Jennifer Kim, MD, PhD

Dr. Jennifer Kim is a critical care neurologist with expertise in quantitative analysis of critical care electroencephalography and neuroimaging. Dr. Kim graduated from Brown University for her undergraduate and M.D.-Ph.D. degrees. She completed her residency in Neurology followed by a neurocritical care fellowship at Massachusetts General and Brigham & Women’s Hospitals. Dr. Kim is dedicated to advancing the early diagnosis and treatment of patients with devastating neurologic injury who are at highest risk for short and long-term complications. Dr. Kim is applying novel computational methods to the data gathered within the neurologic intensive care unit to predict patients who are at high risk for further injury. Her ultimate goal is to use these predictions to optimize treatment strategies which prevent these complications.

Please tell us your background, where you are from, schooling, etc.

I am originally from Westchester NY and went to Brown University for my undergraduate and graduate degrees. 

What led you to become involved with brain aneurysm research?

My uncle passed away from complications after an aneurysm rupture. I think we need monitoring devices like EEG that are available continuously to monitor patients who are at risk for developing complications during their hospitalization.

In the simplest terms, what is the purpose of your project?

The purpose of our project is to create a new automated system that assesses brain wave activity, along with other clinical and imaging data, to diagnose and evaluate the treatment of a type of delayed stroke (a.k.a., delayed cerebral ischemia) that can occur after an aneurysm bursts and causes bleeding in the brain (a.k.a., subarachnoid hemorrhage).

In the simplest terms, what do you hope will change through your research findings?

If successful, our project could lead to clinical trials designed to identify high-risk patients early and monitor their treatment progress, enhancing overall treatment effectiveness.

Why is the funding you are receiving through the Brain Aneurysm Foundation so important?

The Brain Aneurysm Foundation support is very meaningful because it is targeted specifically for patients with aneurysms and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Because subarachnoid hemorrhage patients make up the smallest subtype of stroke patients, they often are the hardest to study and yet can suffer some of the longest hospital courses with many complications. It is through the support of organizations like BAF that research can continue move forward and change the care of patients who suffer from this disease.