Kristen Whitney, PhD, and John F. Crary, MD, PhD, in the Crary Lab
Kristen Whitney, PhD, whose research in the Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is aimed at uncovering the earliest changes that occur in the aging brain that are causing cells to die, was named the 2024 recipient of the Robin Chemers Neustein Postdoctoral Fellowship Award.
The award, which encourages and supports female research scientists at Icahn Mount Sinai, was established in 2010 through a generous gift from Robin Chemers Neustein, JD, MBA, a former member of Mount Sinai’s Boards of Trustees. Recipients are senior postdoctoral scientists who intend to complete their training within two years, have demonstrated high-impact accomplishments in biomedical sciences, and exhibit the potential for an independent scientific career.
Dr. Whitney is a postdoctoral fellow in the John F. Crary, MD, PhD, Lab. Dr. Crary is Director of the Mount Sinai Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE, and Professor of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, and Neuroscience, Icahn Mount Sinai. His lab is dedicated to uncovering the fundamental mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases with a focus on the tau protein, the principal component of neurofibrillary tangles seen in Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders, such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).
Says Dr. Crary: “Dr. Whitney is at the forefront of this effort, spearheading innovative research that uses stem cell-derived brain organoids to model PSP. Her work is specifically focused on understanding the role of the integrated stress response in tauopathy, helping to illuminate how cellular stress pathways influence the progression of tau-related diseases. Her contributions are critical in advancing our understanding of PSP, positioning her as a leader in neurodegenerative disease modeling.”
Understanding these mechanisms is a promising path to identifying novel therapeutic strategies and drug targets to delay or cure these devastating diseases.
Dr. Whitney says she first became interested in neurodegenerative diseases in her freshman year of college when she started working as a histology technician in a neuropathology lab. Later, she worked directly with patients as a clinical research coordinator at an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. “I observed firsthand the devastating consequences of these diseases,” she says.
In her doctoral work, she investigated a novel drug therapy for traumatic brain injury in preclinical animal models. “My training background in both clinical and basic science research, and working with human samples and model systems, inspired the direction of my postdoctoral work in experimental neuropathology and human patient-derived brain cell model systems,” she says.
“I feel the most powerful way to identify therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases is to conduct patient-oriented research, focusing on the precious brain donations from our patient populations and developing new personalized, and thus clinically relevant-based model systems, such as our ‘mini-brain’ organoids.”
Dr. Whitney came to Mount Sinai for postdoctoral training specifically to work with Dr. Crary. “His background as a physician-scientist offered a unique opportunity to learn clinical and experimental neuropathology while conducting translational research,” she says.
“Mount Sinai has been an incredible environment to complete my postdoctoral training, particularly in the stem cell, organoid, and neurodegenerative research community,” Dr. Whitney adds. “I have had the opportunity to be mentored by, and collaborate with, some of the top researchers in the field. My projects would never have been possible without all the resources available at Mount Sinai, especially the Dean’s CoREs, such as the Stem Cell Engineering CoRE and the Mount Sinai Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE.”
“I am beyond thrilled and honored to be selected for this year’s Robin Chemers Neustein Postdoctoral Fellowship Award,” says Dr. Whitney. “Advocacy for women in science and the commitment to dismantling barriers resonate deeply with my values, making the mission of this award especially meaningful for me. I am so grateful to Dr. Crary for his invaluable mentorship throughout the years, and to the selection committee for their recognition and support.”