Symposium Speaker: Farren Briggs, PhD, ScM

Farren Briggs is Assistant Professor in the Department Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH.  Farren received his PhD in Epidemiology with an area of specialization in genetic epidemiology at the University of California Berkeley.  Farren's academic training focused on characterizing the influence of genetic and non-genetic (primarily modifiable) factors on susceptibility and disease manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS), and his current research interests span understanding the etiology and pathology of MS from the micro- to the macro-level.  Farren recently won the Best Platform in MS Research at the 2018 Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Annual Meeting for his work on obesity and its impact on MS clinical expression.  As PI of the Neuroimmunological Disorders Gene-Environment (NDGE) Epidemiology Lab, Farren also conducts research in other neurological and autoimmune diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease, stroke, neuromyelitis optica, and transverse myelitis.  Beyond research, Farren is interested and active in community engagement; promoting diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); and advocacy.  He is a frequent contributor to the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis newsletter, scientific speaker to promote STEM training among underrepresented groups, and a guest on podcasts such as RealTalk MS.

Recent Publications

  1. Hirano, M, Galarza-Muñoz, G, Nagasawa, C, Schott, G, Wang, L, Antonia, AL, Jain, V, Yu, X, Widen, SG, Briggs, FBS et al.. The RNA helicase DDX39B activates FOXP3 RNA splicing to control T regulatory cell fate. Elife 2023; 12 : . PubMed PMID:37261960 PubMed Central PMC10234631.
  2. Alshehri, E, Cohen, JA, Ontaneda, D, Nakamura, K, Husak, S, Love, TE, Fox, RJ, Briggs, FB, Conway, DS. The impact of cigarette smoking on cognitive processing speed and brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler 2023; : 13524585231172490. PubMed PMID:37204214 .
  3. D'Alessio, A, Atwell, MS, Koroukian, S, Bailey, C, Briggs, FBS. Experiences of Adversity and Validity of Baseline Concussion Testing. J Athl Train 2023; : . PubMed PMID:36827602 .
  4. Lavin, P, Buck, G, Almeida, OP, Su, CL, Eyler, LT, Dols, A, Blumberg, HP, Forester, BP, Forlenza, OV, Gildengers, A et al.. Clinical correlates of late-onset versus early-onset bipolar disorder in a global sample of older adults. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2022; 37 (12): . PubMed PMID:36317317 .
  5. Briggs, FBS, Sarna, K, Yala, J, Escoffery, C, Fraser, RT, Janevic, MR, Jobst, BC, Johnson, EK, Kiriakopoulos, ET, Rentsch, J et al.. Premature discontinuation among individuals with epilepsy participating in epilepsy self-management research interventions. Epilepsy Res 2022; 187 : 107034. PubMed PMID:36272309 .
  6. Tyszka, EE, Bozinov, N, Briggs, FBS. Characterizing Relationships Between Cognitive, Mental, and Physical Health and Physical Activity Levels in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis. Int J MS Care 2022; 24 (5): 242-249. PubMed PMID:36090238 PubMed Central PMC9461722.
  7. Gunzler, DD, Gunzler, SA, Briggs, FBS. Heterogeneous pain trajectories in persons with Parkinson's disease. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2022; 102 : 42-50. PubMed PMID:35933822 .
  8. Forlenza, OV, Hajek, T, Almeida, OP, Beunders, AJM, Blumberg, HP, Briggs, FBS, De-Paula, VJR, Dols, A, Eyler, LT, Forester, BP et al.. Demographic and clinical characteristics of lithium-treated older adults with bipolar disorder. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2022; 146 (5): 442-455. PubMed PMID:35837985 PubMed Central PMC9588573.
  9. Conway, DS, Briggs, FB, Mowry, EM, Fitzgerald, KC, Hersh, CM. Racial disparities in hypertension management among multiple sclerosis patients. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2022; 64 : 103972. PubMed PMID:35728435 PubMed Central PMC9308758.
  10. Chen, P, Eyler, LT, Gildengers, A, Beunders, AJ, Blumberg, HP, Briggs, FB, Dols, A, Rej, S, Forlenza, OV, Jimenez, E et al.. Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Antipsychotic Drug-Treated Older Adults with Bipolar Disorder from the Global Aging & Geriatric Experiments in Bipolar Disorder Database (GAGE-BD). Psychopharmacol Bull 2022; 52 (2): 8-33. PubMed PMID:35721813 PubMed Central PMC9172555.
Search PubMed

The Briggs Lab Website

Curriculum vitae