معرفی
Linda Chao, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She holds dual appointments and has led the Psychiatry Block of the Brain, Mind and Behavior course for first-year medical students for 11 years. Her research focuses on neuropsychological and imaging techniques to study neurodegenerative processes, aging, stress, and neurotoxin exposure effects on the brain. Key projects include VA-funded studies on Gulf War veterans' brain structure/function changes from sarin exposure and Army-funded investigations into PTSD-dementia links.
Education: BS in Biological Science (UC Davis, 1991); PhD in Neuroscience (UC Davis, 1996). Awards include the 1999 NIMH Fellows Award and 1994 NIMH Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. She serves as Academic Editor for PlosOne and has reviewed for 26 journals. Over 90+ publications/abstracts span imaging biomarkers, Gulf War illness, and PTSD neurobiology.
Research emphasizes Gulf War veterans' health, including studies on Gulf War Illness (GWI), neuroimaging correlates of GWI, and photobiomodulation therapies. Grants include NIH-I21CX001428 for insomnia treatment trials and NIH-I01CX000798 exploring GW prodromal Parkinson's symptoms. Active collaborations involve VA, Army, and UCSF's Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases.
Lab/Team: Leads interdisciplinary teams studying neurodegenerative mechanisms and veteran health outcomes through advanced MRI and cognitive assessments. Ongoing work includes Gulf War Biorepository and Integrative Network (BBRAIN) cohort analyses.
