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Leadership

We are a Center that values our people as much as we do our science.

 

Recognizing that innovation can only thrive where people thrive, we have created a safe, collaborative environment built on respect and mutual support. We value, celebrate, and protect our multi-gender, multi-cultural, multi-national, multi-disciplinary diversity as a core asset.

 

We understand that we can only positively impact medicine and science by humbly accepting our responsibility to our communities and each other. We seek truth in science seen through the lens of our common humanity.

LEADERSHIP
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P. Ellen Grant, MD

Director of FNNDSC

Staff Clinician

Kaethe Beutler, MD Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Grant is a Kaethe Beutler, MD Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. She is the founding Director of the Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC), holds the Boston Children’s Hospital endowed chair in Neonatology and serves as a clinical Neuroradiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Grant founded the FNNDSC in 2009 to develop and optimize tools and analysis streams for better detecting and understanding both normal and abnormal brain physiology and development. The primary end goal is to provide mechanistic information that enables optimization of cognitive, behavioral and neurological outcomes in children with a focus on fetuses, neonates, infants and toddlers. Three modalities being developed in the center are Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS). She leads a team of MR physicists and engineers doing pulse sequence development and novel MR imaging analysis. Her team build a novel pediatric specific MEG system that is now FDA approved and provides clinical services for presurgical evaluation of infants and toddlers with epilepsy. She is also a pioneer of frequency domain NIRS (FDNIRS) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) which provides bedside measures of cerebral blood flow and oxygen consumption. To support the computational needs of complex data analysis, her team has developed a sophisticated computational infrastructure in collaboration with RedHat to facilitate and support deep-learning approaches on large datasets as well as real time data analysis. The FNNDSC currently has over 60 members with 17 faculty and at least 7 postdoctoral students. Dr. Grant is a Senior Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and sits on the Board of Scientific Counselors for National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She was selected to present the Mansfield Lecture at the ISMRM in 2020 and in 2021 she was recognized by the American Society of Neuroradiology with the Outstanding Contributions in Research Award.
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Rudolph Pienaar, PhD

Technical Director of FNNDSC

Staff Scientist

Assistant Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School

Dr Pienaar completed a Bachelors and Masters in Electrical, Electronic, and Computer Engineering at the University of Pretoria in Pretoria, South Africa and holds a Doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from Cleveland State University/Cleveland Clinic Foundation where he conducted research in Reinforcement Learning applied to musculo-skeletal bio-mechanical control systems. He completed postdoctoral work at the Massachusetts General Hospital where he was an Assistant in Medical Imaging and is currently Faculty in Radiology at Boston Children's Hospital and an Assistant Professor in Radiology at Harvard Medical School. Dr Pienaar's research interests include brain surface feature analysis, tractography-from an-informatics perspective, cloud computing, image visualization, and system design. At the FNNDSC, he leads the Advanced Computing Group, responsible for the developing new informatics infrastructure solutions to clinical problems. He is the main technical lead on the ChRIS platform that brings research computing solutions closer to clinical front lines.
FACULTY
Faculty
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Borjan Gagoski, PhD

Research Associate

Assistant Professor in Radiology at Harvard Medical School

Borjan Gagoski received his PhD in 2011 from the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lab at the EECS department at MIT. His early research included the implementation of time-efficient encoding schemes for spectroscopic imaging on Siemens MR platforms. After spending one year as a postdoctoral associate in the same MIT lab, he joined Dr. Grant's lab in January 2012. He is currently an Instructor of Radiology at BCH. His main role in the lab as Chief MRI physicist is to help move numerous MRI projects forward by always making sure that the newest MR technical developments are being applied for research and clinical neonatal and fetal scans. More links to: Website - ResearchGate
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Pei-Yi (Ivy) Lin, PhD

Director of FNNDSC NIRS Program

Staff Scientist

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School

Pei-Yi (Ivy) Lin is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and faculty in the Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics at Boston’s Children’s Hospital. She has a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with expertise in the development and clinical application of near-infrared spectroscopy and diffuse correlation spectroscopy techniques. Her current research focuses on cerebral oxygen metabolism development and its association with neurodevelopmental outcomes in premature infants with intraventricular hemorrhage as well as with infants with neonatal brain infection and post-infectious hydrocephalus in low and middle income countries. More links to: Website ResearchGate
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Yangming Ou, PhD

Research Associate

Associate Professor in Radiology at Harvard Medical School

Yangming Ou is an Associate Professor in Radiology at Harvard Medical School. He holds a PhD degree in Medical Image Analysis and an MS degree in Applied Mathematics, both from the University of Pennsylvania. His BS degree was in Electrical Engineering (Biomedical Engineering Division) from Tsinghua University. His research interest lies in the intersection of big data, machine learning, data science, imaging informatics, and healthcare. His team focuses on improving healthcare by medical image analysis, machine learning and imaging informatics. One pillar is the development of innovative medical image analysis and image machine learning algorithms and software tools. The other pillar in Dr. Ou's team is the clinical applications, with collaborations with experts in neurology, neonatology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiation oncology, nutrition, radiology, informatics, and other fields.
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Yoshio Okada, PhD

Director of Research MEG

Associate Scientific Research Staff

Professor of Pediatrics, Part-Time, at Harvard Medical School

Yoshio Okada received his PhD from the Rockefeller University in New York City in psychology and neuroscience. Dr. Okada was a founder of the Biomedical Research and Integrative Neuroimaging Center (BRaIN Imaging Center) at the University of New Mexico prior to joining Harvard Medical School. He is a pioneer in the study of the physiological basis of magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG). Dr. Okada has made contributions to the development of novel biomagnetic instruments that have opened new ways to study the electrophysiology of the brain and is an inventor of new instruments that are either completed and in use or in the process of development. These instruments include a pediatric MEG system called “babySQUID”, a second-generation pediatric MEG system called “babyMEG”, and a whole-head cryogenically cooled Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) system that will provide unique novel methods for studying functional networks of the human brain. More links to: Website - ResearchGate
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Ai Wern Chung, PhD

Associate Scientific Research Staff

Instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School

Ai Wern Chung is a computational neuroscientist at FNNDSC with particular interest in MRI connectomics – the study of the brain as an inter-connected network to understand its functional and structural organization in relation to development, ageing or a disease. She is a recipient of a joint American Heart Association and Children’s Heart Foundation Fellowship to identify neuroimaging markers of altered brain structure in adults with congenital heart disease using her novel network theoretical models of energy propagation. After majoring in Computer Science, Dr. Chung went on to obtain a Ph.D. in medical physics in neuroimaging at London’s UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in the UK. Ever interested in translating advanced brain MRI techniques for the clinic, she has held several research posts in hospital affiliated institutes. These include the Stroke and Dementia Neuroimaging Unit at St. George’s University of London, and the Biostatistics group at the Centre for the Developing Brain at King’s College London. Her research work in previous labs include validation of diffusion MRI models through to their development and application on ageing cohorts, and network theoretical analysis on premature neonates. At FNNDSC, Dr. Chung continues to devise novel methodologies for connectomes to describe system changes in brain organization, and has applied these to MRI studies on children with Autism, concussion, and 16p11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Research aside, she enjoys the outdoors, a good hike and looks forward to the day she can run in the woods with a pet dog.
POSTDOCS & FELLOWS
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Stefanie Perrier, PhD

Research Fellow

Stefanie Perrier is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC) at Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She obtained her HBSc in Chemistry and Biology from Lakehead University, followed by her PhD in Neuroscience from McGill University in Canada. Her doctorate research focused on the study of rare inherited white matter diseases called leukodystrophies. She investigated the clinical features, molecular genetics, and disease mechanisms associated with POLR3-related hypomyelinating leukodystrophy, specifically exploring a novel severe form of the disease. She also gained expertise in genetic data analysis through investigation of patients with genetically undiagnosed hypomyelinating leukodystrophies. Her current neuroscience research interests have expanded from “nature” (i.e., genetics) to include the study of “nurture” (i.e., environment) and the associated impacts on children’s brain development. At the FNNDSC, her research focuses on understanding how nutrition and other factors affect early neurodevelopment, assessed using multi-modal brain MRI analysis techniques.
Publications
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Andrea Gondova, PhD

Research Fellow

Andrea is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC) at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She obtained her MSc in Bioinformatics from University of Edinburgh in 2018, followed by a 2-year work experience as a Machine Learning and Data Science Graduate Scientist at AstraZeneca. She then received her PhD in Neuroscience from Université Paris Cité. Her doctoral research performed at Neurospin, CEA, focused on the analysis of multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, including assessment of structural and functional connectivity as well as gray matter microstructure, to characterize developmental trajectories in preterm and full-term born infants. Presently, Andrea works with Dr. Kiho Im, focusing on developing methods for processing and analysis of fetal brain MRI, particularly for investigations into dynamic morphological patterns of cortical development in both healthy and atypically developing populations.
Publications
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Sian Wilson, PhD

Research Fellow

Siân is Research Fellow at the Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She obtained her MSc in Neuroscience from University College London in 2019, and her PhD in Neuroscience from King’s College London in 2023, where she holds an affiliate position as a Research Associate. Her PhD work focussed on the development of analysis techniques for fetal diffusion MRI as part of the Developing Human Connectome Project, characterising the developing microstructure of the human brain. At the FNNDSC she works with Dr. Kiho Im, integrating diffusion analysis methods and surface modelling techniques to examine how microstructure influences spatiotemporal folding patterns. Her research is currently focused on investigating how the structural foundations of the brain are laid in utero, in both the healthy developing population and in Congenital Heart Disease.
Publications
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Marina Solti, MD

Research Fellow

Marina Solti is a Research Fellow at the Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC) at Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She recently graduated as a Medical Doctor from the University of São Paulo Medical School and is highly interested in learning more about early life Neuroimaging and the neurodevelopmental impact of perinatal events and neonatal neurological disorders. She previously interned at FNNDSC as a student in 2020, and has developed a passion for researching Neuroimaging of the developing brain. She’ll be working on Neonatal brain imaging and Diffusion MRI projects.
Publications
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Rina Bao, PhD

Research Fellow

Rina Bao is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC) at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on machine learning in medical image analysis, with a particular emphasis on neonatal brain injury. During her Ph.D., she specialized in the perception of multi-domain data through machine learning, working with diverse data types such as natural images, medical images, and remote sensing point cloud data.
Publications
Postdocs
STAFF
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Jennings Zhang

Research Software Developer

Jennings Zhang received his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University. He works with Dr. Rudolph Pienaar’s Advanced Computing Group on ChRIS as a Research Software Developer and previously worked with Dr. Lana Vasung. Before joining the FNNDSC, Jennings worked in a similar lab in Montreal: the McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (MCIN).
Publications
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Ankush Kesri

Computational Health Informatics Data Manager

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India—an Institution of National Importance. Over time, my interests shifted toward computer science and its applications in the medical field, leading me to pursue a Master’s in Engineering Management (MSEM) from Northeastern University, with a specialization in data science and biomedical imaging. Currently, I work with Dr. Yangming Ou in the i3 group, where I provide data management support to postdoctoral researchers. My role involves data processing, analysis, and visualization, with a particular focus on MRI data pipelines. I have also collaborated with doctors at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD, contributing to feature selection process for Sturge-Weber Syndrome patient data. Beyond my professional work, I enjoy photography and exploring visual storytelling through anime, movies, and documentaries.
Publications
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Chuan-heng Hsiao

Computational Biologist

Chuan-Heng Hsiao received Master Degree in Cognitive and Neural Systems from Boston University and Master Degree in Computer Science from Harvard University. He has helped a startup company (Appier) deploying a big-data cluster. Hsiao is currently focusing on deploying a big-data cluster for data collection, analysis, and visualization.
Publications
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Pratiksha Pradhan

Computational Health Informatics Data Manager

Pratiksha graduated with a bachelor's degree from Delhi Technological University, India and a master's degree in Data Analytics Engineering from Northeastern University, Boston. She has been involved with projects related to health equity at the Institute of Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), MIT. At Boston Children’s Hospital, she works with The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research and The Division of Newborn Medicine as a Data Scientist. She is a part of Dr. Sarah Morton’s Lab and works on single nuclei analysis.
Publications
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Virginia (Ginny) Rosenberger

Clinical Research Specialist

Ginny graduated from MIT in 2021 with a double major in Brain and Cognitive Sciences and in Writing. She works on the Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study as a Clinical Research Specialist, focusing on recruitment. Before coming to Boston Children’s Hospital, she worked as a research assistant in the neurosurgery department at Massachusetts General Hospital and as an associate consultant at Putnam Associates. She’s passionate about developmental neuroscience and about communicating with families about science research. In her free time, Ginny enjoys reading and writing and baking treats for her friends.
Publications
ADMINISTRATION
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Caroline Schutz

Program Coordinator II

Caroline graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2024 from Washington State University, earning a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Human Resources Management. With a rich background in undergraduate cognitive psychological research, HR training for a non-profit healthcare system, and leadership development, Caroline has cultivated a diverse skill set. Caroline acts as the primary administrative point person for the FNNDSC and handles logistical aspects such as onboarding, coordinating events, and overseeing organizational operations. Recently relocated to Boston from Bend, Oregon, she enjoys hiking, skiing, running, and crafting charcuterie boards for family and friends.
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Tina Giella

Research Administrative Manager

Tina received her BS in Health Policy and Management, with a concentration of Business Studies from Providence College. In 2011, she started at Boston Children's Hospital in the Clinical Translational and Study Unit as an Administrative Associate before switching over to her current position as a Research Administrator in FNNDSC in 2018. She is involved in pre and post grant management. Her primary responsibilities in the Center are (1) to aid our investigators with research grant submissions (2) to manage the center’s research finances. In her spare time, she loves running and spending time with her husband, daughter, and son.
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS & INTERNS
ResearchAssistants/Student Interns
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Tiantian Lei

Research Assistant

Tiantian holds an M.S. degree in neuroimaging and informatics from the University of Southern California, where her passion lies in unraveling the intricacies of the nervous system and its diseases through MRI technology. With previous research experience focusing on biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, specifically Alzheimer's disease, she hopes to continue her exploration of imaging techniques in her role as a research assistant at the FNNDSC. Outside of work, she finds joy in music and movies, and is always on the lookout for the next exciting live show.
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Greatness Adewumi

Student Intern

Greatness is an undergraduate student studying Neuroscience at Baylor University. She will conduct research with Dr. Banu Ahtam and Dr. Ivy Lin using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging to focus on the developmental abnormalities of infants with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Her current focus is on how the emergence of advanced neuroimaging techniques can improve the healthcare provided for pediatric populations.
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Tiffany Berry

Clinical Research Assistant

Tiffany is a Clinical Research Assistant for the HBCD study. She received a B.S. in Biology, B.A. in Psychology, and Certificate in Neuroscience from Providence College in 2022. While at Providence, Tiffany studied grit and stereotype threat among children in the Social Perception and Attitudes Lab and inflammation in neurological disorders in the Stem Cell Lab. She has also supported neurodevelopmental research in the Boston Children’s Hospital Neurobehavioral Core. Her research interests include early adversity, neurodiversity, and interventions to support the development and well-being of children and their families. Tiffany hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in the future.
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Aviva Foster

Student Intern

Aviva Foster is currently pursuing a B.A. in Psychology with minors in Data Science and Philosophy at Simmons University. At the FNNDSC, she is working as a Student Intern with the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study. As an undergraduate, she has been a research assistant on a linguistics study involving several institutions, labeling prosodic structure in recorded speech, as well as a research assistant at the Quantitative Psychopathology lab at Boston University and Simmons University. In her free time, she enjoys reading fantasy novels and listening to music.
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Megan DeSanty

Clinical Research Assistant

Megan graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor's degree in Robotics Engineering. She has a background in medical robotics, specifically in developing software for surgical imaging applications. At the WPI Medical Fusion Lab, she focused on image reconstruction for ultrasound-guided intracardiac catheters. With research experience and graduate coursework in MRI registration techniques, Megan aims to leverage her expertise in imaging and algorithm development to contribute meaningfully to FNNDSC research. Outside of research, she is a nature lover, tackling the Northeast’s 115 high peaks on weekends. During the week, she enjoys biking, running, and rock climbing. She also volunteers as a director at her local food pantry, where she is passionate about combating food insecurity.
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Emily Castellanos

Clinical Research Assistant I

Emily earned her B.A. from Amherst College in 2023, majoring in French and Psychology. Currently, she serves as a Clinical Research Assistant with the Healthy Brain Child Development (HBCD) Study. Her diverse academic interests propel her ambition to pursue a career in pediatric medicine, marked by a dedication to cultural competence and inclusivity in delivering quality healthcare.
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Paola Medina

Clinical Research Assistant II

Paola Medina graduated from Northeastern University in May 2024 with a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience, concentrating on psychiatric illnesses. She gained clinical experience as a clinical assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital’s infusion clinic and through an internship with the neuroscience unit, where she worked with patients with a variety of neurological diseases and disorders in both outpatient and inpatient settings. Now a Clinical Research Assistant II at Boston Children’s Hospital, she has the privilege of working at the FNNDSC under Dr. Borjan Gagoski on research focused on developing novel MRI acquisition and reconstruction methods. She plans to continue her educational journey by pursuing an MD degree and aspires to work in maternal-fetal medicine or pediatrics. Outside of research, she enjoys discovering new restaurants around the city, traveling and exploring other cultures, and dancing.
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Benedicte Melle

Student Intern

Benie is an undergraduate student at Boston University, majoring in Biology with a specialization in behavioral biology.  She worked with the FNNDSC team during Summer 2024 and is continuing through spring 2025 as part of a college internship sponsored by the COACH program of BCH.
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Aryn Lee

Graduate Student Intern

Aryn is currently pursuing a BA in Psychology and MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Boston University. As a Graduate Student Intern in the Morton Lab, she studies brain development in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, as well as the use of EMG as a quantitative assessment of sucking and feeding behavior. Aryn has also worked at the Motor Development Lab at Boston University and the Translational Research Institute for Pain in Later Life at Weill Cornell Medicine. After graduating, she plans to attend medical school to become a physician-scientist in a pediatric specialty.
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Héctor Alan Gutiérrez Gálvez

Student Intern

Héctor Alan Gutiérrez Gálvez is a Computer Science and Technology Engineering student at Tecnológico de Monterrey. His primary interests lie in machine learning, computer vision, and medical imaging applications. At the FNNDSC in Boston Children’s Hospital, Héctor is an AP student researcher working under the guidance of Dr. Pei Yi (Ivy) Lin and Dr. Jason Sutin. His research focuses on developing machine learning models for medical image analysis, contributing to innovations in neonatal and fetal healthcare.
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