Jane L. Kelly

Jane L. Kelly is an American neuroscientist and psychiatrist known for her research utilizing advanced neuroimaging techniques to study mood and anxiety disorders. Her work has significantly contributed to the understanding of the neural circuitry underlying major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Kelly has held prominent research positions at the National Institute of Mental Health and currently serves as a faculty member at the University of Virginia.

Early life and education

Kelly completed her undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She then earned her medical degree from the University of Texas at Austin's Dell Medical School. Following her medical training, she pursued specialized residency training in psychiatry, which provided the clinical foundation for her subsequent research career. Her early academic path demonstrated a strong commitment to integrating clinical practice with scientific investigation into brain function.

Career

Kelly began her research career as a postdoctoral fellow and later a research scientist within the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health. In this role, she conducted pioneering work in the Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety. She subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Virginia in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences. At the University of Virginia, she also contributes to the leadership of the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia.

Research and contributions

Kelly's research program focuses on identifying the neurobiological mechanisms of treatment-resistant mood and anxiety disorders. She employs multimodal neuroimaging methods, including functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, to examine brain connectivity and neuroinflammation. A major strand of her work investigates the role of the default mode network and the salience network in the pathophysiology of depression. Her studies on post-traumatic stress disorder have explored alterations in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, contributing to models of fear processing and extinction. This research has implications for developing novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets, often in collaboration with institutions like the Mount Sinai Health System.

Awards and honors

Kelly's research has been recognized through several prestigious awards and grant mechanisms. She is a recipient of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation's NARSAD Young Investigator Grant, which supports promising early-career scientists. Her work has also been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health through career development awards such as the K Award series. These honors reflect the impact and potential of her investigations into the neural correlates of psychiatric illness.

Personal life

Kelly maintains a private personal life, with available details primarily focusing on her professional trajectory. Her career exemplifies a dedication to translational neuroscience, aiming to bridge discoveries in basic brain science with improvements in clinical care for patients with psychiatric disorders. She is part of a broader community of scientists at the University of Virginia and the National Institutes of Health working to advance mental health research.

Category:American neuroscientists Category:American psychiatrists Category:University of Virginia faculty Category:National Institute of Mental Health people