Kimberly R. Smith, Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Fellow | Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

My research focuses on applying neuroimaging techniques coupled with behavioral assessments to identify mechanisms of disease and therapeutic targets with the goal of improving patient and treatment outcomes in clinical populations. My predoctoral foundation in neuroscience focused on preclinical neurobiological studies assessing taste-related genetic and behavioral factors that influence food intake. During my postdoctoral fellowship, I transitioned to translational clinical research in humans to develop a skillset in the conduct of clinical research and magnetic resonance imaging methods and apply my basic research training to inform the design of clinically-relevant studies in eating disorders and obesity. Current research projects include assessments of food-related anxiety and reward in adolescents and adults with anorexia nervosa or obesity as well as individuals undergoing bariatric surgery.