Seema S. Aggarwal
PhD, RN, AGNP-C
Assistant Professor
Department of Undergraduate Studies
Seema Aggarwal, PhD, RN, AGNP-C, is a PARTNERS Research Scholar and an adult and gerontologic nurse practitioner with practice experience in acquired brain injuries including stroke and mild traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Aggarwal was a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholar in the second (2013) cohort of UTHealth Houston’s philanthropically supported Accelerated PhD program. Receiving her doctoral degree in May 2016, her dissertation was “Clinical and Demographic Variables Associated with Cognitive Deficits, Symptom Severity, and Duration after Concussive Injury in Adolescents: A Retrospective Study.” She is faculty with the UTHealth Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease and leads their Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) research group, an interprofessional collaborative group comprised of cognitive researchers and professionals across the Texas Medical Center including from TIRR Memorial Hermann, the University of Houston, UTHealth Houston’s Brain and Behavioral Clinic, UTHealth Houston Department of Neurology, and UTHealth Houston’s School of Biomedical Informatics, School of Public Health, Cizik School of Nursing, and the McGovern Medical School.
Education
Cizik School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas
Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing
May 2016
Cizik School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas
Master of Science in Nursing – Adult – Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
December 2012
Texas Woman’s University, Houston, Texas
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
May 2007
-Cum Laude
Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ
Bachelor of Science in Biology
May 1998
-Cum Laude
Clinical/Research Focus
Dr. Aggarwal’s research interest focuses on impaired cognition and short- and long-term recovery in patients who have experienced acquired brain injuries including stroke and mild traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Aggarwal’s current stroke research includes studies that examine vascular predictors of cognitive decline and dementia such as MarkVCID, Determinants of Incident Stroke Cognitive Outcomes and Vascular Effects on RecoverY (DISCOVERY), Cameron County Hispanic Cohort study in collaboration with the UTHealth School of Public Health at Brownsville, Texas, and the Clinical Outcome and Patient Factors in Patient’s outcomes admitted to inpatient rehabilitation facility (COPOR) study. Her current concussion research examines gender differences in concussion recovery by using diffusion tensor imaging and biomarkers. She is currently developing research that uses gaming and virtual reality technology for remote cognitive rehabilitation in patients with acquired brain injuries.
