Lindsay Hanford

Biography

Lindsay is an MRI neuroscientist with a deep interest in understanding how brain-behavior relationships change across the lifespan. She aims to uncover biological, physiological, and psychological factors that reflect meaningful changes in brain structure or function, as these relationships are key for the precise assessment of individual risk, burden, and outcome. Lindsay received training at University of Guelph (B.Sc.), McMaster University (Ph.D.), and University of Pittsburgh (Postdoc), and is currently a research associate with Dr. Katie A. McLaughlin of the Stress and Development Lab at Harvard University. She is currently wrapping up with the STAR study (i.e. Studying Adolescents in Realtime), which followed healthy adolescents as they went about their life for one year. Within-person precision methods were used to capture daily activity, sleep, mood, and social engagement, as well as monthly MRI scans to capture precise measures of brain structure and function. Using this study, Lindsay aims to critically explore how subtle changes in the brain may precede the onset of negative mental health outcomes as it unfolds in realtime during this period of adolescent development.