Victoria Arango received her PhD in Neuroscience from Downstate Medical Center. While at Cornell University Medical College, she pioneered anatomical studies in the brain of people who died by suicide, which she continued at WPIC (University of Pittsburgh), NYSPI and Columbia University. She is now working with the National Institute of Mental Health . Dr. Arango's research focuses on brain neurotransmitter alterations in individuals who died by suicide and the effect of alcohol dependence on those systems. Her biochemical studies are complemented by molecular biology, genetics and quantitative morphometry studies. Dr. Arango has published extensively on the neurobiology of suicide and was continuously funded (by NIH and foundations) for over 30 years. She has received numerous awards and honors, notably the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Research Award as well as the Morselli Medal for Lifetime Achievement in suicide research. She is a Fellow of the International Academy of Suicide Research and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), and she has played leadership roles in those and other prominent scientific organizations.