Brianna Smith, MD
Former Clinical Research Coordinator @Goldstein Lab - Mass General Hospital
Brianna graduated from Boston College in 2018 with a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Philosophy. Her research experience began at the University of Minnesota, investigating the therapeutic effects of Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease. At the University of Minnesota, Brianna also worked on a project studying the changes in aggregation of neuronal proteins in different genotypes of bi-transgenic J20-Htau mice. The goal of the project was to determine whether the Htau mutation is needed to see abnormal aggregation of these proteins, which is observed in about 30% of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. Interested in the effect of mental illness on memory and stress circuitry, Brianna ultimately wrote her senior Honors Thesis on the relationship between resting autonomic nervous system functioning (Heart Rate Variability and skin conductance), social anxiety, and re-experiencing of emotional autobiographical memories. In our Lab, Brianna worked on our first HATCH Study, a study that aims to validate and enhance a clinical risk algorithm for early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease and memory circuitry deficits in individuals at high risk for cognitive decline later in life.
After her time in our Lab, Brianna was Medical Student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NY State. She is now a Resident at the MGB Newton-Wellesley Hospital and an Incoming Diagnostic Radiology Resident at Mayo Clinic