Dr. Kristen Willeumier
Kristen Willeumier, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist with expertise in neurobiology and neuroimaging who serves as an Editorial Board Member at Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, Contributing Writer at Psychology Today, and Founder of the Willeumier Center for Advanced Research in Neurotrauma & Brain Rehabilitation. With over 20 years of experience in neuroscience research, she is the bestselling author of Biohack Your Brain: How to Boost Cognitive Health, Performance & Power.
Kristen is recognized internationally for her groundbreaking research on traumatic brain injury in professional athletes and her work bridging neuroscience with practical brain health strategies for the general public. She has authored or coauthored 52 scientific manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and presented her work at national and international scientific meetings including the Society for Neuroscience and the Gordon Research Conference in Hong Kong, China.
Between 2009 and 2016, Kristen served as the Director of Neuroimaging and Clinical Research for the Amen Clinics, where she led the efforts in utilizing imaging technologies to understand the neurobiological signatures underlying psychiatric disorders.She oversaw many pioneering studies, including a clinical research trial investigating the long-term effects of repetitive subconcussive impacts in National Football League players.
She led a clinical research trial investigating the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts on brain function in 30 retired NFL players who demonstrated brain damage and cognitive impairment.The study, which incorporated weight loss, fish oil (5.6 grams a day), a high-potency multiple vitamin, and a formulated brain enhancement supplement, showed that it was possible to reverse brain damage in these players through multiple interventions ranging from dietary modifications and nutrient support to neurofeedback and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Read Touchdown longevity: NFL brain injuries inform aging field, (PDF) Reversing Brain Damage in Former NFL Players: Implications for Traumatic Brain Injury and Substance Abuse Rehabilitation. and Impact of Playing American Professional Football on Long-Term Brain Function.
In December 2020, Kristen published Biohack Your Brain: How to Boost Cognitive Health, Performance & Power, which became a bestseller and reveals how readers can change their brain by making simple and easy modifications to their lifestyle.The book received endorsements from prominent figures including NFL players, Olympic athletes, and leading meditation teacher Bob Roth, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, who called it “a superb brain-health guide that will nurture your mind, heart, and spirit.”The book has been featured in mindbodygreen, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, and The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Weekly Newsletter. with media outlets predicting biohacking would be “bigger than ever in 2021”.
Currently, Kristen serves on the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Neuroanatomy since 2023, where she is a Review Editor for this multidisciplinary open-access journal that publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research revealing important aspects of the anatomical organization of all nervous systems across all species.
She has also been a member of the National Advisory Council for The Leadership Crucible Foundation since 2023, a nonprofit organization focused on the development of leaders founded by nationally recognized Chief Randy Bruegman. As a Contributing Writer for Psychology Today since October 2020, she shares insights on using neuroscience wisdom to enhance cognitive health, performance, and power. Kristen has been a member of Alder since March 2019, a community of mission-driven, purposeful leaders determined to ensure multi-generational prosperity.
Kristen founded the Willeumier Center for Advanced Research in Neurotrauma & Brain Rehabilitation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established and named in honor of her father, Robert C. Willeumier.The center’s mission is to provide greater awareness and education about the preservation and maintenance of brain health to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and neurological disorders. She also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Tate Technology since 2016, a Los Angeles-based sports safety and technology licensing company with sixteen filed patents focusing on the “Coil Sports Safety Technology™” marketed as “Advanced Concussion Technology™”.
Kristen earned her Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 2007, where she conducted her doctoral research in the laboratory of neurophysiology under Dr. Felix Schweitzer at UCLA and the laboratory of neurogenetics under Dr. Stefan Pulst at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Her research used optical imaging tools to investigate synaptic vesicle recycling and the role of protein ubiquitination in regulating this process, with a focus on parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase encoded by PARK2, a gene implicated in autosomal recessive juvenile parkinsonism.She earned her Master’s Degree of Science in Neurobiology in 2004 and Master’s Degree of Science in Physiological Science in 2000 from UCLA, where she worked under Dr. Barney Schlinger in the laboratory of neuroendocrinology. Kristen earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Boston College in 1994, where she was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Premedical National Honor Society.
Following her doctoral work, Kristen was a postdoctoral scientist in the Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, where she continued her work focused on the genetic analysis of neurological disorders.In recognition of her research at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, she was the recipient of a National Research Service Award Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health in February 2005.
She was a Research Fellow of the Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics between October 2017 and July 2018, a nonprofit society organized to promote public welfare and improve patient care through the translation of new technologies and therapies into life-saving diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Kristen is widely published in peer-reviewed medical journals, including The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Nature Translational Psychiatry. The Journal of Neuroscience, and The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
Her landmark 2016 paper in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Perfusion Neuroimaging Abnormalities Alone Distinguish National Football League Players from a Healthy Population, demonstrated that NFL players showed global decreased perfusion, especially in the prefrontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, as well as in the cerebellar regions, compared to healthy controls.
Kristen is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Psychological Association, the American Board of Sport Psychology, the Society for Neuroscience, the International Society for Neuroregulation & Research, and the Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics.
She received the Distinction in Teaching Award from the UCLA College of Letters & Sciences in January 2000. As a leading advocate for brain health, she is a frequent contributor to top media outlets and has appeared on Good Morning America, Good Day NY, Good Day LA, Fox 32 Chicago, KMIR-TV NBC Palm Springs, KING5-TV CBS Seattle, KDVR-TV FOX Denver, WATN-TV ABC Memphis, WSFA-TV NBC Montgomery, KSWQ-TV FOX San Diego, Sirius XM Progress, Salem Radio, Coast-to-Coast radio, The Michael Savage Show, and in magazines including Harper’s Bazaar Saudi Arabia. Shape, Wired, Science Times and Psychology Today. Watch KRISTEN WILLEUMIER, PH.D. – International Conference Healthcare Future – December 3th & 4th 2022.
As a media personality, Kristen has hosted Your Brain Health with Dr. Kristen Willeumier, a podcast series on RadioMD that explores the latest news and information in the science of brain health. Beyond her podcast, Kristen has been featured on numerous shows including To Your Good Health with Dr. David Friedman on RadioMD, Brain Health and Covid Longhauler Strategy on Superwoman Wellness with Dr. Taz. Lewis & Logan Fox Sports Radio, Made to Thrive Show with Steve Stavs, and The mindbodygreen Podcast with Jason Wachob where she discussed sneaky factors affecting brain health. She has also been featured on the Salem Radio Network with Here’s To Your Health.
Her extensive media appearances include segments on outgrowing our biology, death and neurobiology, grief and healing following the Las Vegas massacre, suicide prevention discussions following the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, and the neurobiological perspective on love and the brain.
In an appearance on The Longevity & Lifestyle Podcast, she explored brain health optimization, discussing topics ranging from the impact of technology on aging minds to proactive measures for biohacking the brain, Alzheimer’s prevention, neuroplasticity, and the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Kristen resides in Los Angeles, California, where she continues her mission to bridge the gap between cutting-edge neuroscience research and practical applications for brain health optimization. As she explains, “Nobody teaches us how to take care of our brain and how to possibly reduce the risk of dementia, degenerative disease, or altered cognitive function. We always take that for granted.” Through her research, writing, and public speaking, she empowers individuals to take proactive steps to preserve and enhance their cognitive function throughout their lives.
Watch How to Improve Your Brain Power in 10 Simple Steps.
Read Ever Dynamic Neuroscientist, Dr. Kristen Willeumier is Back with Advice on Happily Avoiding the Holiday Feeding Frenzy | CYInterview, 3 Powerful Brain-Protecting Foods, and Sleep Biomarkers and Alzheimer’s Disease Risk.
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