Congratulations and best wishes to Audrey Seasholtz, PhD, who has been named Professor Emerita of Biological Chemistry and Research Professor Emerita, Michigan Neuroscience Institute. Her retirement memoir, adopted by the Regents of the University of Michigan at their December 2023 meeting, is reprinted below.

Retirement Memoir of Audrey Seasholtz, PhD

Audrey F. Seasholtz, PhD, Professor of Biological Chemistry in the Medical School and Research Professor in the Michigan Neuroscience Institute, retired from active faculty status on December 31, 2023.

Professor Seasholtz received her BS degree from Juniata College in 1978 and her PhD degree in biological chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1983. After postdoctoral studies at the University of Oregon and Oregon Health Sciences University, she returned to the University of Michigan as an assistant professor of biological chemistry and assistant research scientist in the Mental Health Research Institute (current Michigan Neuroscience Institute) in 1988. She was promoted to associate professor of biological chemistry and senior associate research scientist in the Mental Health Research Institute in 1997, and then to professor of biological chemistry and research professor at the Michigan Neuroscience Institute in 2003. Professor Seasholtz was also appointed as a research associate professor for the reproductive sciences program from 2004–2012.

Professor Seasholtz’s research interests centered on the mammalian stress response, focusing specifically on the corticotropin-releasing hormone system and its regulation and dysregulation in anxiety, depression, and addiction. This research resulted in numerous multi-year NIH grants and multiple young investigator and independent investigator awards from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, over 75 peer-reviewed publications, chapters in books, and presentations at national and international meetings. A gifted teacher, Professor Seasholtz taught biological chemistry to medical students for 35 years, receiving an Award for Teaching Excellence from the Office of Medical Student Education in 2004 and the Kaiser Permanente Pre-clinical Award for Teaching Excellence in medical school curriculum in 2015. She also taught courses for the neuroscience graduate program and served as the associate director of the neuroscience PhD graduate program from 2014–2018, 2019–2020, and 2021–present. She served as interim director of this same program from 2018–2019 and 2020–2021. An outstanding mentor, she served as thesis research mentor to ten PhD students and three MS students, served on many thesis committees, and mentored hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. Administratively, she participated in multiple departmental and institutional committees in biological chemistry, including the Michigan Neuroscience Institute, the neuroscience graduate program, and the Medical School. She received the University of Michigan Research Scientist Recognition Award in 2000.

The Regents now salute this distinguished faculty member by naming Audrey F. Seasholtz, Professor Emerita of Biological Chemistry and Research Professor Emerita, Michigan Neuroscience Institute.