PEOPLE
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Douglas H. Smith, MD
The Robert A. Groff Endowed Professor and Vice Chairman for Research and Education in Neurosurgery
215-573-3156
Douglas H. Smith, MD, is the Robert A. Groff Endowed Professor Neurosurgery and Director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Prof. Smith is the Scientific Director of the Big 10/ Ivy league Colaboration on Concussion and he also serves as a member on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the US National Football League (NFL), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-DoD consortium on concussion and the International Concussion Society. In addition, the U.S. State Department asked him to lead an investigation into neurological deficits induced in members of the embassy in Cuba, which led to a newly discovered disorder, “Havana Syndrome.” Prof. Smith’s group has established that damage to brain networks and specifically, diffuse axonal injury (DAI), represents key pathological processes underlying concussion symptoms and that the extent of acute axonal pathology is predictive of cognitive outcome. In addition, his group has discovered mechanisms of concussion and more severe TBI that lead to progressive neurodegeneration, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy. These collective efforts are represented in over 250 published scientific reports earning an h-index of over 85. His awards include the Dorothy Russell medal, the highest honor conveyed by the British Neuropathological Society and the William Osler Patient Oriented Research Award from the University of Pennsylvania.
RESEARCHERS
Jean-Pierre Dollé, PhD
Senior Research Investigator
Jean-Pierre received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University, his MS in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University and his BSc in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. His research interests involve investigating the increased risk of dementia following traumatic brain injury events.
Hailong Song, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
BM, Capital Medical University, China
PhD, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri
Research Interest: Developmental axon degeneration and sodium changes following experimental TBI
Mariana Ilha, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mariana Ilha studied at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil where she received her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, and her MSc and PhD in Biochemistry.
Before coming to the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Ilha dedicated three years as a Post Doctoral Researcher at the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition at the University of Eastern Finland, Finland.
Research interest: Understanding the underlying causes that determine axonal degeneration versus regeneration following a traumatic brain injury.
Kathryn Jacobson, PhD
NRSA T32 Postdoctoral Fellow
PhD, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University
BA, Physics and Mathematics, College of Saint Benedict
My primary research interest is to understand how structural damage in the brain is repaired after traumatic brain injury.
Brian J. Kelley, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, UConn Health
MD, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Residency, Neurological Surgery, Yale-New Haven Hospital
Fellowship, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Fellowship, Pediatric Spinal Deformity, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
Research Interest: Changes in axon initial segment following experimental TBI
Frank Rauscher
Research Specialist
BS in Biology, Villanova University
Research interest: Traumatic axonal injury changes following in vitro stretch injury.
Yue "Sunny" Qiu
Research Specialist
Master of Regulatory Affairs for Drug, Biologics, and Medical Devices, Northeastern University
BS in Bio-Pharmacy, Shanghai Ocean University
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
STUDENTS
ALUMNI
Eashwar Kantemneni
University of Pennsylvania, C'24
Candidate for BA in Neuroscience
Minor Studies: Health Care Management, South Asia Studies
Alex Palma
University of Pennsylvania, C’22
BA in Neuroscience
Minor Studies: Health Care Management, Chemistry, and Music
Former Staff
Yoonjung Kim
Research Specialist
BA in Biology, Ursinus College
Research Interest: Determining injury thresholds following in vitro axonal injury
