Dr. Patrice Smith, is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Carleton University and a Research Fellow at Harvard University. Born in Westmoreland, Jamaica, Dr. Smith was an avid science student and excelled in her CXCs at Mannings High School. However, upon migrating to Canada she had to repeat the final year of high school to obtain the requirements for furthering her education in that country. Not only did Dr. Smith brave the unfamiliar and cold new environment but she excelled in high school and obtained a scholarship to attend the University of Ottawa. There, she pursued a Bachelors Degree in Biochemistry, graduating at the top of her class in 2001. Dr. Smith attributes her success in these endeavours to the early foundation in education that she received in Jamaica. Her childhood curiosity about the workings of mechanical inventions evolved into a passion for full scientific inquiry into the functioning of one of the world's greatest mysteries- the human brain. She has made her mark in the field of neuroscience by playing a lead role in research that will pave the way for new therapies to reverse brain and spinal cord injuries. Dr. Smith developed a strong interest in Neuroscience and pursued her doctorate in that field focusing on diseases of the aging brain such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Her research focused on the difference between the adult and young brains and the varying ability of each to repair themselves. In furthering her research, Dr. Smith obtained a scholarship from the Canadian Institute of Health to pursue post-doctoral studies at Harvard University. There her investigations showed that a molecule SOCS3, plentiful in the adult brain but absent in the young, suppresses the ability to respond to self-healing signals sent by the brain for the repair of neurons after injury and have shown that inhibiting this molecule can promote repair of injured brains and spinal cords. Dr. Smith continues her studies on nerve growth in the developing brain with the aim that this will ultimately lead to the design of novel and effective treatments for brain and spinal cord injuries and several neurological and psychiatric disorders. For her contribution to science she was awarded the Bronze Musgrave Medal by the Institute of Jamaica in 2010.