Named a "Rising Star" by the Association for Psychological Science, Dr. Stephanie Cacioppo, Ph.D., is the Director of the Brain Dynamics Laboratory and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience in the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.  She has won prizes for her research on neuroimaging of social connections, social self and women’s health. She has authored more than 120 scientific publications and given interviews to prestigious outlets, such as the New York Times, Scientific American, Washington Post, Discover Magazine and National Geographic. She is the first female President of the Society for Social Neuroscience. In addition, she has been selected as a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and is a member of several other non-profit associations. Her work is at the intersection between social neuroscience, cognitive psychology and medicine. She currently investigates how the human brain forms, maintains and repairs social relationships. According to Dr. Stephanie Cacioppo, human meaningful connectedness has a function—not only to bond with people emotionally but also to improve our cognition and behavior, and indirectly our mental, physical and brain health.