Board of Trustees
Winning Together
Dr. Tracy Dixon-Salazar
Science & Education Expert & Savannah’s Mom
Dr. Dixon-Salazar is a neuroscientist-geneticist-strategist-innovatient (innovative patient advocate). Her desire to get her Ph.D. was inspired by her daughter who developed a rare epilepsy syndrome at the age of 2 years old. She did her Ph.D. and post-doctoral work at the University of California, San Diego where she studied the mechanisms of brain development and synaptic plasticity, identified genetic causes of neurological disorders in children, and investigated precision therapeutics in cell-based and animal models of pediatric brain disease.
During her post-doctoral fellowship, and after 16 years of watching daily, unrelenting seizures in her child, Dr. Dixon-Salazar’s research uncovered the driver of her daughter’s epilepsy and identified a novel precision therapy that saved her life.
With more than 15 years of direct research experience, 19 years of non-profit experience, and 22 years caring for a child with a rare neurological disease, Dr. Dixon-Salazar is a proven thought-leader who embodies the concept that patient-driven, collaborative research is the key to meaningful medical solutions. She is an accomplished scientist, highly sought-after speaker, and staunch advocate for patient empowerment.
Tracy also loves skydiving and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes for fun (with a parachute of course).
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS:
• A thriving, beautiful daughter!
• Global experience engaging the wider medical, scientific, and patient communities and serving as a scientific and patient resource.
• Highly collaborative and dynamic professional with a proven track record of innovation, strategic planning, problem solving, and project conceptualization/implementation/management.
• Service oriented with experience on over 31 boards, committees, and task forces as a scientific thought leader.
• Dedicated mentor of more than 25 students, scientists, and coworkers.
• Four time Volunteer of the Year winner.
• Recipient of the National Defense Service Medal.
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