Joanna E. Pankiewicz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She is a physician-scientist with training in neurology and biochemistry. Her research focuses on the mechanisms of neurodegeneration and the pathology of Alzheimer's disease and prion diseases. She develops and characterizes novel transgenic mouse models and cell culture systems to study how beta-amyloid, hyperphosphorylated tau, and pathological conformers of prion protein accumulate in the brain. This accumulation can lead to nerve cell dysfunction and trigger inflammatory responses from microglia and astrocytes. Dr. Pankiewicz is particularly interested in the role of astrocyte-derived proteins, including apolipoprotein E and peroxiredoxin 6, in regulating the inflammatory responses produced by glial cells. Her work employs a wide range of research methods including quantifying neuropathology, confocal microscopy, image analysis, protein chemistry, single-cell isolation, and RNA sequencing. The overall aim of her research is to identify disease mechanisms that can be leveraged to develop novel therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases.