معرفی
Karin Schon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, with secondary appointments in Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience at Boston University College of Arts and Sciences. She directs the Brain Plasticity and Neuroimaging Laboratory and serves as Assistant Dean for Diversity & Inclusion.
- PhD in Psychology (2005) from Boston University
- Joint BA/MA in Psychology (1998) from University of Hamburg
Her research examines how aerobic exercise, aging, and psychosocial stress modulate brain health, particularly in hippocampal and amygdala systems. She pioneered anti-racist neuroscience studies on racial discrimination's impact on neurocognitive aging in Black/African American populations. Methodological approaches include high-resolution fMRI, structural MRI, and biomarker assays for neurotrophins like BDNF.
Recent publications focus on 2024 studies of perceived discrimination's neuroanatomical effects, 2024 cortical thickness analysis in spatial cognition, and 2022-2020 investigations into hippocampal connectivity and exercise-induced neuroplasticity. Awards include NIH Pathway to Independence (2010), CCAD Junior Investigator (2013), and multiple NIH/NIA/NIMH grants.
- Scientific Leadership: Organized DEIA events, co-directed BU PREP pipeline program, and contributed to university-wide policy changes including the removal of Myles Standish name from campus housing in 2024
- Service: Chair of BU Faculty Council Equity and Inclusion Committee (until 2024), active in GMS Diversity Steering Committee, and advocate for universal design in STEM education
