Cecilia Hillard

Medical College of Wisconsin: The Medical College of Wisconsin brings together the most inquisitive minds in science, medicine, education, and community engagement to solve the toughest challenges in health and society today. Academic medicine is at the core, where scientists, physicians, and students work hand-in-hand with the community to ask the questions no one else is and fuel the continuous cycle of knowledge shaping the future of medicine. The Medical College of Wisconsin is a distinguished leader and innovator in the education and development of the next generation of physicians, scientists, pharmacists, and health professionals.

Bio Highlights: Cecilia J Hillard, Ph.D. is Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Director of the Neuroscience Research Center, and Associate Dean for Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Hillard received a B.S. in Chemistry with High Distinction from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology from the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her laboratory has long-standing interests in the pharmacology of cannabinoids and the biochemistry of endocannabinoid signaling. Her laboratory contributed some of the early evidence for catabolism and cellular accumulation of the endocannabinoids. In addition, her laboratory has explored the roles of endocannabinoid signaling in many aspects of brain function, including emotional regulation, addiction, and neuroinflammation. She and her colleagues have reported seminal findings regarding the role of endocannabinoids in multiple preclinical models, including multiple sclerosis, depression, and anxiety. Recently, she is collaborating with others to explore changes in circulating endocannabinoids in humans to use this as a translational measure of endocannabinoid tone. NIH has funded her work since 1987, and she has published more than 200 peer-reviewed, original papers. Dr. Hillard received the 2011 Mechoulam award for outstanding research in cannabinoids and endocannabinoids and the 2017 Lifetime Achievement award, both from the International Cannabinoid Research Society. Dr. Hillard is currently a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for several companies working in cannabinoid pharmacology, including Phytecs, Inc and Beryl Therapeutics.