Research

I am a neuroengineer and MR physicist trained in neuroimaging techniques and I am degreed in biomedical engineering and electrical engineering. I am trained in 7 Tesla MRI techniques focusing on radiofrequency safety, electromagnetic modeling, radiofrequency coil array development, and MRI image acquisition.   I worked on several NIH-funded grants that utilized 7T MRI in the following diseases: dementia, psychosis, depression, small vessel disease, sickle cell disease, schizophrenia, and normal aging.  My doctoral work resulted in publishing eight peer-reviewed journal articles and 34 conference proceedings.

 

Through my postdoctoral work, I have been trained in optical imaging techniques (using FD-NIRS and CW-NIRS) and electrophotography to conduct multimodal imaging with MRI.  I was mentored by Jana Kainerstorfer, PhD, and Enrico Novelli, MD, using NIRS and EEG to measure cerebral autoregulation and neurovascular coupling in the prefrontal cortex of healthy and diseased populations (e.g. sickle cell disease). This work was published in the Optical Society of America and the American Society of Hematology (receiving an oral presentation and merit award.) 

 

My research highlights three research areas:
• Determining the spatial and temporal variation in the hemodynamic response and its use as a cerebral health biomarker in the healthy brain
• Investigate and evaluate cerebral health biomarkers in cerebrovascular disease populations using multi-modal hemodynamic and neural imaging
• Assess cortical temperature as a cerebral biomarker in cerebrovascular diseases and disorders using perfusion imaging techniques