Portrait of Eric Wengert

Hello, I'm

Eric Wengert

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, Geisinger College of Health Sciences

I'm a educator and researcher working at the intersection of neuroscience, medical education, and artificial intelligence. My work focuses on utilizing modern data science and AI tools to best serve the education of student learners. I am also interested in cellular neurophysiology and pathophysiology of ion channels.

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About

I am an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Geisinger College of Health Sciences. My teaching and mentorship of medical and graduate students is guided by a commitment to developing thoughtful, patient-centered healthcare leaders. Increasingly, that work draws on the intersection of neuroscience, medical education, and AI — particularly in how AI tools can support the teaching and learning process.

Before joining Geisinger, I completed my PhD at the University of Virginia and my Postdoc at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where I studied voltage-gated ion channels and cellular physiology. That scientific training — and years of teaching ion channel and cellular physiology — shapes how I think about integrating computational approaches and AI tools into medical education.

I care about training the next generation of healthcare providers and scientists to use AI tools thoughtfully — skeptically when warranted, fluently when useful, and always with patients at the center. Outside of work, I enjoy coffee, playing chess, reading non-fiction, exercise, and spending time with my wife Ellie and daughter Marlowe.

Publications

Full CV (PDF)

Selected peer-reviewed articles and preprints. For the full list, see my Google Scholar profile.

2026

  1. Impaired excitability of fast-spiking neurons in a novel mouse model of KCNC1 epileptic encephalopathy

    Wengert ER, Liebergall SR, Jimenez T, Cheng MA, Markwalter KH, Clatot J, Hong Y, Arias L, Marsh ED, Zhang X, Tsetsenis T, Somarowthu A, Akizu N, Goldberg EM.

    eLife, 13:RP103784, 2026.

    DOI · eLife

2022

  1. Developmentally regulated impairment of parvalbumin interneuron synaptic transmission in an experimental model of Dravet syndrome

    Kaneko K, Currin CB, Goff KM, Wengert ER, Somarowthu A, Vogels TP, Goldberg EM.

    Cell Reports, 38, 110580, 2022.

    DOI · Cell Reports

2021

  1. Somatostatin-positive interneurons contribute to seizures in SCN8A epileptic encephalopathy

    Wengert ER, Miralles RM, Wedgwood KCA, Wagley PK, Strohm SM, Panchal PS, Idrissi AM, Wenker IC, Thompson JA, Gaykema RP, Patel MK.

    The Journal of Neuroscience, 41(44):9257–9273, 2021.

    DOI · J Neurosci

  2. The role of the persistent sodium current in epilepsy

    Wengert ER, Patel MK.

    Epilepsy Currents, 21(1):40–47, 2021. (Review)

    DOI · Epilepsy Currents

2016

  1. KCC2 rescues functional deficits in human neurons derived from patients with Rett syndrome

    Tang X, Kim J, Zhou L, Wengert E, Zhang L, Wu Z, Carromeu C, Muotri AR, Marchetto MCN, Gage FH, Chen G.

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 113(3):751–756, 2016.

    DOI · PNAS

Teaching / Research

I teach and mentor across the preclinical and graduate curricula — with a focus on neuroscience, physiology, and the thoughtful use of AI in medical education.

Courses

Integrated Sciences Course

Instructor · Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

In this team-taught course, I teach neuroscience, neurophysiology, and neuroanatomy content to first and second-year medical students.

Human Neuroscience

Course Director · Geisinger College of Health Sciences

In this course, I teach Master's students the core principles of Human Neuroscience including basic neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, systems neuroscience, and human behavior.

Case-based Learning

Facilitator · Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

I facilitate case-based learning in small group settings through guided discussions of patient cases

Research Projects

Using Modern AI Tools to Support Student Learning

PI · Ongoing

Through the educational lens of model-based learning, I am exploring how AI-tools can support robust active learning through real-time simulation/iteration of scientific models of complex physiological phenomena.

Epidemiological Patterns of Medical Cannabis Certification Rates

Co-PI · Collaborator: Brian J. Piper · Ongoing

Along with my colleague, Dr. Brian Piper, I am exploring geographic and sociodemographic patterning of medical cannabis certification for various severe medical conditions.

Electronic Health Record Research for Genetic Epilepsy Patients

Researcher · Collaborator: Michael Hammer (University of Arizona) · Ongoing

Using electronic health record data alongside ion channel biophysics to better understand and treat individual patients with genetic epilepsy.

Mentorship

I mentor medical students and graduate students at Geisinger College of Health Sciences on projects involving AI in medical education, medical cannabis epidemiology, and ion channel physiology. If you're a trainee interested in working together, please get in touch.

Contact

The best way to reach me is by email. I try to reply to students and trainees within a few days — for other inquiries, please allow a bit more time.

erwengert@geisinger.edu