Dr. Kirsten E. Schoonover is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Associate Director of the Alabama Brain Collection. As an early-stage investigator, her independent research lab focuses on Alzheimer’s disease using postmortem human brain tissue to examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Her work combines advanced microscopy, including high-resolution confocal and electron imaging, with molecular analyses to identify structural and metabolic vulnerabilities in cortical neurons. Through her leadership in expanding the Alabama Brain Collection, she aims to build a more inclusive, regionally representative resource that advances understanding of Alzheimer’s pathology and resilience in the human brain.