Kristen Brennand is the Elizabeth Mears and House Jameson Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Genetics at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. She established her independent laboratory in the Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, after completing post-doctoral training at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies with Dr. Fred Gage and graduate studies at Harvard University with Dr. Douglas Melton. Her mission is tounravel the mysteries of the human genome within a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive training environment.Herresearch combines expertise in human stem cell models, genomic engineering, and neuroscience to identify the mechanisms that underlie brain development, traits, and disease. Understanding the basic biology governing the complex interplay between genetic variants and the environment will springboard the development of novel, personalized approaches to improve health and prevent disease. She is committed to achieving more equitable training for the next generation of rigorous scientists, compassionate physicians, and collaborative teams of cross-disciplinary researchers. Toward this, she is spearheading the Yale School of Medicine Science Fellows Program, a recruitment and training pathway for the structured promotion to faculty of recent graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds.