Joseph L. Price, PhD

Joseph L. Price, PhD, is professor of anatomy and neurobiology at Washington University School of Medicine. Price is widely recognized as an outstanding and dedicated teacher and mentor. He has had a significant impact on neuroscience education at Washington University, having taught for more than 35 years in the medical school’s Gross Anatomy and Neuroscience courses and the graduate school’s Neural Systems course, serving as coursemaster for much of that time. In recent years, he has been instrumental in implementing a Virtual Microscopy System for central nervous system slides, now an integral part of the neuroscience curriculum. He has supervised eight PhD students, including two who won the O’Leary Prize for best neuroscience thesis, and many undergraduates, most of whom went on to earn MD and/or PhD degrees.

In the classroom, Price is valued as an enthusiastic and passionate teacher who excels at communicating intricate neuroscience and neuroanatomy facts. He was given the Pre-clinical Teacher of the Year award by the medical school class in 1984, and several Distinguished Service Teaching Awards more recently. In his research, Price has used axonal tracing and other anatomical methods to study the brain. His work has provided insight into several topics, including cerebral cortex organization, mood disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease. Colleagues value his comprehensive knowledge of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Price received a B.A. in chemistry as valedictorian at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, then was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship for study at the University of Oxford. There he earned a B.A. in physiology, and a D.Phil. in neuroanatomy. Price joined the faculty at Washington University School of Medicine in 1969 and became a professor in 1983.

Price’s honors include the C.J. Herrick Award and the Javits Neuroscience Investigation Award. He has been an associate editor of the Journal of Comparative Neurology since 1999.