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 4/9/2025

    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 Apr 09; 102084. PMID: 40239644.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/28/2025

    Labonte J, Sugarman MA, Pettway E, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Ashton NJ, Karikari TK, Aparicio HJ, Frank B, Tripodis Y, Martin B, Palmisano JN, Steinberg EG, Simkin I, Farrer LA, Jun GR, Turk KW, Budson AE, O'Connor MK, Au R, Goldstein LE, Stern RA, Stein TD, McKee AC, Qiu WQ, Mez J, Banks SJ, Alosco ML. Sex differences on tau, astrocytic, and neurodegenerative plasma biomarkers. J Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Mar 28; 13872877251329468. PMID: 40151917.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/6/2025

    Emrani S, Koutures A, Tripodis Y, Uretsky M, Abdolmohammadi B, Nowinski C, Daneshvar DH, Dwyer B, Katz DI, Goldstein LE, Cantu RC, Martin BM, Palmisano JN, Dams-O'Connor K, Crary JF, Stern RA, Mez J, Alvarez VE, Huber BR, McKee AC, Stein TD, Alosco ML. Characterizing white matter and vascular pathologies in brain donors exposed to repetitive head impacts. Acta Neuropathol. 2025 Mar 06; 149(1):24. PMID: 40047953.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/2/2024

    Abdolmohammadi B, Tuz-Zahra F, Uretsky M, Nicks R, Mosaheb S, Labonte J, Yhang E, Durape S, Martin B, Palmisano J, Nowinski C, Cherry JD, Alvarez VE, Huber BR, Dams-O'Connor K, Crary J, Dwyer B, Daneshvar DH, Goldstein LE, Au R, Katz DI, Kowall NW, Cantu RC, Stern RA, Alosco ML, Stein TD, Tripodis Y, McKee AC, Mez J. Duration of Ice Hockey Play and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Dec 02; 7(12):e2449106. PMID: 39630446.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/27/2024

    Uretsky M, Nair E, Burton R, Cronin SW, Rousseau D, Tuz-Zahra F, Durape S, Abdolmohammadi B, Baucom Z, Saltiel N, Shah A, Martin B, Palmisano J, Cherry JD, Daneshvar D, Dwyer B, Dams-O'Connor K, Crary J, Goldstein L, Huber B, Katz D, Kowall N, Cantu RC, Alvarez VE, Stern RA, Stein TD, Tripodis Y, McKee AC, Alosco ML, Mez J. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Family History of Mental Illness, and Aggression in Brain Donors With Repetitive Head Impact Exposure. Neurology. 2024 Dec 24; 103(12):e210056. PMID: 39602665.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 88 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
    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 Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad 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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