Dr. Adam L. Boxer is Endowed Professor in Memory and Aging in the Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He directs UCSF’s Neurosciences Clinical Research Unit and the Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) Clinical Trials Program at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. Dr. Boxer’s research is focused on developing new treatments and biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Boxer received his medical and doctorate degrees as part of the NIH-funded Medical Scientist Training Program at New York University Medical Center. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at California Pacific Medical Center, a residency in Neurology at Stanford University Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in behavioral neurology at UCSF.
He is the principal investigator (PI) of the Advancing Research and Treatment for FTLD (ARTFL) Rare Disease Clinical Research Consortium, a collaborative project funded by the National Institutes of Health to create an 18-center North American research network to support the development of new therapies for FTLD. He also leads the Four Repeat Tauopathy Neuroimaging Initiative (4RTNI), a multicenter, longitudinal tau PET and biomarker study focused on PSP and CBD. He has been the PI for a variety of multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials in FTLD spectrum disorders, including memantine for FTLD, davunetide for PSP, TPI-287 for primary and secondary tauopathies, and salsalate for PSP. In the past, he has led a variety of clinical trials in FTD and PSP, including a US multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of a therapeutic agent for frontotemporal dementia (memantine/Namenda®) and an international, phase 2/3, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the microtubule stabilizing agent, davunetide (NAP, Al-108), for PSP. He is lead principal investigator for an international Phase 2 clinical trial of the tau monoclonal antibody, BIIB092, for PSP. He also leads the FTD Treatment Study Group (FTSG), a group looking to speed the development of new therapies for FTD.
Dr. Desiree A. Byrd is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Pathology at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Trained as a clinician-scholar at the UCSD/SDSU Joint Doctoral Program in clinical psychology, she completed her predoctoral internship at Brown University and a postdoctoral fellowship in Cognition and Aging at Columbia University.
Since completing her training, she has maintained an active research program as a neuropsychologist. Her primary research interests are in the neuropathogenesis of HIV-associated cognitive dysfunction and the sources and consequences of culture-related differences in neuropsychological test performance among American ethnic groups. Her research on the functional correlates of neuropsychological impairment in diverse populations has been funded by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging.
Dr. Byrd has served on several committees for American Psychological Association Division 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology), National Academy of Neuropsychology and the Harlem Community Academic Partnership. She has served on several program committees for the International Neuropsychological Society and is on the editorial board of Assessment. She has published her research in numerous neuropsychological, psychiatric, and medical journals and looks forward to the limitless rewards of scientific discovery.
Dr. Gil Rabinovici is the Edward Fein and Pearl Landrith Endowed Professor in Memory & Aging. He received his B.S. degree from Stanford University and his M.D. from Northwestern University Medical School. He completed an internship in internal medicine at Stanford University, a neurology residency (and chief residency) at UCSF, and a behavioral neurology fellowship at the Memory and Aging Center (MAC).
Dr. Rabinovici participates in patient evaluations and management. On the research front, he leads the MAC PET imaging program, is the principal investigator of a cohort study of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and of Imaging Dementia: Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS), a U.S.-wide study sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to assess the clinical utility of amyloid PET in 18,500 Medicare beneficiaries. His work investigates how structural, functional, and molecular brain imaging techniques can be used to improve diagnostic accuracy in dementia and to study the biology of neurodegenerative diseases, with the goal of accelerating treatment development.
Dr. Rabinovici’s work is supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American College of Radiology, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Tau Consortium, the Association for Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, and industry partners. Awards recognizing his work include the 2015 Christopher Clark Award for Advancement of the Field of Amyloid Imaging, the 2012 American Academy of Neurology Research Award in Geriatric Neurology, and the 2010 Best Paper in Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging: New Investigator Award from the Alzheimer’s Association.
Dr. Mónica Rivera Mindt, a board-certified neuropsychologist, is Past-President of the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society and a tenured Professor of Psychology, Latinx Studies, and African & African American Studies at Fordham University with a joint appointment in Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her multidisciplinary, community-based research is funded by the NIH/National Institute of Aging (NIA) and Genentech.
Her work primarily focuses on the intersection between cultural neuroscience and health disparities in cognitive aging. Her current studies examine genetic, cerebrovascular, and sociocultural risk factors for cognitive impairment and dementia in Latinx, Black, and Indigenous adults, as well as ways to increase diverse representation in cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research.
She has authored 100+ peer-reviewed publications and book chapters dedicated to three lines of inquiry, including:
At the national level, Dr. Rivera Mindt is an Advisory Board Member of the Brown University Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center; a Member of the ARTFL LEFFTDS Longitudinal Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (ALLFTD) External Advisory Board; a Member of the Research Advisory Group, Recruitment Accelerator for Diversity in Aging Research, Cognitive Loss and Dementia; a Member of the University of Washington Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Advisory Board; a Member of the University of Texas Rio Grand Valley Resource Center for Minority Aging Research Advisory Board; a Member of the National Centralized Repository for ADRD (NCRAD) Executive Committee; and a Member of the Natives Engaged in Alzheimer’s Research (NEAR) Study Data Safety Monitoring Board. Locally, she serves as Treasurer for the Harlem Community & Academic Partnership (HCAP).
As a bilingual (Spanish/English), Afro-Latinx/Indigenous neuroscientist, she brings a unique perspective to her research and is the recipient of several awards for her research, teaching, and contributions to the field, including the 2019 Hispanic Health Leadership Award from the National Hispanic Medical Association. She is also a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 40, Society for Clinical Neuropsychology), the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and Hispanic Neuropsychological Society.
In her spare time, she enjoys surfing all over Latin America and the U.S. with her husband and two sons.
Jalayne J. Arias is an Associate Professor in Health Policy & Behavioral Sciences in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. Prof. Arias’ research focuses on the policy, legal, and ethical questions that arise in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, aging, and neurosciences.
Professor Arias is a multidisciplinary researcher and scholar leading studies at the intersection of science, health care, policy, and law. Her research portfolio addresses critical policy, social, legal, and ethical challenges for older adults and neurosciences. Her prior and ongoing studies have identified employment and insurance discrimination based on emerging techniques to identify risk for Alzheimer’s disease, evaluated genetic data-sharing guidelines in research, considered the relevance of return of research results for recruitment and enrollment, analyzed private payers’ coverage policies for genetic testing, examined challenges to financing long-term care, identified policy needs within the criminal justice system in managing and caring for older adults, and characterized financial and legal decision-making in young-onset dementias. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, including a K01 Career Development. She has also received funding through foundation grants and non-profits including the Alzheimer’s Association, the Marcus Family Foundation, the Hellman Family Foundation, and the Aging Research in Criminal Health Network.
Dr. Hilary Heuer is an oculomotor specialist in the Boxer Lab.
Dr. Annalise Rahman-Filipiak is a clinical neuropsychologist and assistant professor with the Department of Psychiatry – Neuropsychology Section at the University of Michigan Medical School and the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr. Rahman-Filipiak’s interests include culturally-informed behavioral interventions to communicate and reduce dementia risk.
Research Interests
Clinical Interests
Credentials
Dr. Scott Roberts’ research addresses ethical and psychosocial issues involved in disclosing genetic test information. He has studied participants’ motivations and interests in genetic testing, the psychological impact of providing risk disclosure, and health behavior changes prompted by risk assessment. His work in this area has addressed genetic testing in numerous contexts, including Alzheimer’s disease, hereditary cancer syndromes, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, and workplace wellness programs. Dr. Roberts also has interests in mental health and aging, including public education about brain health and the development of support programs to promote successful aging.
Dr. Adeyinka Ajayi is a medical and global public health professional with experience in health education, monitoring and evaluation of health interventions and health system strengthening through an equity-based approach. He is experienced in mental health problems, health management and strengthening access to healthcare for children, women, pregnant women, and vulnerable groups in the society. Dr. Ajayi is passionate about gender equality and community participation. Exposure to these diverse backgrounds has empowered him with a strong skill set for clinical research, writing, and international development leadership.
Dr. Eden Barragan received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UC Davis. Her doctoral work broadly focused on learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity. Now, as a member of the Boxer Lab, she is interested in facilitating more equitable and inclusive research of neurodegenerative disorders.
Researchers at the following locations are looking for volunteers to help them win the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. If you are interested in volunteering for other studies, please check the locations for opportunities near you:
