Personnel
People
Victoria E. Johnson, MBChB, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Johnson is an Assistant Professor within the Dept. of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania and is a member of the Penn Center for Brain Injury and Repair. Dr. Johnson received her medical degree and Ph.D. from the University of Glasgow, UK, before going on to complete a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania under the supervision of Dr. Douglas H. Smith. Her research interests include the biomechanical mechanisms and acute neuropathological consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion. In addition, Dr. Johnson has studied the potential role of TBI in the later development of chronic and progressive neurodegenerative changes.
Lauren Hanlon, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Fellow
Lauren is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab and was awarded funding via an NIH T32 brain injury training grant. Prior to joining the Lab, Lauren completed a postdoc in the laboratory of Dr. Susan Margulies in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania where she specialized in the study of diffuse axonal injury. Lauren received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Drexel University in 2017 where she studied neuroinflammation and functional changes in a model of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Lauren's current research interests in TBI include the blood brain barrier (BBB), inflammation, and post traumatic epilepsy (PTE).
Courteney Ly
Research Specialist
Courteney is a recent graduate from the Biological Basis of Behavior program at the University of Pennsylvania. Her career goals include aspirations to be a neurosurgeon. During her free time, she sings, paints and creates music.
John Arena, M.D.
Neurosurgery Resident
John is a resident in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania. John joined the Johnson Lab as a medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine pursuing a joint MD and Master of Science in Translational Research. His research interests are focused on the long-term neurodegenerative sequelae of traumatic brain injury, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Prior to his arrival at Penn, John attended the Johns Hopkins University where he studied neuroscience, investigated models of TBI and captained the Blue Jays NCAA football team.
Kristin Goodsell
Medical Student
Kristin Goodsell is an MD Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. She is interested in exploring the relationship between pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical manifestations of disease, particularly neurodegenerative and traumatic disease. Kristin hopes to actively incorporate research into her career while practicing clinical medicine. Before coming to Penn, Kristin competed as a Division I athlete at Stanford, worked as a consultant in Seattle, and taught rock climbing to adults and children.
Thaddeus Woodard
Medical Student
Thad is a medical student at University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. Thad is interested in further understanding the cellular mechanisms of trauma and trauma-induced neurodegenerative diseases in order to come up with therapies to prevent them. Before coming to Penn, he attended Johns Hopkins University where he studied ALS within a yeast model and captained the club soccer team.
Danielle Harris
Undergraduate
Danielle is an undergraduate student pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Biological Basis of Behavior. Her research interests include neuroinflammation following TBI. She hopes to pursue a career in medicine.
Alumni
Maura Weber
Research Specialist
Maura began working in Penn’s Department of Neurosurgery while an undergraduate at the university. She graduated from Penn in 2014 after completing an honors thesis in the Biological Basis of Behavior program and transitioned into full time neurotrauma research following graduation. Maura completed her Masters in Bioengineering at Penn while investigating the effects of TBI on the cerebrovasculature.