After receiving her degree in Pharmacy in Germany in 1976, Christen Hohmann worked as research assistant in laboratories at the University of Cologne and subsequently at Harvard University, School of Medicine in Boston. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Brown University in 1985 and came to Baltimore for her postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins University where she was appointed to the faculty in 1989. During her years at Johns Hopkins and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Dr. Hohmann became involved with training high school students from the Baltimore City School system in her lab and initiated an NIH funded training Program for students and teachers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Driven by her passion for teaching and particularly training of young students in research, Dr. Hohmann joined the faculty of Morgan State University in 1993, where she has been promoted through the ranks to her current position as Full Professor and Graduate Faculty.
Dr. Hohmann's Developmental Neuroscience laboratory at Morgan State University has focused on the ontogeny of cerebral cortex within the context of mental health disorders. The lab conducts fundamental biomedical and bioenvironmental research, employing mouse models to study brain-behavior relationships, to investigate how developmental disruptions contribute to brain pathologies. Interests in the lab have included Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Depression and related mood disorders and the roles of modulatory neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, dopamine and serotonin as well as the role of stress and inflammation. Dr. Hohmann’s research has involved dozens of undergraduate students over the year many of whom co-authored her publications and are now in science careers across the country.
In addition to mentoring students in her own lab, Dr. Hohmann served for over 20 years as the P.I. and Program Director for the NIGMS funded RISE Program at MSU. Under her leadership over 70% of RISE scholars eventually entered STEM graduate training. Dr. Hohmann was instrumental in MSU receiving a BUILD Program grant in 2014 and currently serves as overall PI of this grant. The BUILD/ASCEND training at MSU has followed an entrepreneurial model which allows scholars substantial research autonomy, and it has produced many graduates who choose to enter community and public health focused post-secondary training and careers.
Dr. Hohmann has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters as well as edited a book and several Special Issue Journals. She has also served extensively on grant review panels and as peer reviewer for many scientific journals. She is a fellow of AAAS.
