Portfolio: Neurotechnology development and translation of stimulation & recording medical devices for stroke and neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., movement disorders, memory disorders) and neurorehabilitation within these programs: BRAIN (Neural Recording and Modulation), BRAIN (Therapeutic Human Neuroscience), NINDS (Translational Neural Devices), Blueprint MedTech
Keywords: Deep Brain Stimulation, Neuromodulation, Neuroimaging, Therapeutic and Diagnostic Medical Devices
Sarah Robinson Schwartz, Ph.D. is the Program Director for Translational Neural Devices (TND), Division of Translational Research (DTR), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Prior to joining TND, Dr. Robinson Schwartz was a 2020-2021 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at NINDS working with the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Dr. Robinson Schwartz later accepted a position as a Heath Program Specialist within the Translational Devices team, during which time she has been recognized for her innovative approach to program analysis evaluating opportunities and gaps within the Parkinson’s disease therapeutics pipeline and co-leading several workshops including a BRAIN Workshop on Patient Recruitment in DBS Clinical Trials and an NINDS workshop on Advances in Therapeutics Development for Parkinson’s Disease.
Dr. Robinson Schwartz received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California San Francisco where she studied dopaminergic modulation and its dysfunction in psychiatric disease. She holds a master's degree in chemistry from Brandeis University where she studied pattern formation in coupled reaction-diffusion systems. Beyond the bench, Dr. Robinson Schwartz has been actively involved in science education, outreach, and mentorship, having served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania teaching secondary school math & science, creating hands-on science exhibits for the San Francisco Exploratorium, tutoring and mentoring undergraduate & graduate students, as well as designing new curriculum for and teaching at Sailing into Science - a hands-on science and boating program in Oakland, CA.