Julio Licinio

About Julio Licinio

Sometimes works of art stop me in my tracks. A painting that has stuck with me is Paul Gaugin’s masterpiece, painted in Tahiti in 1897–1898 and now at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts: “D\'où venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Où allons-nous?” Gaugin wrote those words - meaning “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?” - on the canvas.Where do I come from? I am from Brazil, born in Minas Gerais, known for its rich iron ore deposits. The poet Drummond de Andrade wrote, “Ninety percent iron in the cobblestones. Eighty percent iron in the souls.” When I was 12, my family moved to Salvador, Bahia, an amazing coastal city founded in 1549 as Brazil’s first capital and that is now the largest majority (80%) black city outside Africa. I immigrated to the US in 1984, building a life and career in academic medicine, mental health, psychiatry and neuroscience. I have also spent 8 years in Australia, directing research programs, and returned to US in 2017. The toughest of Gaugin’s three questions is “What Am I?” I have a natural curiosity, and always wanted to see and understand the world, and make a difference. I do not prejudge; I look at things objectively, and that is my starting point to build new structures and to improve existing ones. Nothing keeps me going more than to conceive something new and then to make that a self-sustaining reality. For instance, I brought Molecular Psychiatry from an idea in my head to the number one psychiatry journal worldwide in 13 years. Over the years, I developed many ideas into established facts or new structures: Examples include conceptualizing in the 1980’s immune-related molecules as intrinsic to the brain where they are differentially regulated and modulate behavior; demonstrating that a dispersed mass of fat cells, through leptin, regulates minute-to-minute neuroendocrine function, and that leptin is pro-cognitive; proposing and developing for over 20 years genomics and precision medicine approaches to address health disparities, and establishing multiple structures to foster academic career development for members of underrepresented groups.Where am I going? My energy, curiosity, and desire to make a difference are stronger than ever. As the world undergoes vast changes at an unprecedented pace, I believe that, by using emerging tools and reaching out in more just and inclusive ways, we can further advance medicine and promote health. A question I am addressing now is: Can COVID-19 directly cause new onset of major depression or psychosis due to the direct effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the brain?

Experience

1. CEO & Publisher

   Genomic Press

   Jan 2024 — Present · NY, US

   Embarking on a pioneering venture, Genomic Press is launching its first journals in 2024. What is our raison d’être? We bring about a transformation in scientific publishing by fully engaging with and supporting authors. Our fair-cost platform will offer rapid and decisive review of high-quality work. We will then use contemporary tools to actively disseminate your work worldwide. We bring together scientists from multiple disciplines, providing the most exciting, emerging science an unparalleled stage for visibility.

Education

• Cornell University

  Resident in Psychiatry (research track)

  1986 — 1989

• University of Chicago

  Fellow in Medicine/Endocrinology

  1984 — 1985

• USP - Universidade de São Paulo

  Resident in Internal Medicine

  1983 — 1984

• Yale School of Medicine

  Fellow in Psychiatry, Psychiatry

  1990 — 1991

• Universidade Federal da Bahia

  MD, Medicine

  1977 — 1982

• Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences

  Master of Science - MS, Healthcare Leadership

  2017 — 2019

• Albert Einstein College of Medicine

  Resident in Psychiatry

  1985 — 1986

• National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program

  Visiting Scientist, Clinical Neuroendocrinology Branch

  1989 — 1990

• Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management

  Master of Business Administration - MBA, Business Administration and Management, General

  2017 — 2019

• Flinders University

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Psychiatry

  2014 — 2017

Skills

• Research
• Life Sciences
• Lifesciences
• Medical Education
• Molecular Biology
• Clinical Research
• Clinical Pharmacology
• Psychotherapy
• Medical Research
• Medicine
• Genomics
• Public Health
• Genetics
• Science
• Translational Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience
• Higher Education