Kristen Bushell

Dr. Kristen Bushell received her Ph.D. from Boston University School of Medicine, in 2010, as part of the BUMC Pharmacology Department in collaboration with the BMC Department of Surgery and Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Her graduate studies focused on the transcriptional regulation of proinflammatory cytokines in macrophages found in gastrointestinal inflammation. As an undergraduate at Virginia Tech and then later at Wyeth, Dr. Bushell participated in research projects studying the synthesis of cannabinoids to understand the structure activity relationships of cannabinoid receptors and the resulting impact on the endocannabinoid signaling pathway for non-opioid treatments of chronic and neuropathic pain. In addition to a broad background in the basic sciences, Dr. Bushell has a special interest in neuropharmacology, inflammatory processes of disease, and the role of gut-brain axis in disorders of the nervous system.

Dr. Bushell previously taught at Stonehill College, where she discovered her passion for undergraduate education through teaching the Organic Chemistry Labs. She joined BU’s Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience in 2019.