Armand Balboni, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
abalboni@wsc.ma.edu
214A Wilson Hall
413-572-8317 office
413-572-8109 fax
Education
B.A., Skidmore College
J.D., Brooklyn Law School
Ph.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University
Joined Westfield State College in 2009
Specialization
Anatomy; Biomedical Sciences; Molecular Biology; Age Related Hearing Loss
Teaching
Two core goals form the foundation of my teaching philosophy. The first goal focuses on getting students involved in active learning so that they are able to develop a life-long interest in learning. The second goal is to encourage students to think independently and creatively in order that they may challenge existing theories and ideas, a particularly important concept in the fast-changing field of the life sciences.
My work in the laboratory employs molecular biological searches for novel genes involved in vertebrate head and neck development as well as later pathological states such as age related hearing loss. These studies examine the evolutionarily conserved skull base in a number of vertebrate systems as a model system for understanding human diseases. I suggest that age related changes to the petro-occipital fissure (POF) are due to a dura mediated localized pro-inflammatory cascade, the generation of reactive oxygen species, and a subsequent bony response. Importantly, the evidence suggests that this inflammatory response is triggered both by normative aging and in various disease states.
Recent Publications
Jun L., Balboni A.L., Laitman J.T., and Andrew Bergemann (2002). Isolation of DNTNP, which encodes a potential nuclear protein that is expressed in the developing, dorsal neural tube. Dev. Dynamics 224:116-123.
Som P.M., Smoker R.K., Balboni A.L., Reidenberg J.S., Hudgins P.A., Weissman J.L., Laitman, J. (2003). Embryology and Anatomy of the Neck. In: Head and Neck Imaging. Mosby (New York), 4th Ed. Chapter 33, 1757-1804.
Laitman J.T., Reidenberg J.S., Balboni A.L., Bergemann A.D., Som P.M. (2005). The Branchial Arches and their Derivatives. In: Basic Science Review for Otolaryngology. Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. (New York).
Balboni A.L., Bergemann A.D., Reidenberg J.S., Estenson T.E., Laitman J.T. (2005). Assessing Age Related Ossification of the Petroccipital Fissure: Laying the foundation for understanding clinicopathologies of the cranial base. Anat. Rec. 282A:38-48.
Som P.M., Smoker R.K., Balboni A.L., Reidenberg J.S., Hudgins P.A., Weissman J.L., Laitman, J. (2007). Embryology and Anatomy of the Neck. In: Head and Neck Imaging. Mosby (New York), 5th Ed. Chapter 33, 1757-1804.
Balboni A.L., Bergemann A.D., Reidenberg J.S., Laitman J.T. (2008). Tuberculosis Induced Changes to the Osseous Cranial Base and Potential Effects on Hearing and Balance. Anat. Rec. 291(5):488-90.