Before donning a lab coat at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, Ryan Shahidehpour, PhD, was lacing up boxing gloves and facing off in competitive lacrosse matches. With more than 250 fights under his belt, Shahidehpour built a reputation for discipline, focus and resilience—qualities that now serve him just as well at the lab bench as they once did in the ring.
What’s most surprising about his years of high-impact athletics is what didn’t happen. “After so many years in contact sports, especially boxing, it seemed odd that I never had a diagnosed concussion,” Shahidehpour said. That anomaly sparked a question that became a calling: Why do some people seem more resilient to brain injury than others?
That curiosity led Shahidehpour to the world of neuroscience, where he now investigates neurodegenerative diseases with the same tenacity he once brought to sports. Today, as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Peter Nelson, MD, PhD, Shahidehpour is exploring the cellular underpinnings of a form of dementia called Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, or LATE.
His path into science wasn’t traditional. Shahidehpour first pursued degrees in rehabilitation psychology and mental health counseling, with plans for a career in clinical psychology. But a course on the clinical impact of neurological disease changed everything.
“The professor, Dr. Changiz Geula, spoke about the brain with such passion and clarity that it completely captivated me,” he said. That course led to hands-on research at Northwestern University’s Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, where he worked his way up from volunteer to lab manager.
At UK, Shahidehpour earned his doctorate in neuroscience under the mentorship of Adam Bachstetter, PhD, studying how microglia—immune cells in the brain—contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Now, with support from a prestigious TRIAD T32 training grant, he’s focused on how the TDP-43 protein behaves across different diseases.
“Even small distinctions in pathology can dramatically improve diagnostic clarity,” he said. “One recent finding in the lab showed a subtle difference in how TDP-43 presents across diseases, and that kind of detail can shape how we understand and eventually treat these conditions.”
Shahidehpour says the lessons learned in athletics—discipline, perseverance, mental toughness—are woven into how he approaches research.
“In boxing, toughness isn’t about avoiding pain — it’s about pushing through and surviving the round. Science can feel the same way,” he said. “You stay consistent, trust the process, and believe the work will get you somewhere worthwhile.”
What keeps him going is a combination of curiosity and purpose. “Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions of people and their families. Even small advances in our understanding can make a real difference,” he said. “That’s what makes this work feel meaningful.”
But it’s not just the science that drives him. It’s also the people.
“What’s surprised me most about working at Sanders-Brown is how personal the work feels,” Shahidehpour said. “The entire center is deeply connected to the lives of the patients and families we serve. That commitment shows in every part of the culture here.”
Now looking back on his unorthodox journey, Shahidehpour says what he’s most proud of is simply sticking with it.
“There were moments when walking away would have been easier,” he said. “But I kept showing up, putting in the work, and trusting the process. That mindset — just refusing to quit — has been the most important part of my journey.”
From the ring to the research lab, Shahidehpour continues to fight — this time for answers, for patients, and for a future where neurodegenerative diseases are better understood, diagnosed, and ultimately treated.