Chiara Maffei, Ph.D.

Instructor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School
Research Scientist, Massachusetts General Hospital 

Can we look into the brain and reveal the architecture of its infinite connections? The advent of diffusion MRI and tractography techniques opened new opportunities in investigating the anatomical organization of the white matter anatomy in the living human brain. I focus my research on brain connectivity, with the ultimate goal of increasing our knowledge of its structural organization and making tractography a more reliable tool in both neurobiological research and clinical applications. Since 2012 I have worked on diffusion MRI, focusing on the methodological investigation and application of tractography techniques in healthy subjects, stroke patients, and sensory deprived populations. After obtaining my Ph.D. in cognitive and brain sciences from the center for mind/brain sciences (CIMeC, Italy), I joined the laboratory for computational neuroimaging (LCN) at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (MGH and HMS), where I keep working on the validation, optimization, and application of diffusion MRI and tractography techniques. I am excited I can now apply this knowledge to the study of consciousness-related structural networks with the goal of improving recovery after traumatic coma. 

I enjoy reading, hiking, practicing yoga, and the never ending process of learning and sharing knowledge!