caption birth_date image article_title birth_name occupation alma_mater
gerald conference fischbach at the simons foundation autism research initiative 15 november 1938 geralddfischbach.jpg gerald fischbach
 gerald d. fischbach neuroscientist colgate university university , weill cornell medical college of cornell
gerald fischbach

gerald d. fischbach -lrb- born november 15 , 1938 -rrb- is an american neuroscientist .
he received his m.d. from the weill cornell medical college of cornell university in 1965 before beginning his research career at the national institutes of health in 1966 , where his research focused on the mechanisms of neuromuscular junctions .
after his tenure at the national institutes of health , fischbach was a professor at harvard university medical school from 1972 -- 1981 and 1990 -- 1998 and the washington university school of medicine from 1981 -- 1990 .
in 1998 , he was named the director of the national institute of neurological disorders and stroke before becoming the vice president and dean of the health and biomedical sciences , the dean of the faculty of medicine , and the dean of the faculty of health sciences at columbia university from 2001 -- 2006 .
gerald fischbach currently serves as the scientific director overseeing the simons foundation autism research initiative .
throughout fischbach 's career , much of his research has focused on the formation and function of the neuromuscular junction , which stemmed from his innovative use of cell culture to study synaptic mechanisms .
