KSU names director of Brain Health Research Institute

KENT, Ohio (AP) — Kent State University has named a new director for its newly created Brain Health Research Institute.

Kent State President Beverly Warren announced the appointment of endocrinologist Michael Lehman on Monday. The Akron Beacon Journal reports Lehman will take over from interim co-directors Ernie Freeman and John Gunstad and will be paid $359,000 a year in his new position.

Warren says the college was interested in finding someone who could speak across academic disciplines, saying “we needed a leader that wasn’t concerned about traditional thinking and loves the pursuit of illuminating outcomes.”

Warren says the institute is focused on looking at the brain “holistically” and extending the healthy life of a brain.