My research program is focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying neuronal trauma and degeneration during and following acute brain injury.  I am particularly interested in intracerebral hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury, two major causes of death and disability that together span the age spectrum.  My work is carried out in the neurological intensive care unit, where I am an attending physician, and in the laboratory.  I am focused on the development and application of invasive and non-invasive neuromonitoring techniques, especially cerebral microdialysis and advanced MRI technologies.

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INPATIENT CARE ONLY. Neurocritical care.

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A strong and effective mentoring relationship starts with good communication. First, I strive to be available to my students. My door is rarely closed, and I look forward to frequent conversations with the members of my lab. During these conversations I will strive to understand your background and experiences, as that context will guide our way forward together.

My goals as your mentor are multiple. Scientifically, I want to help you give your curiosity the purest expression possible within the guard rails that lead towards career success as an investigator. I love clever ideas and out-of-the-box thinking. I’ll help you turn those ideas into practical experiments that build the next paper, lead to a grant, and provide the surest possible path to the next phase of your career. I want to provide this context for you so that you can more efficiently navigate beyond the current experiment, into the coming weeks and months.

Communicatively, I want to help you convey your curiosity and where it’s led you to the widest possible audience. I will work with you to adapt your story to differing time frames, media, and audiences. Writing and speaking are central to our job as science communicators—I take this very seriously. I want my students to become expert communicators and beautiful writers.

Interpersonally, my goal is to help you find a work-life balance that prioritizes your development as a scientist, but recognizes that strong relationships outside of the lab are crucial to happiness. Organization and planning are the essential tools with which we will maintain this balance. Within the lab I work to hire and train those who give of themselves and expect to be shown respect. I work with students as they learn to navigate these waters within and beyond the lab.

When we meet, I pledge to offer honest feedback, to engage
in a mutually respectful discussion, and to look for opportunities to nudge you in new directions for the sake of your personal and professional growth. I will make it my mission is to help each student find her or his place in the world.

In all of our activities, I and the rest of the Kummer lab will maintain our commitment to diversity and inclusivity. We will draw on the differences in who we are, what we’ve learned, and how we think. To make discoveries that serve everyone, we must believe in including everyone.