Prof. Noam Harel
 | Professor, Radiology/CMRR, MnDRIVE Neuromodulation Researcher Ph.D. 2000 - University of Toronto, Department of Physiology, Collaborative Program in Neuroscience M.Sc. 1996 - University of Toronto, Department of Physiology B.Sc. 1993 - Tel- Aviv University (Israel), Biology |
Dr. Harel is a Professor in the departments of Radiology and Neurosurgery, at the University of Minnesota. After receiving his B.Sc. in biology from Tel Aviv University, Israel, Dr. Harel moved to the University of Toronto, Canada, where he received his MSc (1996) and PhD (2000) in Physiology and Neuroscience for mapping auditory areas using optical imaging technique. For his post doctoral training, Dr. Harel moved to the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota where his research focused on the development of methods for high-resolution MRI and functional MRI (fMRI) applications using high magnetic fields (7T & 9.4T). In particular, Dr. Harel developed fMRI capabilities for mapping columnar and laminar organization in cerebral cortex both in human and animal models.
Dr. Harel leads the team at the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) that are developing tools to visualize the anatomical structures of the the basal ganglia using a powerful (7 Tesla) MRI machine. These unique new imaging methods provide a precise map of the brain's targets areas, the different nuclei and their anatomical connections, that are critically important for the success of deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment.
Dr. Rémi Patriat
 | Assistant Professor Ph.D 2015 - University of Wisconsin, Department of Medical Physics - Neuroscience & Biostatistics minor M.Sc. 2012 - University of Wisconsin, Department of Medical Physics B.A. 2010 - University of Minnesota, Morris - Physics & Film Studies |
Dr. Patriat is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Minnesota. After receiving a B.A. in Physics and Film Studies (2010) from the University of Minnesota Morris, Dr. Patriat earned a M.S (2012) and a PhD (2015) in Medical Physics from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Patriat joined the Harel Lab in 2015 as a Postdoctoral Researcher to work on ultra-high field (e.g. 7T) MRI research and its application towards the creation of patient-specific anatomy models in order to improve DBS targeting using anatomical images as well as functional and anatomical connectivity data.
Research Interests
- Use of ultra-high field MRI technology to improve neuromodulation applications such as Deep Brain Stimulation surgery
- Studying brain disorders, including movement disorders, using high-resolution resting-state functional MRI and diffusion imaging
- Patient-specific brain modeling using ultra-high field MRI technology and high-resolution images
- Translational research focusing on neuroimaging methods and neuroscience
- Visualization and characterization of brain anatomy and connectivity networks
Dr. Henry Braun
 | Researcher Ph.D 2016 - Arizona State University, Electrical Engineering M.Sc. 2012 - Arizona State University, Electrical Engineering B.S. 2010 - Arizona State University, Electrical Engineering |
Dr. Henry Braun is a researcher in the department of Radiology at the University of Minnesota. He received his BS (2010), MS (2012), and PhD (2016) in electrical engineering from Arizona State University, where his research focused on fault detection, image and video processing, compressed sensing, and inverse problems. More specifically, he developed methods for exploiting inter-frame correlations in reconstruction of compressed sensing infrared aerial video. A CMRR member since 2017, Dr. Braun joined the Harel group in 2019, where he develops and maintains data processing pipelines and acquires and processes high-field MRI imaging data.
Tara Palnitkar
 | Researcher M.Sc. 2019 - University of Minnesota, 2019, Major: Mathematics B.A. 2016 - Bowdoin College, 2016, Major: Mathematics, Minor: Physics |
Tara Palnitkar is a researcher with the department of Neurology working with the Harel Lab at the CMRR. She received a B.A. in Math from Bowdoin College (2016) and then moved to Minnesota where she earned an M.S. in Math from the University of Minnesota (2019).
After graduation, she joined the Harel Lab as a researcher and data analyst. She is now involved in every stage of the team’s research, from operating the 7T scanner to processing parcellation data.
Sarah Bedell
 | Clinical Research Professional B.S. 2007 - Minnesota State University, Moorhead, Health Services Administration |
Ms. Sarah Bedell is a Clinical Research Professionals with over 14 years’ experience in the academic setting. With formal education in Health Administration and Management, she became a certified clinical research associate through the SOCRA organization in 2010. With this training and experience, she has been able to cultivate an extensive knowledge in the area of regulations and management of study logistics. She joined her colleagues in the Harel Lab in 2016.
Jayashree Chandrasekaran
 | Researcher M.S. 2019 - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Biomedical Engineering B.Tech. 2014 – SRM University, India, Biomedical Engineering |
Jayashree Chandrasekaran is a researcher in the department of Radiology at CMRR, University of Minnesota. She received her B.Tech (2014) from SRM University, India and M.S. (2019) in Biomedical Engineering from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. After graduation, she joined CMRR as an imaging data analyst for multi-center clinical readiness trial for spinocerebellar ataxia. At the Harel lab, she works on the high-field (7T) MRI data acquisition and analysis for deep brain stimulation.
Karianne Sretavan Wong
 | Doctoral Student B.S. 2018 - University of Rochester, Neuroscience |
Karianne is a Ph.D. student in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota (UMN). After receiving her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester (2018), she joined Dr. Darin Dougherty’s lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, which sparked her interest in combining neuroimaging and neuromodulation to elucidate the neurobiological basis of psychiatric conditions. Currently co-advised by Drs. Noam Harel and Matt Johnson, Karianne continues to pursue her interest in studying psychiatric disorders through diffusion tractography and computational modeling to elucidate the neural mechanism of ventral capsule/ventral striatum deep brain stimulation as a therapy for intractable obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Sam Brenny
 | Researcher B.S. 2017 - University of Wisconsin, Madison, Biomedical Engineering |
Sam Brenny attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated with a degree in Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in medical imaging. While attending Madison he worked for SynchoPET, a medical imaging company that developed PET scan inserts compatible with existing 3T MRI machines, and worked in conjunction with the Wisconsin Institute for Medical Research to provide co-registration of MRI data to filter the PET signal in the brain.
Before joining CMRR, he worked as a clinical scientist for Abbott Laboratories Structural Heart division. His main role was to provide research data, pre-clinical documentation, and IDE clinical study submissions for clinical studies related to mitral valve intervention. In addition, he provided image processing tools for assessment of anatomical suitability and pre-procedural planning of transcatheter valve interventions.
Past Members
Graduate Level
Oren Solomon
Yuval Duchin
Jinyoung Kim
Jacob Niederer
Merve Tan
Cyrus Eierud
Birgit Plantinga
Iman Aganj
Undergraduate Students
Karen Nakamura
Talia Sachs
Jordan Kaplan
Shai Chazin
Max Sandler
Yasmeen Almog
Noam Shabat
Ariel Shaver
Kyle Davis
Grace Wallace-Jackson
Oren Rosenberg
Jena Velji-Ibrahim
Shai Chazin
Matan Appelbaum