Anxiety, Gut Microbiome, and Nutraceuticals

Sarvadaman Pathak, MD, went to University of Houston for undergraduate studies, with a concentration in Biochemistry and Pre-Medicine. Following that he pursued a Doctor of Medicine degree from Avalon University School of Medicine Summa Cum Laude. He was educated partially in Belize, Mexico with all clinical experience in Chicago, IL. After graduating from medical school, he focused on research and worked at the University of South Florida. In 2013 he completed a one-year clinical fellowship in Traditional Chinese Medicine, including Chinese herbalism, with a focus on eastern western integrative medicine at the Dalian Medical University in Dalian, Liaoning province in Mainland China. Currently he works for the Veterans Affairs and University o fSouth Florida, Internal Medicine, and focuses on cancer research and pediatrics research.

Yashwant V. Pathak, PhD, is currently the associate dean for faculty affairs at College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. Pathak earned his MS and PhD degrees in pharmaceutical technology from Nagpur University, Nagpur, India, and EMBA and MS degrees in conflict management from Sullivan University, Louisville, Kentucky. With extensive experience in academia and industry, Pathak has over 150 publications, research papers, abstracts, book chapters, and reviews to his credit. He has presented over 180 presentations, posters, and lectures worldwide in the field of pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems, and other related topics. He has received several national and international awards including Fulbright Senior Scholar fellowship for Indonesia, Endeavour executive fellowship from Australian Government, CNPQ research award from Brazil Government and also was recognized by USF as outstanding faculty award and global engagement achievement award.

Con Stough, PhD, is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology and Director, Centre for Human Psychopharmacology. He earned his Bachelor of Science (Hons), University of Adelaide, Australia; PhD, University of Adelaide, Australia. Professor Con Stough's research interest lies in understanding human intelligence and cognition. He examines this central question from both psychological and biological perspectives, particularly using pharmacological methods.

A significant part of this research aims towards a better understanding of the cognitive and psychological effects of pharmacologically active substances ranging from illicit drugs to herbal and nutrient medicines. This includes validating new and existing nutritional products that may have a pharmacological profile useful in cognitive enhancement - for example, the bacopa extract CDRI08. More broadly, Professor Stough's research contributes to the development of nutritional products that can improve brain and cognitive function in Australia and overseas. In other research, Professor Stough has been working closely with partner schools from Australia and New Zealand to develop measures of emotional intelligence that can be used as development programs for children of all ages. This school-based research and development coalition is known as Aristotle Emotional Intelligence.