Lee E. Goldstein, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Background
Dr. Lee Goldstein received a bachelor’s degree in humanities and biology from Columbia University and went on to complete his medical and doctoral training at Yale University. Dr. Goldstein completed an internal medicine internship and residency program in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He was previously an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, as well as the Director of the Molecular Aging & Development Laboratory and Center for Biometals & Metallomics at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston. Dr. Goldstein joined the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, College of Engineering, Photonics Center, and the BU ADC in December 2007. Most notably, in 2018 Dr. Goldstein’s study in the journal Brain identified evidence of early CTE brain pathology after head impact—even in the absence of signs of concussion, providing the best evidence to date that head impact, not concussion, causes CTE.

Research Interests
Dr. Goldstein’s work is focused on understanding the role of abnormal protein aggregation in chronic degenerative disorders of aging. The work in his laboratory concentrates on Alzheimer’s disease, age-related cataracts, and other common diseases of aging that involve pathogenic protein aggregation. His team recently discovered the first evidence of Alzheimer’s disease-associated amyloid pathology outside the brain as well as a new transcription factor that plays a crucial role in cellular differentiation within the lens and brain. He and his laboratory are developing a laser-based diagnostic technology that will hopefully detect Alzheimer’s disease years before the first symptoms emerge.

Awards/Memberships
Dr. Goldstein has received honors from numerous organizations, including the Harvard Medical School, National Institute of Mental Health, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Diseases, Alzheimer’s Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the Optical Society of America. He is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Neurology and Psychiatry.

Publications

  • Published 2/13/2026

    Nosek SB, Gonzalez Gil S, Abdolmohammadi B, Layden R, Nowinski CJ, Tripodis Y, Martin BM, Palmisano JN, Torres A, Dwyer BC, Katz DI, Goldstein LE, Cantu RC, Stern RA, Stein TD, McKee AC, Mez J, Alosco ML, Daneshvar DH. Younger Age of First Exposure to American Football Is Associated with Worse Informant-Reported Clinical Outcomes in Older Age Brain Donors. J Neurotrauma. 2026 Feb 13; 8977151261424707. PMID: 41688863.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/1/2026

    Layden RM, Groh JR, Miner AE, Kidd A, Nosek SB, Gil SG, Abdolmohammadi B, Lenio S, Nowinski CJ, Tripodis Y, Martin BM, Palmisano JN, Dwyer BC, Katz DI, Goldstein LE, Cantu RC, Stern RA, Stein TD, McKee AC, Daneshvar DH, Mez J, Alosco ML. CTE neuropathology alone is associated with dementia and cognitive symptoms. Alzheimers Dement. 2026 Jan; 22(1):e71032. PMID: 41589584.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/20/2025

    Hartman S, Aytan N, Nicks R, Hawkins S, Cherry J, Alvarez VE, Meng G, Tripodis Y, Martin B, Palmisano J, Goldstein LE, Katz DI, Dwyer B, Daneshvar DH, Crary JF, Alosco M, Xia W, McKee AC, Mez J, Stein TD. Genetic variation in TMEM106B alters microglial activation and cytokine responses in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Acta Neuropathol. 2025 Nov 20; 150(1):54. PMID: 41264095.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/1/2025

    Alosco ML, Morrison M, Au R, Steinberg EG, Mwicigi J, Ly M, Altaras C, Lenio S, Abdennadher M, O'Connor MK, Tripodis Y, Palmisano J, Dixon D, Martin B, Schneider G, Groh JR, Ellison A, Sheppard D, Farris CW, Nowinski C, Cantu RC, Turk KW, Farrer L, Jun G, Goldstein LE, Qiu WQ, Stein TD, Budson AE, McKee AC, Mez J. Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Clinical Core: Infrastructure to facilitate research on post-traumatic Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Sep; 21(9):e70654. PMID: 40923312.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/15/2025

    Han X, Zhang Y, Petrosky JN, Bald S, Sherva RM, Labadorf A, Cherry JD, Chung J, Farrell K, Abdolmohammadi B, Durape S, Martin BM, Palmisano JN, Farrell JJ, Alvarez VE, Huber BR, Dwyer B, Daneshvar DH, Dams-O'Connor K, Jun GR, Lunetta KL, Goldstein LE, Katz DI, Cantu RC, Shenton ME, Cummings JL, Reiman EM, Stern RA, Alosco ML, Tripodis Y, Farrer LA, Stein TD, Crary JF, McKee AC, Mez J. A structural haplotype in the 17q21.31 MAPT region is associated with increased risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy endophenotypes. Cell Rep Med. 2025 May 20; 6(5):102084. PMID: 40239644.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 93 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Associate Professor, Neurology
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Associate Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Associate Professor, Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Director, Molecular Aging & Development Laboratory
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • Yale University School of Medicine, MD
  • Yale University, PhD
  • Columbia University, BA

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