Elizabeth “Betsy” Crouch, MD, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Pediatric Scientist Development Program Fellow (2018-present)
I am a neonatal physician scientist studying how brain blood vessels form and interact with the developing neural tissue. This is particularly relevant for premature babies who are at risk for a devastating brain hemorrhage for which there are no treatments. I started my journey as a scientist studying Biochemistry at DePauw University, and then spent two years at the NIH studying B cells with Dr. Rafael Casellas. Subsequently, I moved to New York to obtain my MD/PhD at Columbia University. For my graduate school work, I engineered a protocol to purify brain blood vessel cells and interrogate their impact on adult neural stem cells in the lab of Dr. Fiona Doetsch. Interestingly, my findings supported the idea that brain blood vessels may harbor latent functional abilities that could be harnessed for therapeutic purposes. These findings led to the hypothesis that brain blood vessels serve as master architects in the brain, and into my current work in the developing human brain.
Past Awards and Fellowships:
Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation Fellow (2017-2018)