternal environment and of psychoactive drugs on brain development; Principal Investigator.

Referee for Scientific Journals
Aggressive Behavior; Animal Behaviour; Behavioral Ecology; Behavioral Brain Research; Behavioral Processes; Brain Research Bulletin; Brain Behavioral Sciences; Environmental Health Perspectives; Environmental Reviews; Ethology Ecology Evolution; Hormones and Behavior; Journal of Reprod. and Fertility; Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews; Nature Neuroscience; Neurotoxicology; Neurotoxicology and Teratology; Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior; Physiology and Behavior; PLoS 1; PNAS; Psychoneuroendocrinology; Psychopharmacology; The Royal Society -Proceedings

Referee for Granting Agencies
-OWH (The Office on Women's Health) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- University of Naples (SUN) intramural grants.
- Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR)
- Italian Health Institute (ISS);
- Italian Health Ministry

INVITED LECTURES/KEY SPEAKER (last 10 years)
2020- International Symposium "Sex as a biological variable in biomedical research: needs, challenges, and future steps” Berna (CH) 8-9 October 2020. Postoponed due to Covid-19
2020- Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Endocrine Disruptors-“Integration of Human, Environmental and Model System Data”, Newry, ME, USA, 31 maggio-5 giugno. 2020 Postoponed to 2022 due to Covid-19.
2019 – 47th workshop of the International School of Ethology on “Ethology, Psychology, Psychiatry: An Evolutionary Approach. Erice 22-27 ottobre 2019
2019- 45th workshop of the International School of Ethology on “Sex Differences, dimorphisms, divergences: impact on brain and behaviour in health and disease”. Erice, 20-25 maggio 2019.
2018 Workshop “Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Developmental Origins of Health and Disease”, Reggio Emilia, 23 febbraio 2018
2017 Workshop BIOMETRA, Milano, 26 Settembre 2017.
2016 40th Workshop of the School pof Ethology on “Translational Neuroscience & Mental Disorders – bridging the gap between animal models and the human condition” 4-9 novembre 2016, Erice Italy.
2016- 49th Seminars of Planetary Emergencies - Erice (Italy) 19-24 agosto 2016
2015- 9th World Congress on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD 2015), Cape Town South Africa, 8-11 November 2015
2015 - 20mo Convegno INBB- Ricerche Biomediche di Frontiera. Roma 22 ottobre 2015.
2014 - 39th Workshop of the School of Ethology “ What made us Human”, Erice, October 2014
2014 Italian Society of Neuropsychopharmacology, Turin 3-5 June 2014
2011 ARET Conference : “ Une challenge pour la toxicology: les faible doses et les melanges » Parigi, June 2012
2011 IBANGS symposium “The long way from genotype to behavioural phenotype: potential pitfalls and coping strategies”, Roma 10 May 2011
2011 SAFE workshop on "Endocrine Disruptive Effects of Pesticides due to Low Dose Exposure: Evidence for Non-Monotonic Dose Response Curves" Brussels, 15-16 March 2011.

ORGANIZATION OF MEETING/SYMPOSIA
2019 Codirector 47th workshop of the International School of Ethology on “Ethology, Psychology, Psychiatry: An Evolutionary Approach. Erice 22-27 ottobre 2019
2019- Codirector 45th workshop of the International School of Ethology on “Sex Differences, dimorphisms, divergences: impact on brain and behaviour in health and disease”. Erice, 20-25 maggio 2019.
2015 XXVI Convegno della Società Italiana di Etologia, Parma 24-26 giugno 2015.
2014 Brainstorming Symposium on “Obesity, diabetes, metabolic Syndrome and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Parma 18-21 May 2014
2007 Workshop on “Niko Tinbergen: a tribute for a founder of modern Ethology" Parma, 29 giugno 2007.
2002 18° Workshop on “Impact od endocrine disruptors on brain development and behavior”, School of Ethology – E. Majorana Center for Scientific Culture, Erice 15-20 March 2002. – co-director
1998 workshop of the International School of Ethology: “Ethology and Biomedical Research”, Erice, 1-6 Dicembre 1998 – co-director

TEACHING ACTIVITY
- Biology and Genetic (6 cfu, 60 hours), Medicine and Surgery (2020-present)
- Applied Biology (9 cfu, 108 hours), Dentistry School, (2000-present).
- Experimental Models (6 cfu, 47 hours), CdLM in Biotecnology for Medicine, Veterinary and Pharmacy (2010-present);
- Biology of Behavior (5cfu, 35 hours), c.i. Psicobiology and Ethology (8 cfu), laurea magistrale (Master) in Psicobiology and Cognitive Neuroscience (2014-present);
- Applied Biology , Obstetrics school, (1 cfu-10 hrs)