About Us

Laura Bianchi, PhD received her academic training in Italy and the United States, earning undergraduate and graduate training in Biochemistry at the University of Milan and a PhD in Physiology from the University of Florence. She completed postdoctoral training in the United States at Vanderbilt University, following earlier research training at Case Western Reserve University, before establishing her independent academic career. Dr. Bianchi is a Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where she serves as Director of the Graduate Program in Cellular Physiology and Molecular Biophysics and as longitudinal Co‑Director of Physiology for the NextGen MD curriculum, providing leadership in graduate and medical education. She has received multiple honors for mentorship, teaching, and academic leadership, including the Women in Academic Medicine Excellence in Mentorship Award (2025), the Excellence in Curriculum Award for the NextGen MD Curriculum (2025), the Neuroscience Graduate Program Faculty Mentor of the Year Award (2023), and the Neuroscience Graduate Program Award for Excellence in Teaching (2020), as well as U‑Choose SEEDS awards supporting mentoring initiatives and early‑career development. Dr. Bianchi’s expertise centers on ion channels, transporters, and neuromodulators, with a particular emphasis on glia–neuron crosstalk in nervous system function across health, disease, and aging. She provides extensive national and international service, serving as a Scientific Editor for PLoS Genetics and as a Review Editor for multiple journals, with prior Guest Editor appointments. She is an active NIH grant reviewer, with service on multiple study sections and has participated in international funding panels in Canada and Europe. Within the University of Miami, Dr. Bianchi has held key leadership roles, including Chair of the Neuroscience Curriculum Committee, Chair of the Shared Resources Committee, and Chair of the Basic Science Initiative Committee, contributing to curriculum design, program oversight, and educational governance.