Stories that connect art and discovery

Suzanne Whitaker has been a muralist for 30 years, an artist all of her life. She received a B. F. A. in Painting from the University of Cincinnati, and began her business as a muralist/decorative finisher in 1993. Whitaker’s murals have been documented in her book, Creative Kids: Murals You Can Paint! In 2005, Whitaker moved to Phoenix from Ohio with her young son and daughter, and began designing and painting murals for several schools in our Ahwatukee community. Today, she focuses more on fine arts again, creating portraits for the Noteworthy American Women Project (partially funded by the AZ Commission on the Arts) and continuing with murals and developing contemporary

Sylvia Perez, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience at Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Perez’s expertise includes comparative neuroanatomy, with a focus on the biochemistry and connectivity of the cholinergic basal forebrain systems as well as on β-amyloid and tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease, Down syndrome, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. She is a member of the Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Perez received her PhD in neuroanatomy from the University of Santiago de Compostela. She completed postdoctoral fellowships in neuroanatomy at the University of A Coruña and at the Consellería de Educación e Ciencias da Xunta de Galicia and in neurobiology at Rush University Medical Center.

Dr. Taben Hale is an Associate Professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Director of Women in Medicine and Science at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine – Phoenix. She joined the University of Arizona, College of Medicine – Phoenix in 2008 as one of the founding faculty in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences where she leads a research program and teaches pharmacology to 1st and 2nd year medical students.

Arizona resident and graduate of Dreyfoos School of the Arts in Florida, Tara Sharpe creates powerfully captivating figurative paintings that empower viewers to explore the gamut of emotional experience. Her work blends the vibrant, sun-soaked intensity of the Sonoran Desert tempered by serene, undulating forms inspired by the Gold Coast, creating a dynamic visual experience. Imbued with emotional depth, her art resonates with themes of transformation and transcendence.

Dr. Currier Thomas’s primary research interests focus on traumatic brain injury (TBI). She studies structural, functional and molecular processes, with synaptogenesis as a keystone, which guide circuit reorganization over time and contribute to chronic deficits/symptoms after TBI. She tests pharmacological and rehabilitative strategies to mitigate these chronic deficits. She is also actively investigating the contribution of endocrine (hormone) deficiencies after TBI to understand causes and propose treatments for post-traumatic neurological deficits. These studies are in collaboration with researchers from Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, Phoenix VA Healthcare System and Arizona State University.

Tim Lant is a mathematician and health scientist specializing in predictive analytics and modeling for human health phenomena, including infectious disease, health equity, and environmental and climate health. He is a founding leader of the ASU Health Observatory, which applies advanced analytics and AI capabilities to health challenges in Arizona.