Chen, Jean

Biography

As head of the Neuroimaging Lab at Baycrest, Dr. Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto and Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute. She received her MSc (2004) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Calgary, completing her MSc research in contrast-enhanced perfusion MRI with Dr. Richard Frayne. She obtained her PhD (2009) in Biomedical Engineering from McGill University, completing her research at the Montreal Neurological Institute under the supervision of Dr. Bruce Pike. Her PhD research focused on blood-volume measurement and calibrated fMRI. She completed her postdoctoral work on multimodal MRI of brain aging, mentored by Dr. David Salat at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She was appointed Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute (Baycrest) in 2011. Dr. Chen’s current research revolves around the theme of novel methodological development for the study of brain physiology in aging and age-related brain diseases. Her specific interests include studying the neurovascular and neuronal mechanisms underlying resting-state fMRI, as well as to develop new resting-state brain-mapping techniques for large-scale studies. Her research projects are characterized by the following themes: 1. Investigating the physiological basis of resting-state fMRI; 2. The development of new brain-mapping techniques to map vascular and neuronal health; 3. Multi-modal integration of functional, vascular and structural MRI techniques to study the mechanisms of brain aging and of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. As head of the Neuroimaging Lab at Baycrest, Dr. Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto and Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute. She received her MSc (2004) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Calgary, completing her MSc research in contrast-enhanced perfusion MRI with Dr. Richard Frayne. She obtained her PhD (2009) in Biomedical Engineering from McGill University, completing her research at the Montreal Neurological Institute under the supervision of Dr. Bruce Pike. Her PhD research focused on blood-volume measurement and calibrated fMRI. She completed her postdoctoral work on multimodal MRI of brain aging, mentored by Dr. David Salat at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She was appointed Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute (Baycrest) in 2011. Dr. Chen’s current research revolves around the theme of novel methodological development for the study of brain physiology in aging and age-related brain diseases. Her specific interests include studying the neurovascular and neuronal mechanisms underlying resting-state fMRI, as well as to develop new resting-state brain-mapping techniques for large-scale studies. Her research projects are characterized by the following themes: 1. Investigating the physiological basis of resting-state fMRI; 2. The development of new brain-mapping techniques to map vascular and neuronal health; 3. Multi-modal integration of functional, vascular and structural MRI techniques to study the mechanisms of brain aging and of age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Research Interest

Normal brain function is predicated upon continuous neuronal and vascular interplays, a mechanism that is essential to brain function. It is also likely to deteriorate during the cognitive decline associated with aging as well as neurological disorders. Despite previous research efforts, the causes of aging-related illnesses such as dementia remain unclear, and the key to preventative treatment elusive. My research is driven by the need to better understand disease mechanisms, by using neuroimaging to observe the living brain. My research is focused on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methodological development, physiological modeling, and the application of our methods in characterizing diseases/treatments.