Inspiring Minds: Kafui Dzirasa

A Virtual Event

Tuesday, April 19, 2022 - 7:00pm

A 2022 Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award Recipient, Kafui Dzirasa is a brain scientist, engineer, psychiatrist, mental health advocate, and trailblazing activist with an energetic passion for inspiring minds and transforming the face of science.  

The Franklin Institute presents an inspirational virtual event featuring 2022 Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award Recipient Kafui “Kaf” Dzirasa, 43, honored for his groundbreaking innovative research into understanding how electrical changes in the brain can lead to mental illness. He is widely celebrated for his role as a tireless advocate for, and mentor to, underrepresented minorities in science, and for his outspoken voice for the importance of diversity in science and medicine.  

Fueled by a deeply personal family experience with mental illness, Dzirasa became the first African American awarded a Ph.D. in Neurobiology at Duke University. Today, he is helping to lead what many are calling the next future breakthrough in brain research—the better understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness.  

Join the conversation as Kafui Dzirasa, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Bioscientist Jayatri Das, Ph.D., and Franklin Institute STEM Scholars student Nia Armstrong delve into his career path, his novel approaches to treat mental illness, and his drive to ensure that science welcomes—and benefits—all of us. Questions are invited during the event.