Dr. Maya Frankfurt received her Ph.D. in neuroscience and has been teaching and doing research for over 30 years. She has taught neuroscience and physiology to medical students and allied health students. Her research interests are primarily related to understanding how the brain responds to alterations in hormones, drugs, and aging. Of particular importance is the understanding of the mechanisms involved in short- and long-term memory. Although these studies are done in animals the goal is to understand the mechanisms underlying learning and memory in humans and to provide potential directions for therapy in patients with dementia. Related to this, is the attempt to understand potential sex differences and the effects of estrogen in learning and memory because women have a greater incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease than do men. The initial hormone studies led to an interest on the effects of Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in plastics that has been shown to disrupt endocrine function, on both memory and brain structure. This research has been published in over 80 papers in peer referred journals.

Experience

• Adjunct Professor

  Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies

  Apr 2022 – Present

• Adjunct Faculty

  Sacred Heart University

  Jan 2015 – Present

• Professor

  Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine

  Sep 2010 – Apr 2022

• Research Associate

  City University of New York

  May 2005 – Aug 2010

• Associate Professor

  Touro College

  Sep 1995 – Apr 2005

• Assistant Professor

  Rockefeller University

  Jan 1988 – Jun 1994

• Postdoctoral Fellow

  The Montreal Neurological Institute

  Sep 1985 – Dec 1987

• Postdoctoral Fellow

  Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

  Sep 1984 – Sep 1985

• Postdoctoral Fellow

  German Primate Center

  Sep 1983 – Sep 1984

Education

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

  Ph.D., Physiology, Neuroscience

  1983

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

  Master of Philosophy – MPhil, Neuroscience

  1981

• Hampshire College

  Bachelor’s degree, Biology, General

  1978