ADHD Across the Lifespan: Neurobiology, Diagnosis, and Lived Experience

Shelley Carson is a Lecturer in Extension at Harvard Extension School, as well as a member of the University's Mind, Brain, and Behavior faculty initiative. She received her PhD in experimental psychopathology from Harvard in 2001. She has taught courses in abnormal psychology, developmental psychopathology, emotions, psychological resilience, habits and habit change, brain health, and creativity research. She has also served as the faculty sponsor for Harvard's student mental health organization. Carson's research interests have focused on the interface between creativity, psychopathology, and resilience. Her work in this area has been published in national and international scientific journals. Her research has also been featured on CNN, the Discovery Channel, the BBC, and NPR. Carson was part of a team funded by the US Department of Defense to develop a web-based intervention for post-traumatic stress symptoms for service members returning from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. She is the author of the award-winning book Your Creative Brain and co-author of Almost Depressed. She has received the Petra T. Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award, as well as other teaching awards at Harvard.

Dr. Alison Warren is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in the departments of Clinical Research and Leadership, Integrative Medicine, and the Institute for Brain Health and Dementia. Her background includes traditional Chinese medicine, integrative and lifestyle medicine, nutrition, neuroscience, and psychology. She is currently pursuing her second doctoral degree in translational health science. She is board certified by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and Metabolic Medical Institute, and National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Warren's research explores the intersections of mind-body medicine, stress physiology, neurodegeneration, and chronic illness. Her work focuses on how chronic stress and stigma influence brain health and care access, particularly in individuals with mental health conditions and cognitive impairment. She is especially interested in how provider attitudes, public health messaging, and systemic barriers shape diagnostic experiences and treatment equity, as well as lifestyle interventions for disease prevention and treatment. Her scholarship integrates biopsychosocial paradigms, aiming to translate interdisciplinary knowledge into practical interventions. Warren is the author of several peer-reviewed publications and book chapters involving brain health, the microbiome gut-brain axis, psychosocial and person-centered care in persons with dementia and caregivers, as well as stigma. Warren is also a committed educator and advocate, currently developing educational strategies to reduce stigma among primary care providers. Her work bridges neuroscience, implementation science, psychology, and medicine to promote more equitable, person-centered approaches to medical care and mental health.