Thor D. Stein, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Background:
Dr. Stein is Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Leader of the Neuropathology Core at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. He is also staff neuropathologist at VA Boston and VA Bedford Healthcare Systems. He completed his MD/PhD training at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison and his residency and fellowship training in neuropathology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Research Interests:
His research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He investigates the molecular and pathological underpinnings of these conditions, particularly how trauma contributes to their onset and progression. He has published extensively on the development and modeling of age- and trauma-related neuropathologies. Some of these studies include the most comprehensive analysis to date on beta-amyloid deposition, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, Lewy body disease, and TDP-43 pathology following repetitive mild traumatic brain injury. He works on the epigenetic and gene network mechanisms involved in the development of neuropathology. Dr. Stein is the Principal Investigator on numerous grants, including VA Merit Awards on the role of traumatic brain injury in the development of AD, ALS, and CTE as well as multiple NIH R01s focused on determining the link between epigenetic modifications, lipidomic profiles, and pathological changes in the brain as they relate to cognitive decline.

Dr. Stein leads the Neuropathology Core at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research and CTE Center, where he oversees neuropathological analyses and diagnoses. He manages the processing, preservation, and storage of brain tissue for research studies worldwide. He is also a neuropathologist for numerous other brain banks, including Framingham Heart Study, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) National ALS Biorepository, as well as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ALS, Gulf War Veterans Illnesses, and PTSD biorepositories.

Publications

  • Published 9/15/2026

    Mulayi SC, Aaronson A, Goostrey KJ, Tuz-Zahra F, Tripodis Y, Cole-French WS, Roebuck M, Schneider G, Pine BN, Palmisano JN, Martin BM, Zavitz KH, Katz DI, Nowinski CJ, McKee AC, Stein TD, Mackin RS, McClean MD, Weuve J, Mez J, Weiner MW, Nosheny RL, Alosco ML, Stern RA. Cognitive and Behavioral Functioning in Female Former Soccer Players: Results from the Head Impact and Trauma Surveillance Study (HITSS). Brain Sci. 2026 Sep 15; 16(9). PMID: 42793399.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/1/2026

    Aaronson A, Nosek SB, Abdolmohammadi B, Hadley J, Labonte J, Uretsky M, Mosaheb S, Nowinski CJ, Altaras C, Asken BM, Banks SJ, Barr WB, Dams-O'Connor K, Hromas G, Ly MT, Wethe JV, Martin BM, Palmisano JN, Stern RA, Tripodis Y, Stein TD, McKee AC, Mez J, Alosco ML. Neuropsychological Profile of Autopsy-Confirmed Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Sep 01; 9(9):e2631754. PMID: 42684699.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/1/2026

    Luster CB, Nowinski CJ, Abdolmohammadi B, Feigel ED, Mastrodicasa MJ, Finegan B, Goldstein L, Katz DI, Cantu RC, Dwyer B, Tripodis Y, Stein TD, Alosco ML, McKee AC, Mez J, Daneshvar DH. Neurodegenerative Disease Death Certification Among National Football League Players With Dementia. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Sep 01; 9(9):e2631614. PMID: 42678698.

    Read at: PubMed

  • 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

View All 240 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Investigator
    Framingham Heart Study
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • 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 Wisconsin Madison, MD
  • University of Wisconsin Madison, PhD
  • University of Wisconsin Madison, BS

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