Ira B. Black, M.D., is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He is past president of the 28,000-member Society for Neuroscience of North America and he is currently Chairman of the Society's Public Information committee. His pioneering research has earned him numerous honors and awards, including the Jacob Javits Award from the National Institutes of Health, the Rita Levi-Montalcini Award, the Viktor Hamburger Award, the Irman T. Hirschl Trust Award, and the McKnight Award.