Dr. Ritzel conducted his graduate studies in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Connecticut Health Center and obtained his PhD in 2016. He then pursued postdoctoral training at the Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, where he studied neuroimmune interactions and the role of aging in traumatic brain injury with Drs. David Loane and Junfang Wu. Dr. Ritzel received the inaugural Michael Shipley Postdoctoral Award for excellence in neuroscience research and has been the recipient of NINDS F31, F32, and K99/R00 training awards.