Amy A. Herrold, PhD
Dr. Herrold’s career focus is neurorehabilitation of co-occurring neuropsychiatric conditions among Veterans, including mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), alcohol use disorder, PTSD, and chronic pain. Investigating the underpinning neural mechanisms of these complex neuropsychiatric conditions will lead to optimal treatment development and personalized medicine. Dr. Herrold received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a concentration in neuroscience from Boston University in 2004. Dr. Herrold began her training and research career with a NIDA F-31/NRSA to examine the neuropharmacological mechanisms underlying rodent models of co-occurring methamphetamine addiction and schizophrenia. Through this work, she received her PhD in neuroscience from Loyola University Chicago in 2010. Through post-doctoral fellowships in a VA setting, Dr. Herrold transitioned from a pre-clinical to clinical neuroscientist. She completed VA Health Services Research & Development and Polytrauma/Traumatic Brain Injury fellowships, as well as a National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, Merit Switzer Research Fellowship. Dr. Herrold was a recipient of a VA Rehabilitation Research and Development (RR&D) Level 2 Career Development Award (CDA-2), focused on characterizing co-occurring AUD and mild traumatic brain injury (AUD+mTBI) and piloting a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) double blind clinical trial for AUD+mTBI treatment. Currently, Dr. Herrold is the PI of an ongoing VA RR&D Investigator Initiated Research Award/Merit extending this CDA-2 work. Dr. Herrold was also the PI of a recently successfully completed a VA RR&D SPiRE that combined intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) and yoga among Veterans with co-occurring mTBI and chronic musculoskeletal pain for improvements in pain, function, and quality of life (QOL). As a part of the SPiRE project, Dr. Herrold received her 200-hour yoga teacher training and is a registered yoga teacher. Dr. Herrold also completed the LoveYourBrain yoga teacher training certification to deliver the manualized evidence-based LoveYourBrain yoga program that was created specifically for people with TBI. Dr. Herrold holds dual faculty appointments and is a core member of a team of interdisciplinary research teams at both Edward Hines Jr., VA Hospital and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (NUFSM).
Contact: Amy.Herrold@va.gov
