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Dr. Joanna Mattis

Assistant Professor of Neurology

jomattis@med.umich.edu
CV
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BS., M.S. Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University (2006)
M.Phil. Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge (2007)
Ph.D. Neuroscience, Stanford University (2013)
M.D. Stanford University (2015)
Neurology Resident, University of Pennsylvania (2015-2019)
Instructor and Research Fellow, University of Pennsylvania (2019-2020)
Epilepsy Fellow, University of Pennsylvania (2020-2021)
Instructor, University of Pennsylvania (2021-2022)
Assistant Professor, University of Michigan (2022-present)

About Me

Joanna Mattis I am a circuit neuroscientist and epileptologist. As a physician-scientist, I chose to specialize in epilepsy because there is a tremendous opportunity for our scientific advances to translate to the bedside: epilepsy is fundamentally a disease of neuronal circuitry, but we understand relatively little about which precise circuit elements go awry, and how. My laboratory is focused on answering these questions in preclinical animal models, with the goal of motivating new therapies for patients with refractory disease.

My time outside of work is mostly spent chasing my three kids (born while I was in graduate school, medical school, and residency). Our family makes regular trips to the UK to visit my husband’s extended family. I also enjoy music (I was once a semi-serious clarinetist), reading, playing wordle and its variations, and dance fitness. Our family loves exploring the many restaurants and festivals in Ann Arbor, and the great hiking and camping in Michigan!

Research

I was fortunate to do my PhD with Dr. Karl Deisseroth at Stanford (https://web.stanford.edu/group/dlab/), focusing on development and application of optogenetic tools for circuit neuroscience. As a neurology resident and epilepsy fellow, I received further training in two photon imaging and preclinical models of epilepsy with Dr. Ethan Goldberg at CHOP (https://goldbergneurolab.com/). My laboratory at the University of Michigan combines a variety of tools to record from and manipulate defined neuronal populations and circuits in mouse models of epilepsy, with the goals of developing new treatments to prevent seizures and to treat epilepsy comorbidities.

Clinical work

Teaching and mentoring

I have been lucky to have mentors who have supported my growth as a person and as a scientist, and it is a privilege to pay that forward now that I am faculty.

As a physician in a teaching hospital, most clinical teaching is built into the team-based delivery of care in the clinic or hospital. Contributing to medical education in parallel with patient care is a high priority and a great source of professional satisfaction for me as an attending. For this reason I enjoy attending on the inpatient service at the Ann Arbor VA, which is a wonderful opportunity for medical students to get close attention and great training in neurology.

The University of Michigan is one of our nation’s top-ranked public universities, with over 500 undergraduate Neuroscience majors and the longest-standing Neuroscience PhD program in the country. As faculty at UofM, much of my teaching occurs in the context of working with undergraduate and graduate students in the research laboratory. Our lab is full to the brim with undergraduate students, all of whom are meaningfully contributing to projects at a level that will merit authorship on resulting publications.

Dr. Joanna Mattis

Dr. Joanna Mattis

The Mattis Lab