Youngentob named associate dean of SUNY Upstate's College of Graduate Studies

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Steven L. Youngentob, Ph.D., has been appointed associate dean for College of Graduate Studies at SUNY Upstate Medical University. The appointment was anounced by Steven Goodman, Ph.D., vice president for research and dean of the College of Graduate Studies.

"Steve will work with me and College of Graduate Studies staff to strengthen all aspects of the graduate program including, recruitment, admission, curriculum and the tracking of our graduates," Goodman said. "His strong commitment and insight into the graduate program and his experience in directing the college's M.D./Ph.D. program make him the ideal person to fill this new administrative role."

Youngentob is professor and vice chair of neuroscience and physiology at SUNY Upstate. His research interests are in the areas of olfactory neural plasticity in adults, olfactory signal transduction in utero ethanol experience and olfactory system plasticity, peripheral and central mechanisms of odorant quality coding.

At the forefront of research into alcohol addiction, he is the lead author of a study, funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, whose findings indicate that pre-natal alcohol exposure shapes sensory preference, increasing the odds of later alcohol use and abuse. Published in the December 2007 issue of "Behavioral Neuroscience," the findings contribute a critical biological piece to the complex puzzle of why teens with a family history of drinking may drink more.

Youngentob lives in Cazenovia.