Kristin Poole O'Grady, Ph.D.

Kristin O’Grady, PhD, is a biomedical engineer, imaging scientist and Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). She earned her BS in Engineering Science at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX and her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Dr. O’Grady completed her postdoctoral training in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) under the mentorship of Seth Smith, PhD. She was awarded an NRSA F32 postdoctoral fellowship by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2017-2018) to develop chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI methods to study cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2019 as Research Instructor. Dr. O’Grady was promoted to Research Assistant Professor and was awarded a four-year K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) in 2020. Her research is focused on developing quantitative MR methodologies for the brain and spinal cord, with the goal of better understanding the effects of biological sex on pathological changes associated with neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Section: Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science