13th Annual Dr. Harvey B. Sarnat Lectureship And Mini-Symposium
in Developmental Neuroanatomy And Neuropathology
2025 topic: Neuromeric Model of Craniofacial Development
This special lecture and symposium is supported by the Dr. Harvey B. Sarnat Lectureship in Brain Development through the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Date: Tuesday April 15, 2025
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (MT)
Location: Alberta Children's Hospital, Kinsmen Learning Centre Auditorium, 4th floor
Keynote speaker: Dr. Michael Carstens, MD
Neural Crest Migration and Craniofacial Development: Insights into Embryology and Surgical Implications
This lecture explores how brain development shapes the face. Research from the late 1980s to 2010 mapped the segmental organization of the brain, revealing genetic patterns that guide neural crest cell migration. These findings connect the central nervous system to the formation of facial and skull structures. Errors in this process can lead to characteristic deformities. Understanding this system offers new insights into craniofacial anatomy, leading to a key concept: the brain predicts the face.
Dr. Michael Carstens, MD, PhD
Plastic and Craniofacial Surgeon, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Michael H. Carstens, MD, FACS, earned a BSc in chemistry from Colorado State University before receiving his MD from Stanford University. His research focuses on craniofacial embryology, stem cells, and facial cleft surgery. A multilingual global educator, he co-founded Nicaragua’s APROQUEN burn care foundation and advises the country’s Ministry of Health on regenerative medicine.
Dr. Harvey Sarnat, MD, FRCPC
Professor, Departments of Pediatrics/Pathology and Laboratory Medicine/Clinical Neuroscience; Paediatric Neurologist and Neuropathologist, Alberta Children’s Hospital
The Harvey B. Sarnat Lectureship and Mini-Symposium is hosted by Dr. Harvey B. Sarnat, a world-renowned physician and scientist in child neurology. Dr. Sarnat's focused research interests are in neuroembryology and developmental neuropathology, fetal and neonatal neurology, and brain pathology in paediatric epilepsy.
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