Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Faculty mentor: Joseph Glykys, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics – neurology, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine
Degree program and anticipated graduation date: Medical Scientist Training Program – MD, PhD in neuroscience; May 2027

Gage Liddiard studies drug-resistant seizures in newborns. He is seeking new alternatives to currently available medications, which are relatively ineffective. Research shows that 30 to 50 percent of neonatal seizures are resistant to current treatments, which have not improved for nearly 50 years. Treatment failure is even more likely if diagnosis and treatment are delayed, which disproportionately effects families in rural and medically underserved areas. Liddiard is targeting the brain’s innate inhibitory system, which serves a braking system by preventing excess activity in brain cells. He is assessing poorly understood and underutilized drug targets and measuring how they may affect neonatal seizures.

Liddiard plans to pursue a medical residency in pediatrics or pediatric neurology and work at an academic medical center.

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