"Our goal is to understand how different body systems are represented in the brain, and in turn, how the brain coordinates the functioning of the systems. The gift will unify the efforts of scientists across different laboratories and institutions to study brain-body communication and physiology in health and disease."
The K. Lisa Yang Brain Body Center, based at Harvard Medical School, launched in 2025, and is poised to become a global leader in advancing our understanding of the vital connection between the brain and the body. Our work is focused on how the brain communicates with and regulates key organ systems, including the immune, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems. By revealing how these complex interactions shape cognition, behavior, and overall health, the Center aims to open new frontiers in therapeutic innovation.
The Brain Body Center is co-directed by David Ginty, Chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Michael E. Greenberg, the Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology, at Harvard Medical School.
Through close collaboration with investigators across the Collective at Harvard, our Center drives groundbreaking research and fosters the training of future leaders in the emerging field of brain-body science.
Co-Director, K. Lisa Yang Brain Body Center
Chair of Neurobiology and Edward R. and Anne G. Lefler Professor Harvard Medical School
Project: Somatosensory Neurons and the Neural Circuits Connecting the Body and the Brain
Co- Director, K. Lisa Yang Brain Body Center
Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology
Harvard Medical School
Project: Experience-driven Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis signaling in central and peripheral circuit maturation
Professor of Neurobiology
Harvard Medical School
Project: Brain Vasculature at the Neuro-Immune Interface
Professor of Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center & Harvard Medical School
Project: The Role of Central Interoceptive Brain Circuits in Processing Current and Estimated Bodily States
Professor of Cell Biology
Harvard Medical School
Project: Mechanisms of body-brain communication
Leading our community-focused initiatives is Mark Thompson, the Community Engagement Coordinator. Mark is dedicated to building strong relationships with our clients and communities.
Associate Professor of Neurobiology
Harvard Medical School
Project: Sleep and the Gut
