Kristin Poole O'Grady, Ph.D.

Kristin O’Grady, PhD earned her BS in Engineering Science at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX and her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Dr. O’Grady completed her postdoctoral training in the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS) under the mentorship of Seth Smith, PhD. She was awarded an NRSA F32 postdoctoral fellowship by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to develop chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) brain MRI methods to study cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2019 as a Research Instructor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences and was promoted to Research Assistant Professor in 2020. Dr. O’Grady’s research was supported by a four-year K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) from 2020-2024. In 2026, she was promoted to Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering. Her current research program—supported by funding from the NIH and National MS Society—is focused on developing multimodal, quantitative MR methodologies for the lower spinal cord, with the goal of better understanding the effects of pathological changes associated with neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Section: Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science