Valerie Hedges is an Assistant Professor in the Physiology Department in the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University. Valerie teaches NEU 301 (Introduction to Neuroscience 1) and NEU 302 (Introduction to Neuroscience 2), a two-course introductory sequence of required large-enrollment courses for neuroscience majors in the College of Natural Science and Lyman Briggs College. She also teaches in NEU 311L (Neuroscience Laboratory), a required Tier II writing course for neuroscience majors. In addition, Valerie is an educational outreach coordinator for the neuroscience program and physiology department, participating in events such as the MSU Brain Bee, Brain Awareness Week, and the Neuroscience Fair during SciFest. Currently, she serves as the chair of the physiology department undergraduate curriculum committee and has been involved in curriculum restructuring for the neuroscience major at Michigan State University.
Valerie earned her undergraduate degree from John Carroll University. She went on to earn her PhD in Neuroscience from The University of Minnesota where she studied the molecular mechanisms underlying sexual reward within the rodent brain. She then completed a post-doctoral position where she worked on two projects studying the effects of estradiol on the function of the cerebellum and estrogen receptor palmitoylation and signaling with caveolin proteins before accepting an assistant professor position at Northern Michigan University. Valerie came to Michigan State University in 2017 and has focused her efforts on developing effective, compassionate, inclusive, and equitable pedagogy practices for her students.