Brain Disorders

UVA biomedical engineers are pioneering novel visualization methods to better understand brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. 

transparent graphic of brain

These methods range from neuronal labeling, to in-vivo microscopic imaging of cerebral hemodynamics and metabolism, to human brain imaging and image analysis. We are taking a leading role in developing new approaches for treating brain cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and essential tremor using focused ultrasound and ultrasound-activated drug and gene delivery.

BME Primary Faculty

Sameer Bajikar

Assistant Professor, Departments of Cell Biology and Biomedical Engineering
Sameer Bajikar, Ph.D., uses multidisciplinary techniques to study the biological processes that go awry in brain development in neurodevelopmental disorders, like autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability. His group is developing novel human stem cell and genetically engineered mouse…
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Email sbajikar@virginia.edu

Christopher B. Highley

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering

Christopher Highley develops materials and fabrication technologies to enable the design and construction of complex cellular and material systems, with the goal of addressing fundamental and translational problems in biomedicine. 
Google Scholar Highley Lab Webpage
Email highley@virginia.edu

Kelsey Kubelick

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Kelsey Kubelick leverages light, sound, nanoconstruct design and cellular engineering strategies to develop advanced theranostic imaging platforms. With a special interest in ultrasound and photoacoustics, her lab creates imaging tools that play a critical role in informing, guiding and enhancing therapies across a range of biomedical applications.
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Email kpkubelick@virginia.edu

Craig H. Meyer

Professor, Biomedical Engineering Professor, Radiology and Medical Imaging
Craig Meyer develops magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques for rapid acquisition and processing of image data in the setting of cardiovascular disease, neural diseases, and pediatrics, using tools in physics, signal processing, image reconstruction, and machine learning.
Google Scholar ResearchGate Rapid MRI Research Group
Email cmeyer@virginia.edu
Phone (434) 243-9495

Gustavo Kunde Rohde

Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Dr. Rohde, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering, develops computational predictive models with applications in pathology, radiology, systems biology, and mobile sensing. He earned a B.S. degree 1999, M.S. degree in in 2001 from Vanderbilt University, and a doctorate in 2005 from the University of Maryland.
Google Scholar Rohde Lab
Email gustavo@virginia.edu

Eli Zunder

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Eli Zunder analyzes stem cell fate using single cell mass cytometry and high-dimensional modeling of cell lineage trajectories. He received his Ph.D. in Biophysics from UCSF in 2009.
Google Scholar Zunder Lab
Email ezunder@Virginia.edu
Phone (434) 924-1371

BME Joint Faculty in Brain Disorders Research

Christopher Deppmann

Associate Professor of Biology Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Christopher Deppman has been interested in the mechanisms underlying long-distance signaling in the context of nervous system development since he was a post-doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the laboratory of David Ginty (now at Harvard). 
Google Scholar Deppmann Lab Research Summary
Email deppmann@virginia.edu

More about Brain Disorders Research at UVA

Brain Institute Has UVA Well-Positioned in Hot Field of Neuroscience

The University of Virginia’s  multidisciplinary Brain Institute has begun establishing the University as a national and state hub for basic and clinical brain research and education, and as a treatment center for brain diseases and disorders.

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