Dr. Jensen is Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and Director of Translational Neuroscience and Director of Epilepsy Research at Children's Hospital, Boston. She is a graduate of Cornell Medical College and did her neurology residency training at the Harvard Longwood Neurology Residency Program. Her research focuses on mechanisms of injury in the developing brain, with specific emphasis on age specific therapies for clinical trials development. She received a 2007 Director’s Pioneer Award from the NIH to explore the interaction between epileptogenesis and cognitive dysfunction. Dr. Jensen also is the recipient of the 2008 American Epilepsy Society Basic Science Research Award. Dr. Jensen is President of the American Epilepsy Society in 2012 and serves on a number of other leadership boards including the Council for the Society for Neuroscience, the nominating committee at the American Neurological Association, and is on Council at NICHD. In addition, she serves on the scientific advisory panel of a number of charitable foundations for medical research. Dr. Jensen has authored over 100 manuscripts on subjects related to her research, has been continuously funded by NIH since 1987, and has trained numerous clinical and basic research fellows who now hold independent faculty positions nationally and internationally. Dr. Jensen also is the sponsor of an FDA-approved IND for an ongoing multi-center clinical trial of a novel therapy for neonatal seizures, generated from basic research in her laboratory. She is also an advocate for awareness of the adolescent brain development, its unique strengths and vulnerabilities, as well as their impact on medical, social, and educational issues unique to teenagers and young adults.

Clinical Sites

Children's Hospital Boston

Frances Jensen, MD, Co-Investigator