Meet Meghan Puglia: UVA Brain Institute Director of Community Engagement
The University of Virginia Brain Institute announces the appointment of Meghan Puglia as Director of Community Engagement. In this new role, Dr. Puglia will lead initiatives to connect the UVA Brain Institute’s research with communities across Virginia and beyond. Her work will focus on making brain science accessible and relevant, fostering partnerships that elevate brain health literacy, and creating opportunities for public engagement.
In the following Q&A, Dr. Puglia reflects on her new role and gives us a glimpse into her research.
What are you most excited about in your new role with the Brain Institute?
I’m most excited about connecting the UVA Brain Institute with communities across Virginia to make brain science accessible, engaging, and relevant. I hope to elevate brain health literacy, build trust, and empower individuals through knowledge and equitable access to research. UVA has extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and I’m eager to help amplify that energy, translate discoveries into real-world impact, and foster a culture of engagement both within and beyond the Institute.
Where would you like to see neuroscience research at UVA go in the next 5, 10, 20 years? How can the Brain Institute help realize your vision?
I’d love to see UVA emerge as a national leader in translational neuroscience, with seamless integration across basic biology, data science, engineering, and patient-centered research. Over the coming decades, I envision teams across grounds collaborating easily, sharing data and tools openly, and communicating findings with transparency so discoveries are translated into actionable insights that improve lives. The Brain Institute can help make this vision a reality by fostering interdisciplinary training, supporting transparent science communication, and cultivating a connected, collaborative culture that brings neuroscience to the broader community.
You participate in regular and productive collaborations; what advice do you have for researchers who would like to collaborate more, especially across disciplines or the basic-translational-clinical-population research spectrum?
Answering big questions in neuroscience can’t be done in isolation; it requires team science. Effective collaborations start with curiosity, clarity, and communication, along with an open mind and a willingness to teach and learn. Interdisciplinary teams often speak different “languages,” so translating your work and understanding others’ perspectives is critical. Not only is collaboration necessary to move discoveries from bench to bedside, it is also far more rewarding and fun than working in a silo.
Briefly describe your current research projects and interests. How did you get your start in the field of neuroscience?
My lab studies early brain development, using neuroimaging and computational approaches to understand how infants build the foundations for lifelong health. We work at the intersection of developmental science, data science, and precision pediatrics, with ongoing projects in infant EEG, MRI, and early-life stress and caregiving.
I was drawn to neuroscience by the realization that the brain is an unexplored frontier. Once I gained exposure to the tools to investigate this unknown as an undergraduate, I was hooked.
What’s something new that you’ve learned recently (at work or outside of work)?
One of my favorite parts of my job is that I’m always learning. Lately, I’ve been exploring new ways to communicate science, from social media, to podcasting, to giving a TEDx talk. Stepping outside my comfort zone in these areas has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m excited to continue building on these experiences in my new role.
What is a surefire way to make you laugh?
My kids! They are the most rewarding part of my life and never fail to make me laugh. One of my favorite things is their inventive language. Many of their neologisms have become part of our family vocabulary: we wash our hair with “shampoop,” and we always carry a “rainbrella,” just in case!