Jonathan D. Cherry, PhD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Background
Dr. Cherry is an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. He completed his undergraduate studies with a BS in biology at Ursinus College in 2008. He earned his doctoral degree in Pathology from the University of Rochester in 2015. Dr. Cherry joined the McKee laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher the same year. He was appointed as an assistant professor at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine in 2019. Dr. Cherry also holds a research health scientist position within the VA Boston Healthcare System. His laboratory space is located at the Jamaica Plain VA hospital where he performs his research and helps support the VA-BU-CLF brain bank.

Research Interests
Dr. Cherry’s research interests focus on understanding how neuroinflammation after repetitive traumatic brain injury contributes to CTE pathogenesis. Specifically, Dr. Cherry seeks to identify what role microglia and inflammatory cytokines play in the early onset of hyperphosphorylated tau accumulation and spread.
Dr. Cherry’s research also extend to histology analysis. He is the director of the digital pathology hub present within the BU CTE center. This research entails exploring novel ways to analyze human postmortem tissue for neuropathologic targets and better characterize pathology across a spectrum of neurodegenerative disease including Alzheimer’s disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, motor neuron diseases, and others.

Publications

  • Published 8/25/2026

    Daneshvar DH, Nowinski CJ, Abdolmohammadi B, Luster CB, Uretsky M, Martin BM, Palmisano JN, Weuve J, McClean MD, Cherry JD, Dwyer B, Feigel ED, Mastrodicasa MJ, Alvarez VE, Rabinovici GD, Seeley WW, Grinberg LT, Crary JF, Stein TD, Goldstein L, Katz DI, Zafonte RD, Tripodis Y, Cantu RC, Stern RA, Alosco ML, McKee AC, Mez J. Prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at death in National Football League players: retrospective population based cohort study, 2008-21. BMJ. 2026 Aug 25; 394:e100418. PMID: 42642105.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/14/2026

    Pennington HE, Shapiro D, Empawi J, Aytan N, Alvarez VE, Mez J, Alosco ML, Zhang X, McKee AC, Stein TD, Cherry JD, Labadorf A. Proteomic analysis of human chronic traumatic encephalopathy brain implicates proteasome and ribosome dysfunction in disease severity. Mol Neurodegener Adv. 2026; 2(1):36. PMID: 42603909.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/23/2026

    Tuz-Zahra F, Hallowell E, Tilton C, Alvarez VE, Aytan N, Hawkins S, Mez J, Alosco M, McKee AC, Tripodis Y, Stein TD, Cherry JD. CTE has multiple pathologic variants that might relate to different clinical symptom presentation. Acta Neuropathol. 2026 Jun 23; 151(1). PMID: 42334639.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/25/2026

    Richardson TE, Cherry J, Kandoi S, Rohde SK, Uretsky M, Tuz-Zahra F, Bieniek KF, Farrell K, Hefti MM, Miller MB, Tripodis Y, Stein TD, Maldonado-Díaz C, Hiya S, Beach TG, Corrada MM, Dugger BN, Flanagan ME, Frosch MP, Gearing M, Grinberg LT, Hansen LA, Hawes D, Head E, Keene CD, Kofler J, Lee EB, Nelson PT, Oakley DH, Perrin RJ, Rissman RA, Salamat S, Schneider JA, Serrano GE, Teich AF, Troncoso JC, Wisniewski T, Woltjer RL, Crary JF, Dickson DW, McKee AC, Walker JM. Neocortical tau burden determines the degree of cognitive impairment in individuals with Braak stage V neurofibrillary degeneration. Acta Neuropathol. 2026 May 25; 151(1). PMID: 42184025.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/9/2026

    Calderazzo SM, Butler MLMD, Breen K, Kanner H, Tripodis Y, Stein TD, Holtzman DM, Cherry JD, Huber BR, McKee AC. Meningeal and infiltrating T-cells are associated with repetitive head trauma and tau-mediated neurodegeneration in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2026 Apr 09; 14(1). PMID: 41957675.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 72 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Assistant Professor, Neurology
    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

  • University of Rochester, PhD
  • Ursinus College, BS

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