Johns Hopkins University
BHP, Co-Founder, Co-Director

Background: Dr. Leah Rubin is a Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Molecular and Cellular Pathobiology, and Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Rubin received her BA from Franklin and Marshall University, a MA in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University Maryland, and a Ph.D. and M.P.H. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Rubin’s work is dedicated to improving the cognitive and mental health of several vulnerable populations, including women and men living with HIV (both nationally and, more recently, internationally), individuals with serious mental illness, long COVID, dementia, and traumatic brain injury. Her broad training background allows her to use an interdisciplinary approach in her research program that incorporates epidemiological, mechanistic (e.g., structural and functional neuroimaging) and intervention science (e.g., pharmacologic challenge studies).

University of Texas Southwestern
BHP, Co-Founder, Co-Director

Background: Dr. Jennifer Coughlin is a professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. She directs the Molecular Imaging in Psychiatry program and oversees the UTSW site for the Brain Health Program.

Dr. Coughlin’s research focuses on molecular neuroimaging techniques, with focus in the use of positron emission tomography (PET) to study markers of neuroinflammation and receptor systems in the living brain. Her work spans the study of healthy aging, sports-related traumatic brain injury, mood disorders (bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder), psychosis, and dementia. She aims to inform the molecular understanding of neuropsychiatric conditions and identify novel, precision therapies guided by imaging results.

Psychiatry Faculty
Hometown: New York, NY
University: Johns Hopkins (MD, MPH), Columbia University (BA—Neuroscience and Behavior)
Department: Psychiatry
Career Interests and/or Goals: Interested in the intersection of HIV, mood disorders, and global public health
Fun Fact: I’m teaching myself the cello!

Postdoctoral Fellow
Hometown: Richmond, VA
University: University of Illinois at Chicago (PhD, MA – Clinical Psychology), College of William and Mary (BA – History, Government)
Department: Neurology
Studies: None
Career Interests and/or Goals: To examine the relationships between sociocultural factors and cognition in mental health, particularly in underserved populations.
Fun Fact: I lived in Korea between college and graduate school!

Neurology Resident
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
University: Duke University School of Medicine (Doctor of Medicine, 2024), Johns Hopkins Medicine (Neurology Residency, 2028)
Department: Neurology
Studies: None
Career Interests and/or Goals: To complete my neurology training and pursue a fellowship in neuro-infectious disease, particularly neurovirology.
Fun Fact:I'm a big fan of sci-fi and speculative fiction! My favorite author is China Mieville, but I also love James Tiptree Jr. and Jeff Vandermeer!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Blaricum, The Netherlands
University: Johns Hopkins University (2023)
Department: Neurology
Studies: BRAIN, COVID
Career Interests and/or Goals: To go to medical school and pursue my passion for medicine, with a particular interest in neurology and surgery.
Fun Fact: I am a practice player/coach for the Hopkins field hockey team and used to play with Olivia!

Undergraduate researcher
Hometown: Newark, DE
University: Thomas Jefferson University
Department: Epidemiology
Career Interests and/or Goals: Cognitive health in older adults with HIV
Fun Fact: I love to visit history and art museums!

Undergraduate researcher
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Career Interests and/or Goals: To conduct research on the mental health of adolescents living in food deserts. I also hope to become a physician assistant after obtaining my MHS in mental health.
Fun Fact: I enjoy reading murder mystery novels.

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Carlsbad, CA
University: University of Maryland (2023)
Department: Neurology
Studies: COVID
Career Interests and/or Goals: I want to pursue a career in neurology (ideally becoming a neurologist), so that I can continue exploring the world around us through the core of us, simultaneously using my knowledge for the betterment of others.
Fun Fact: I am a yoga teacher! I love yoga and overall wellness of the mind and body through meditation and exercise.

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Frisco, TX
University: University of North Texas (2024)
Department: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Studies: PET
Career Interests and/or Goals: Biological psychology, forensics, intersectionality. PhD
Fun Fact: I am half Nigerian half German!

Undergraduate researcher
Hometown: Eden Prairie, MN
University: Johns Hopkins University (Anticipated 2027)
Department: Neurology
Studies: BRAIN
Career Interests and/or Goals: Attend medical school and specialize in pediatrics, neurology, or psychiatry.
Fun Fact: I love dancing and especially choreographing contemporary dances!

Undergraduate researcher
Hometown: Queens, NY
University: Johns Hopkins University (Anticipated 2026)
Department: Public Health
Studies: COVID
Career Interests and/or Goals: Public Health Research that focuses on issues that predominantly affects minorities and marginalized populations. Additionally, to become a Medical Physician, Orthopedic surgeon to be specific.
Fun Fact: I lived in Nigeria for 12 years and fluent in Yoruba!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Los Gatos, CA
University: Johns Hopkins University (2023)
Department: Neurology
Studies: IMPACT, COC4, BRAIN
Career Interests and/or Goals: In the future, I want to attend medical school and pursue a career in medicine with a focus on providing medical care and support for women.
Fun Fact: I was a member of the Varsity Field Hockey team at Hopkins!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Timonium, MD
University: Wellesley College (2023)
Department: Neurology- formerly Psychiatry
Studies: IMPACT
Career Interests and/or Goals: To attend medical school and become a physician. I'm interested in surgery and studying the effects of health disparities and ways to combat them.
Fun Fact: I have perfect pitch!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
University: University of Southern California (2024)
Department: Neurology
Studies: BRAIN
Career Interests and/or Goals: I hope to attend medical school and pursue a career in psychiatry with a focus on substance use disorders and adolescent mental health.
Fun Fact: I’m learning how to play the guitar!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Gaza, Palestine
University: Kenyon College (2021)
Department: Neurology- formerly Psychiatry
Studies: BRAIN, Shared Participant Registry
Career Interests and/or Goals: I want to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and build a career working with refugees and asylum seekers.
Fun Fact: In addition to loving research/science I am also a poet!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Williamsburg, VA
University: College of William & Mary (2021)
Department: Neurology - formerly Psychiatry
Studies: Cocaine-BRAIN
Career Interests and/or Goals: Earn a PhD in Clinical Psychology. I'm particularly interested in the relationship between depression and cognition & memory.
Fun Fact: I love musicals & plays, so I catch as many as I can at the Hippodrome!

Hometown: Glen Rock, NJ
University: Loyola University Maryland (2024)
Department: Neurology
Studies: COVID
Career interests and/or goals: To get my PhD or PsyD in Clinical Psychology. I have interests in childhood trauma, various mental health disorders, and relationships!
Fun fact: I was born on my due date!

Undergraduate researcher
Hometown: Laguna Beach, CA
University: Johns Hopkins University
Department: Molecular & Cellular Biology
Studies: BRAIN, CHARTER+
Career Interests and/or Goals: Aspiring to go to Medical School Post Graduation
Fun Fact: I love spicy food, I can go through a bottle of Sriracha each week!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Austin, TX
University: Johns Hopkins University (2024)
Department: Neurology
Studies: BRAIN
Career Interest and goals: To study the intersection of infectious disease with memory disorders, and improve the health outcomes of those living with cognitive disorders
Fun Fact: I was a ballet dancer for 10 years!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Houston, TX
University: Texas Christian University (2024)
Department: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Studies: PET
Career Interests and/or Goals: Getting my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology to become a clinical psychologist
Fun Fact: I have two middle names (Marie and Darsey)!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Richmond, VA
University: University of Richmond (2023)
Department: Neurology
Studies: BRAIN, COVID, Cocaine BRAIN
Career Interests and/or Goals: I am planning to go to medical school and am interested in pursuing a career in emergency medicine or psychiatry!
Fun Fact: I love making my own bread!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Freehold, NJ
University: Johns Hopkins University (2023)
Department: Neurology
Studies: COC4, BRAIN
Career Interests and/or Goals: To go to medical school and work in the field of infectious disease and global health.
Fun Fact: I am learning how to do film photography!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Marlboro, NJ
University: Case Western Reserve University (2023)
Department: Neurology
Studies: CHARTER+
Career Interests and/or Goals: Clinical Psychology, PhD or PsyD with an interest in Sports Psychology and substance abuse / addiction
Fun Fact: I play piano and am a die hard Nikola Jokic fan!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee
University: Christian Brothers University (2024)
Department: Neurology
Studies: BRAIN, Cocaine-BRAIN
Career Interests and/or Goals: To get my PhD in clinical psychology and conduct RDoC research with different psychiatric disorders to help diagnosis become more precise
Fun Fact: I have an orange kitten named Olive!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Kent Island, MD
University: University of Pittsburgh (BS 2022 & MS 2024)
Department: Neurology
Studies: COVID-BBB
Career Interests and/or Goals: To get a PhD in Clinical Psychology and do research that explores the development of psychological assessments and women’s/maternal mental health.
Fun Fact: I have a twin!

Undergraduate researcher
Hometown: Los Altos Hills, CA
University: Johns Hopkins University (Anticipated 2026)
Department: Neurology
Studies: IMPACT
Career Interests and/or Goals: I hope to go to medical school and to become a pediatric surgeon of some sort!
Fun Fact: I play soccer at Johns Hopkins and love doing triathlons!

Undergraduate researcher
Hometown: San Clemente, CA
University: Johns Hopkins University (Anticipated 2025)
Department: Neurology
Studies: BRAIN, COC4, CHARTER
Career Interests and/or Goals: Aspiring to go to medical school.
Fun Fact: I started playing water polo 10 years ago and I am still playing for JHU!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
University: University of California, Los Angeles (2022)
Department: Neurology
Studies: CHARTER PLUS
Career Interests and/or Goals: Pursue PhD in Clinical psychology to research behavior and effects of childhood trauma/adversity in adulthood.
Fun Fact: I love music, and I play the guitar.

Hometown: Newbury, SC
University: Texas Christian University (2021)
Department: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Career Interests and/or goals: Mild Cognitive Impairment and Spanish language neuropsychological testing.
Fun Fact: I named my dog Captain in honor of how much I love the Baltimore Harbor!

Research Coordinator
Hometown: Athens, Greece
University: Johns Hopkins University (2022)
Department: Neurology
Studies: COC4, BRAIN
Career Interests and/or Goals: In the future I hope to pursue a career in medicine. I am interested in psychiatry, public health, and the intersection between those two fields. I am hoping to help marginalized groups get increased access and become educated on psychiatric treatments.
Fun Fact: I have lived half my life in Greece and the other half in Baltimore!

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
University: Johns Hopkins University (2015)
Department: Neurology and Epidemiology
Fun Fact: I love listening to reality TV recap podcasts (even if I don't watch the shows)

Postdoctoral Fellow
Hometown: Barranquilla, Colombia
University: University of Michigan (PhD 2023)
Department: Epidemiology
Career Interests and/or Goals: My research interest is to explore the biological pathways linking socioeconomic health determinants to neuropsychiatric diseases employing causal inference techniques and omics data. My goal is to become an independent research scientist at an R1 institution in the US.
Fun Fact: I named my cat after a famous philosopher!

Postdoctoral Fellow
Hometown: Wuhu, China
University: Johns Hopkins University (PhD in Statistics 2022)
Department: Applied Mathematics and Statistics
Career Interests and/or Goals: Currently working to develop novel statistical methods to facilitate precision medicine in HIV, assisting physicians in prescribing more informed and effective combination antiretroviral therapies. I hope to establish a career as a statistician by developing novel statistical methodologies to address real-world challenges.
Fun Fact: Baltimore is the place where I have spent the most time outside of my hometown.

Hometown: Beijing, China
University: Johns Hopkins University (2022)
Department: Applied Math & Statistics
Career Interests and/or Goals: To pursue a PhD program in Stat/Biostat and pursue a career as Biostatistician.
Fun Fact: A world-class Chinese pianist is also called Lang Lang.

Hometown: Nanjing, China
University: Johns Hopkins University (2023)
Department: Applied Mathematics and Statistics
Career Interests and/or Goals: To pursue a Ph.D. degree in Biostatistics and conduct applicable studies in health sciences.
Fun Fact: I found figure skating to be my biggest hobby during the pandemic!

Postdoctoral Fellow
Hometown: Seattle, WA
University: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (PhD, MSPH: International Health), Duke University (BA: Global Health self-designed)
Department: Neurology
Career Interests and/or Goals: My background and training is in the social and behavioral sciences and implementation research, with a topical focus on behavior change interventions for populations most affected by HIV globally. I have a particular interest in the intersection of mental health and cognition among young people living with HIV. I ultimately hope to build a portfolio of academic research that examines measurement issues, cognitive and developmental factors, and HIV-related outcomes among this priority population.
Fun Fact: When I was a little kid, I (briefly but memorably) wanted to be a monster truck driver when I grew up!

Postdoctoral Fellow, Computational Neuroscience
Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa
Universities: University of Cape Town (MSc in Computational Neuroscience (2021); Medical Doctor (2020) and BSc(Med) Neurophysiology (2017)
Department: Neurology
Career Interests and/or Goals: To establish a career as a physician-scientist by pursuing a neurology residency and possibly a future fellowship in electrophysiology. I’m passionate about academic medicine and have a particular interest in neuromodulation and neuroinfectious disease.
Fun Fact: I have a Maltese named QT – referencing both “Cutie” and the period of heart contraction and relaxation on an electrocardiogram.

Undergraduate researcher
Hometown: Fort Myers, FL
University: Johns Hopkins University (Anticipated 2027)
Department: Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science
Career Interests and/or Goals: To pursue a Master's in Biomedical Engineering and a career in Bioinformatics
Fun Fact: I love skateboarding!

Undergraduate researcher
Hometown: Poolesville, MD
University: Johns Hopkins University (Anticipated 2025)
Department: Applied Mathematics and Statistics
Career Interests and/or Goals: Interested in computational biology, may pursue a PhD!
Fun Fact: I do not know how to unicycle!

Hometown: Westfield, NJ
University: Johns Hopkins University (Anticipated 2028)
Department: Applied Mathematics & Statistics
Career Interests and/or Goals: To complete my PhD program and go into industry to develop novel precision medicine tools for clinicians.
Fun fact: I have five brothers and all of our names start with the letter E!

Hometown: Waldorf, MD
University: Stevenson University
Department: Molecular and Comparative Biology
Career Interests and/or Goals: Pursue a graduate degree in Cell and Molecular Biology
Fun Fact: I was born in Hawaii!

Hometown: Maputo, Mozambique
University: Goucher College (2018)
Department: Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
Career Interests and/or Goals: I am working on my PhD and I hope to pursue a career in industry.
Fun Fact: I have two kittens named Jinx and Ekko who are sisters! Their names are inspired from the Netflix show Arcane.

Hometown: Annapolis, MD
University: St. Mary's College of MD (2022)
Department: Molecular and Comparative Pathology
Career Interests and/or Goals: Getting my masters one day, but right now I am figuring out what I like to do within the medical field.
Fun Fact: I love to read steampunk Victorian murder mysteries.

Hometown: Joppa, MD
University: St. Mary's College of Maryland (2022)
Department: Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
Career Interests and/or Goals: Continuing to develop technical including mastery of research methodologies, data analysis, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork.
Fun Fact: I have a pet axolotl that I've raised since it was an embryo!

University: Penn State, Johns Hopkins University
Department: Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
Career Interests and/or Goals: Immunology and flow cytometry

Hometown: Changshu, China
University: University of Toronto (2023)
Department: Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
Career Interests and/or Goals: Pursue a career in medicine and research
Fun Fact: I’ve lived in 3 different countries!

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
University: Allegheny College (2020)
Dept: Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
Career Interest and/or Goals: Over the next few years I hope to complete my PhD and explore different career options!
Fun Fact: I currently have a guinea pig named Podrick and a cat named Archie!

Hometown: Berkeley, CA
University: Yale University School of Medicine
Department: Neurology
Studies: Find out more.
Career Interests and/or Goals: Long COVID neurologic disease
Fun Fact: I love to ride bikes! I do a lot of road riding and just started mountain biking.

Hometown: Gainesville, FL
University: University of Florida (Bachelor [2010] and Masters [2014] of Science in Nursing); New York University (PhD in Nursing [2021])
Department: NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing
Career Interests and/or Goals: To build a career as a nurse scientist and a program of research that advances precision mental health and mental health equity. I am passionate about uncovering the biological and social underpinnings of depression across diverse populations of women living with chronic conditions (e.g. HIV and type 2 diabetes). My interdisciplinary scholarship integrates precision health (e.g. epigenetic, gut microbiome) and advanced statistical approaches to disentangle depression to develop strategies to improve clinical identification for populations most at risk.
Fun Fact: I have strong opinions on the preparation of popcorn... and many other foods!

Hometown: Denver, CO
University: University of California San Diego
Department: Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health
Career Interests and/or Goals: My primary research interest is how viruses and host immune responses can impact brain health.
Fun Fact: I love learning about new plants (especially succulents!) and gardening.

Hometown: Spotsylvania, VA
University: Davidson College, 2018 (BS), Current MD/PhD Student at VCU (expected 2028)
Department: Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, VCU
Studies: Dr. Gretchen Neigh's Student, Glucocorticoid Biology in Women with HIV
Career Interests and/or Goals: Career in Family Medicine focused on leveraging research to improve patients' quality of life
Fun Fact: My husband and I like to keep our household busy- we have two dogs, three cats, and identical twin 9 month olds!