Brendan Whitelaw, MD, PhD, is a third year in the Adult Neurology Residency Program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He is planning to specialize in vascular neurology and pursue a career as a physician scientist studying the molecular mechanisms driving cerebrovascular disease.
Whitelaw went to college at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied biochemistry and neurobiology. He then completed his MD PhD at the University of Rochester. His PhD (Neuroscience) work focused on how microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, move and interact with neurons and other glial cells. This sparked his interest in neuro-immune interactions in the brain.
At WashU Medicine, he joined the laboratory of Jin-Moo Lee, MD, PhD. He is studying the molecular mechanisms driving hypertensive cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Despite the high morbidity and mortality of hypertensive CSVD, little is known about how high blood pressure causes vasculopathy. Whitelaw is using a multi-omics approach to understand how the cerebral vasculature reacts to high blood pressure in mouse models of hypertension. He is also working with David Clifford, MD, to investigate a novel familial vasculitis.
Outside of the hospital, Whitelaw and his wife, who is also a resident, are enjoying making St. Louis their home. They were married at Tower Grove Park shortly after moving here and love exploring the city. He enjoys running through Tower Grove Park and Forest Park, biking throughout the city and suburbs, and exploring the nearby parks.
