Tamara Hershey, PhD

Tamara Hershey, PhD, is the James S. McDonnell Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience for WashU Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Hershey also served as the director of the Neuroimaging Labs Research Center at WashU Medicine Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology for ten years, fostering transformative growth in both faculty recruitment and extramural funding, as well as a collaborative culture. Hershey also serves as director of the McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience, vice chair of research, and division director of clinical neuroscience and behavioral health research for the Department of Psychiatry. Her research is in the fields of cognitive and clinical neuroscience and has been supported by numerous foundation and NIH R01 awards. Hershey uses a range of neuroimaging, pharmacological and cognitive techniques to understand the impact of metabolic and neurodegenerative conditions on the brain across the lifespan. For example, her lab is exploring the neural underpinnings of cognitive and mood dysfunction in disorders relevant to dopamine and the basal ganglia (e.g. Parkinson’s disease), the effects of diabetes and obesity on the brain, particularly within development, and the neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative impact of a rare monogenic diabetes, Wolfram Syndrome. Hershey has mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs and junior faculty in clinical neuroscience fields, and co-directed a Peer Mentoring Program at the School of Medicine for several years.