| Message from the Dean
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 Dear Friends,
As I approach the first anniversary of my tenure as the Dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) at The University of Texas at Dallas, I find myself, with all of you, in uncharted territory. The spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus brings with it challenges for all of us. It requires us to rethink what we do, to retool how we do it, and to be resilient in the face of uncertainty. For me, these challenges reinforce the strength of our school and the necessity of our mission.
The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences aims to develop new scientific knowledge related to the brain and behavior, and to educate our students in this knowledge. Many of our students go on to work in health care, science, and education. In this generation-defining moment of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are grateful to all researchers, health care providers and public health specialists who are working to combat this challenge and to prepare for future ones. In particular, we thank the BBS graduates working on the front lines in intensive care units and community health centers; others in research laboratories developing vaccines, diagnostic tests, and treatments; and still others in clinics and online sessions counseling our neighbors who are trying to cope with this threatening medical crisis.
As a Carnegie Tier 1 research university, and an important part of the premier public university system in Texas, our research output is among our top priorities. Much of our research aims to uncover basic scientific findings that can subsequently be used in applied research (e.g., at Schools of Medicine). For example, in neuroscience, we are working to uncover brain molecular pathways that can be the target of drug interventions to reduce chronic pain. In cognition, we are characterizing the brain connectivity patterns that lead to impairments in aging that can be the targets of neurostimulation or pharmacotherapy. In developmental psychology and speech/language science, we are finding features of delayed language that can lead to early interventions for autism, for developmental language impairment, and school readiness.
The School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences has a strong footing, with national and international prominence in many areas of research and education. The opportunities to increase the breadth and depth of these strengths are enormous. This year, we aim to hire faculty members in each of our core areas, increasing our footprint in developmental cognitive psychology and neuroscience, in motor speech disorders, in neurodevelopmental mechanisms of addiction vulnerability, and in other areas of brain and behavior.
Our educational programs continue to grow, with our undergraduate majors in Psychology and Neuroscience now both among the ten most popular majors at UT Dallas. We are developing multiple tracks in these programs: for example, this will enable premedical students studying neuroscience to pursue a different course of study than those pursuing careers in science or technology. Our master’s and doctoral programs continue to thrive, and we aim to increase the size and reputations of our PhD programs substantially in the coming years. Finally, our clinical training programs are both ranked in the top ten nationally, and the ascent in the quality and reputations of these programs will only increase.
The people of BBS represent the absolute highlight of these past twelve months. The past several weeks have posed a particular challenge for our faculty, students, and staff, who have come together marvelously to enable us to continue our high-quality educational mission in a dramatically new way. The people of BBS, whether in person or online, are a diverse group of kind, caring, smart, and energetic human beings, sensitive to others and loyal to the future of our School, our University, our region, our country, and our world. The faculty include talented teachers and researchers, some focusing primarily on pedagogy and others on investigation. Our doctoral students are first-rate, and are the main drivers of our extraordinary research operation, apprenticing in the process of scientific discovery and teaching, and growing into independence. Students at the Master’s level also contribute to this enterprise, as they gain special career skills or preparation for future study. Our six undergraduate majors include students from all backgrounds aiming for careers in a broad range of fields, realizing that in our era, knowledge of brain and behavior represents the basis of opportunity. Our academic advisors and administrative support staff represent our interface to the world, interacting with our students, colleagues, and community, and creating a critical component of our public face.
It has been great getting to know everyone in the School, and beginning to know our alumni and our community. Thank you for the warm welcome to our school, our university, and the DFW metroplex. In the coming months, as we learn more about the challenges presented by Covid-19, I am certain that the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences will rise to these challenges and continue to pursue our critical missions of education and research. In the coming years, as we take advantage of the tremendous opportunities presented by The University of Texas at Dallas and the people of DFW, and grow the size and scope of BBS, I hope to engage as many of you as I can. Before closing, I want to convey once again our deepest gratitude to our friends and alumni who are providing health care, impactful research, public policy, and counseling during this current crisis. Thank you.
In many ways, BBS is just beginning. Please keep in touch, and join us on this journey.
Best wishes,
Steven L. Small, PhD, MD
Dean, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Aage and Margareta Møller Distinguished Professor
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