Stanford Neuroscience Journal Club
Teaching Kids How to Read and Interpret Scientific Publications
Scientific publications remain the key mechanism for scientists to communicate the results of their original scientific research and findings to the field of medicine. The Stanford Neuroscience Journal Club was initiated by faculty members, Dr. Odette Harris in the Department of Neurosurgery and Dr. Reena Thomas in the Department of Neurology. The intent of this group is to mentor high-school scientists in the critical analysis of a scientific paper and encourage participants to consider a career in the Neurosciences. Our once-per-month meetings offer students an opportunity to read and discuss scientific literature and newsworthy developments in the field of neuroscience in a low-pressure environment, with expert Stanford scientists. There are no coursework prerequisites for participation, just a curiosity for science and a desire to learn how to understand scientific literature.
Application information
- SCHOOLS: Please submit a roster with names, year of birth, and contact information for all participating students, to Stanford University.
- PARENTS: Parents/Guardians of participating students will be asked to sign an Assumption of Risk document to participate in on-campus activities, and an emergency contact sheet for reference in the case of an emergency.
Note: Students are not required to attend a participating school to be eligible to participate in the program.
2022-2023 Meetings
*Tentative Schedule, Some Dates Subject to Change
*Until further notice, meetings are taking place via Zoom
All meetings will take place at 4:00PM at the Stanford Cancer Center, 875 Blake Wilbur Drive, Palo Alto. Parking is available at 800 Welch Road, Palo Alto. Students are expected to attend these meetings as an important part of their participation in the Club.
- September 6th, 2022
- October 4th, 2022
- November 1st, 2022
- December 6th, 2022
- February 7th, 2023
- March 7th, 2023
- April 11th, 2023
- May 2nd, 2023
Our Team
Odette Harris, MD, MPH
Professor of Neurosurgery
Director, Brain Injury
Department of Neurosurgery
Dr. Odette Harris specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and conducts TBI research with a focus on epidemiology and outcomes. Dr. Harris serves in leadership positions at both Stanford and the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System.
Reena P. Thomas, MD, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Director, Adult Neuro Oncology Fellowship
Division of Neuro Oncology
Department of Neurology
Dr. Reena Thomas specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors. Her research focuses on immune based cancer therapies and chemokine signaling in-, and advanced imaging studies of glioblastoma.
Featured Student
Derin Timuçin is a 2022-2023 JClub student from Turkey who is in her second year of the IB DP program at Pearson College UWC. She was recently accepted to Wellesley College for the Class of 2027 with a full scholarship. She will be majoring in neuroscience.
The Summer of Neurosciences program was her first opportunity to be involved in the field of neuroscience and she had the chance to explore her interest. She also had the chance to meet Dr. Harris through this program.
This past summer she conducted her first research in neuroscience through Pioneer Academics with full scholarship. She explored the behavioral and neurochemical outcomes of anabolic androgenic steroids addiction in athletics.
Also, her first article on neuroethics (“Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation As a Method To Enhance Performance in Competitive Sports: Ethical or Not?”) will be published in the journal of International Youth Neuroscience Association in the following months.
She feels that none of the experiences above would be possible without the efforts of Dr. Harris and our programs (Neuroscience JClub, Summer of Neurosciences, etc.).
The Harris Neuroscience Internship
The Harris Neuroscience Internship provides funding for 6-8 weeks each Summer to support a High School Student (Rising Grade 10-12) in completing scholarly activities in Neuroscience and Neurosurgery focused on topics related to 1) gender and/or 2) health care disparities in the neuroscience.