NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series

The NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series, colloquially known as WALS, is the highest-profile lecture program at the NIH. Lectures are held on most Wednesdays from September through June from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET in Lipsett Amphitheater, Building 10, on the NIH Bethesda campus.

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A Patient-Scientist Lens on How and Why to Move Faster to First in Human

Sonia Vallabh, Ph.D.
Broad Institute
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at 2 p.m. ET

Prion disease is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease that is universally fatal and currently untreatable. It is caused by the gain of function of a single causal protein, the prion protein, which misfolds into a so-called "prion" which spreads its corrupted conformation across the brain. Many lines of evidence suggest that reducing PrP levels in the brain is an effective and safe strategy for treating and preventing prion disease, and multiple therapeutic platforms now offer promise for targeting one disease-causing protein in the CNS.

The TGFb Superfamily – How Understanding Mechanism Leads to Therapeutic Opportunities

Tom B Thompson , PhD
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at 2 p.m. ET

The focus of my laboratory is divided into two areas of investigation where I study the structural and functional aspects of TGFbeta family signaling and regulation along with the structures of apolipoproteins and how this relates to HDL particles and other related biological functions. The laboratory uses a combination of structural techniques including X-ray crstallography, small angle X-ray scattering coupled with biophysical and biochemical experiments.

Clinical Encounters in Neurogenetics: Taking Cues from Single Patients to Discover Genes, Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Approaches

Carsten G. Bönnemann, M.D.
NINDS
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 2 p.m. ET
Astute Clinician Lecture

Dr. Bonnemann received his MD from Freiburg University, Germany. He completed pediatric training and venia legendi (Habilitation) in Germany. Residency in pediatric neurology at MGH/Harvard was followed by postdoctoral work with Dr. Louis Kunkel at Children's Hospital Boston working on the molecular genetics of muscular dystrophy. In 2002 he joined the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia/University of Pennsylvania as Assistant Professor, Co-Director of the Neuromuscular Program, and Director of the Neurogenetics Clinic.