Kristen Brennand is the Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Genetics at the Yale University School of Medicine. She established her independent laboratory in the Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City after completing her postdoctoral training at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies with Fred Gage and graduate studies at Harvard University with Douglas Melton.

Brennand’s mission is to unravel the mysteries of the human genome within a collaborative, inclusive and supportive training environment. Her research combines expertise in human stem cell models, genomic engineering and neuroscience to identify mechanisms that underlie brain development, traits and disease. Understanding the basic biology governing the complex interplay between genetic variants and the environment will springboard the development of novel, personalized approaches to improve health and prevent disease.

Brennand is committed to achieving more equitable training for the next generation of rigorous scientists, compassionate physicians and collaborative teams of cross-disciplinary researchers. Toward this, she is spearheading the Yale School of Medicine Science Fellows Program, a recruitment and training pathway for the structured promotion to faculty of recent graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds.