Spotlight On Kathryn Smith
Name: Kathryn Smith
Role: Senior Research Program Manager
Education: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, ScD, Social & Behavioral Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, MPH, Social & Behavioral Sciences, James Madison University, BS, Anthropology
Hometown: Wellesley, MA
1. What are you working on in the lab right now?
I’m helping to launch the Brain Health Initiative, a longitudinal study designed to identify genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors associated with brain health across the life course. We are currently working to learn more about the participant community in Florida, designing our recruitment strategy, and readying to deploy our pilot survey.
2. What are the 3 big questions you are interested in answering?
How can we best provide guidance about health behaviors (i.e. physical activity, nutrition, socialization) to diverse communities that have different access to resources to support healthy lifestyles?
Do different types of stress (e.g., chronic, acute, psychological, psychosocial) have different impacts on brain health?
Considering brain health, aging populations may be most interested in degenerative conditions (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s), memory, cognitive ability. What do kids and adolescents care about? What questions about brain health do they want answered?
3. Of your most recent accomplishments, which one are you most proud of?
(Finally) completing the endurance race of starting a family while pursuing a doctoral degree. Three kids later, we made it!
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go?
Colombia. I’ve never been to South America. Our nanny, who is like family, is from Colombia. She brings us Colombian treats and takes our kids to Colombian restaurants in East Boston for special celebration lunches. We feel a strong and special Colombian spirit in our home, but we have never visited!
5. What’s your secret talent that no one knows about?
Hula hooping & limbo (not hanging in limbo with my decisions, actually doing the limbo under a stick). I think these talents draw on a similar though not identical skill set, are both good party tricks, and are both fading with age.