Braden Oldham is a Neuroscience graduate student in the MD/PhD program at the Medical University of South Carolina. His research focuses on the molecular and metabolic mechanisms of neurologic injury, with particular interest in neuron–astrocyte–microglial interactions and the translation of laboratory findings into clinical treatments.

He graduated summa cum laude from Creighton University in 2020, double majoring in Neuroscience and Classical & Near Eastern Studies. As an undergraduate, he spent three years in Dr. Anna Dunaevsky’s lab studying astrocyte biology in Fragile X syndrome using mouse, human iPSC, and chimeric models. He later completed a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institute on Aging at the NIH in the laboratory of Dr. Huaibin Cai, where he studied neural circuit function in Parkinson’s disease dementia.

In the Miller Lab, Braden uses animal models, primary rat cells, and human iPSC-derived systems to investigate the cellular responses to neurologic injury. He aims to pursue a career as a neurosurgeon-scientist focused on developing treatments that improve long-term outcomes after neurotrauma. Outside the lab, he leads a medical student neurosurgery research group, volunteers at the MUSC Cares clinic, and enjoys traveling, running, baking, singing, and spending time with his wife.