About Me

Hello! I'm Dr. Osier!

I am an early stage investigator fascinated by the mechanisms underlying neurological symptoms.

I hold a joint appointment at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing (primary) and the Department of Neurology (secondary). My research interests surround how genomic and protein biomarkers can be used for diagnosis, prognosis, and evaluation of therapeutic response in neurological disorders; I am especially interested in the relationship between biological markers and symptoms (for example, those related to sleep, fatigue, stress, and depression). 

During my graduate studies and post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, I conducted both pre-clinical and clinical research examining changes in the neuroendocrine system (primarily the melatonergic system), inflammatory proteins (e.g. interleukin 6; tumor necrosis factor), neurodegenerative proteins (e.g. amyloid-beta, tau), and single nucleotide polymorphisms and their association with symptoms and recovery-related outcomes after brain trauma.

As a new assistant professor, I am continuing to expand my research and focus primarily on clinical traumatic brain injury; I am also working with collaborators to expand my program of research to study multiple sclerosis. As a nurse scientist, I am interested in combining genomic and protein information with key demographic, personal, and health data to holistically understand the underpinnings of symptoms. The overarching goal of this line of inquiry is to predict individuals most likely to develop debilitating symptoms known to negatively impact patients' quality of life so that improved screening, monitoring, and treatments can be pursued.