Alexander Cohen

Alexander Cohen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital. He is a physician-scientist specializing in neurodevelopmental disorders, with a focus on brain circuitry and neuromodulation. His affiliations include the Brain, Mind & Behavior Center and the Translational Neuroscience Center, where he directs the Data Organization Collaboration Service (DoCS). Cohen holds an MD and PhD from Washington University in St. Louis, completed residency at the Mayo Clinic, and a fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital.

• Education:
  • B.A. in Biology and Biomedical Physics, Washington University
  • M.D. and Ph.D., Washington University School of Medicine (2011)
  • Residency in Pediatrics and Child Neurology, Mayo Clinic (2012–2016)
  • Fellowship in Pediatric Behavioral Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital (2018)

Research Interests: Dr. Cohen’s work centers on mapping brain circuits involved in autism spectrum disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions using neuroimaging and lesion network analysis. He develops non-invasive neuromodulation techniques like TMS and fMRI neurofeedback. His research also focuses on advancing neuroimaging standards (e.g., BIDS) and software tools for reproducible data analysis.

Publications: His recent work explores brain networks in psychosis, epilepsy, and addiction, leveraging lesion data to identify therapeutic targets. Key themes include connectivity-based diagnostics and translational applications of neuroimaging.

• Awards/Grants:
  • Child Neurology Foundation Grant
  • National Institute of Mental Health Funding
  • Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative Grant
• Advising/Grants:
  • Leads multidisciplinary teams in neurodevelopmental research and clinical care.
  • Directs DoCS to improve neuroimaging data organization.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Center of Brain Circuit Therapeutics (Brigham and Women’s Hospital) and directs the Translational Neuroscience Center’s Data Organization Collaboration Service.