Dr. Olga Kokiko-Cochran is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at The Ohio State University, where she also serves as a core faculty member
in the Chronic Brain Injury Program and the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. With a Ph.D. in Biopsychology from Virginia Commonwealth University and
postdoctoral training at the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute, Dr. Kokiko-Cochran brings a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the complex
biological responses to traumatic brain injury (TBI). Her research focuses on the role of inflammation in the brain’s response to injury, particularly how immune
challenges before and after TBI influence long-term recovery. She is especially interested in how stress and sleep disruption—often overlooked in clinical settings—
can significantly alter neuroinflammatory pathways and affect outcomes for TBI survivors. Her lab employs a range of experimental techniques, including
behavioral testing, immunohistochemistry, and molecular biology tools like qPCR and flow cytometry, to explore these mechanisms.