Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of long-term neurological and psychiatric morbidity across the lifespan, yet the biological mechanisms that determine individual outcomes remain poorly understood. Our research investigates how mild traumatic brain injury alters brain structure, function, and neurochemistry — and why some individuals recover fully while others develop persistent symptoms or long-term sequelae.

A central goal of our work is the identification of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers that can detect injury early, predict clinical trajectories, and guide individualized care. We combine advanced multimodal neuroimaging with fluid biomarkers, clinical phenotyping, and longitudinal cohort designs across the full translational pipeline — from animal models of injury to prospective clinical cohorts. A particular focus is pediatric mild traumatic brain injury, where the developing brain presents both unique vulnerabilities and distinct opportunities for early intervention.

Two questions cut across all of our work: how biological sex shapes the response to brain injury, and how comorbidities modify injury trajectories and recovery. Both remain underexplored in the field and are essential for moving toward precision medicine.