Laura B. Ngwenya

Laura B. Ngwenya, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Her clinical and research expertise spans neurotrauma, traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury, and neurocritical care. She directs a translational research laboratory investigating post-TBI neurogenesis alterations, spreading depolarizations, and cognitive deficits.

• Bachelor’s: Rutgers University
• PhD and MD: Boston University
• Neurological Surgery Residency: The Ohio State University
• Neurotrauma Fellowship: University of California San Francisco

Her research integrates neurophysiological mechanisms (e.g., spreading depolarizations), biomarker development (GFAP, UCH-L1), and clinical outcome optimization. Recent work examines social determinants of health, vascular risk factors, and genetic vulnerabilities in TBI cohorts.

Key publications address:

• Neurocritical care protocols and ethical frameworks
• Biomarker validation for hemorrhage detection
• Post-TBI cognitive and psychiatric outcomes
• Equity in neurotrauma care delivery
• Translational models of neuroplasticity
• Global cranial implant accessibility solutions