Talin Babikian

Talin Babikian is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. With extensive expertise in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) and neuroimaging, Dr. Babikian's research focuses on understanding neurocognitive outcomes, recovery trajectories, and the application of advanced neuroimaging techniques to assess brain structure and function following pediatric TBI.

Dr. Babikian's research interests span multiple areas within pediatric neurotrauma, including neuroimaging techniques (particularly DTI and MRS), neurocognitive assessment following TBI, white matter integrity disruptions, long-term outcomes of pediatric concussion, and the impact of family environment on recovery. Her work frequently examines how brain injury affects developing neural systems and cognitive functioning in children and adolescents, with emphasis on translating research findings to clinical practice.

Analysis of Dr. Babikian's recent publications reveals a strong focus on collaborative, large-scale research initiatives, particularly through the ENIGMA consortium. Her work increasingly addresses health disparities in concussion care, racial biases in sports-related concussion assessment, and the biopsychosocial factors influencing recovery. There's also a growing emphasis on multimodal approaches to understanding brain injury, combining neuroimaging, cognitive assessment, and clinical outcomes to develop more comprehensive models of TBI recovery.

Dr. Babikian has been actively involved in significant research funding, most notably as Principal Investigator on the NIH-funded study "Neuroimaging and Recovery after Pediatric Brain Injury" (F32NS053169, 2006-2008). She is a key contributor to several major collaborative efforts including the UCLA RAPBI study, the ENIGMA Pediatric TBI working group, and the CARE4Kids study examining persistent post-concussive symptoms in adolescents. Her work has contributed substantially to our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of cognitive and emotional difficulties following pediatric TBI.