Isabella Ferando, M.D, Ph.D.

Isabella Ferando, M.D., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is a cognitive neurologist, epileptologist and neuroscientist, whose research focuses on neuronal network dynamics, particularly how interneuronal dysfunction affects memory and cognition. Her work emphasizes the development of noninvasive tools that help predict cognitive vulnerability in the aging population through quantitative EEG analysis. Additionally, her research focuses on investigating how dysregulation of neuronal excitability in key brain areas such as the hippocampus, predisposes to the development of dementia and epilepsy.

Dr. Ferando received her M.D. from the University of Bologna, Italy, her Ph.D. in Neurophysiology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed her Neurology residency and Epilepsy fellowship at the University of Miami.

Yusen Wu, PhD

Dr. Wu is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and also serves as Associate Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, where he teaches Data Security and Privacy. Prior to these appointments, he was an Assistant Scientist at the Frost Institute of Data Science and Computing (IDSC). Dr. Wu earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science. He also holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where his dissertation explored building scalable and trusted distributed systems. His current research focuses on the intersection of AI/ML, healthcare, and secure distributed systems.
In the Department of Neurology, Dr. Wu focuses on developing advanced AI solutions, such as multimodal models and Large Language Models (LLMs), for the early diagnosis and personalized prediction of neurodegenerative disorders in Parkinson’s disease. His approach integrates multimodal data, including neuroimaging, clinical data, and wearable or non-contact sensor datasets. Dr. Wu is dedicated to advancing precision neurology by closely integrating computational intelligence with clinical practice. He aims to build reliable AI frameworks capable of identifying subtle early signs of disease progression in neurodegenerative disorders. He has served as a Lead Investigator and Developer for multiple high-impact projects funded by federal agencies, including work on digital twins, data/model drift, and blockchain for NASA, NSF, DHS, and the FDA.

Teddy Salan, PhD

Dr. Salan is a research assistant professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Miami. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Memphis, focusing on MRI imaging and image processing, and then joined the University of Miami as a postdoc under the mentorship of Dr. Varan Govind in Radiology.

His research interests focus on the development of novel brain MRI processing and analysis techniques, for evaluating the neurophysiological processes that underlie various pathologies, infections, and other conditions on the brain, such as aging, HIV infection, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. Dr. Salan is also involved in studies that use advanced MRI techniques to investigate the impact of various interventions and treatment options on brain metabolism and morphology. He is currently leading a research project funded by the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, that evaluates the impact of two behavioral and biological interventions for reducing alcohol consumption and improving cognition and brain functioning in an aging population with high-risk alcohol use.

Deirdre O’Shea, PhD

Deirdre O’Shea, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Department of Neurology at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. O’Shea earned her Ph.D. in Clinical and Health Psychology (neuropsychology track) from the University of Florida.  She is a licensed psychologist in Florida (PY11880), with her primary expertise in neuropsychological evaluations of adults. She completed her pre-doctoral clinical psychology internship training at Alpert Brown Medical School where she remained for a two-year clinical neuropsychological fellowship. While at Brown, she also served as the Aging and Dementia Research Fellow in the Department of Neurology (Memory Disorders clinic). She completed her M.S. in Neuropsychology at the University of Edinburgh and undergraduate education in Sociology and Psychology at University College Cork, Ireland where she is a citizen.

Broadly, Dr. O’Shea’s research investigates risk and resilience factors that contribute to variability in cognitive aging and predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Dr. O’Shea is currently working on developing novel DNA methylation (DNAm) biomarkers for predicting ADRD risk. These epigenetic markers offer a quantifiable metric of the interplay between genetic and environmental factors over the life course. She is the Principle Investigator of a study titled ‘’Developing a DNAm Biomarker for Cognitive Aging: Addressing Disparities and Promoting Community Engagement’’ which is supported by a  two-year career development award sponsored by the Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute/ National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NIH: 1K12TR004555). Using these DNAm biomarkers, Dr. O’Shea’s research aims to more precisely characterize the relative influence of factors that either bolster cognitive resilience or amplify vulnerability which may lead to enhanced early detection, risk assessment, and personalized interventions for cognitive decline and dementia.

Dr. O’Shea is also a Topic Editor on Epigenetics and Lifestyle in Brain Aging for the journal ‘Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience’ and has served as a reviewer for several leading journals in her field including ‘Neurobiology of Aging’, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring and Neuropsychology Review. In recognition of her significant research contributions to her field she was granted United States permanent residency status via the National Interest Waiver program in 2022 to allow her to continue her research in the US indefinitely.

A comprehensive list of Dr. O’Shea’s peer-reviewed publications can be found here:

David A. Davis, PhD, DABT

Dr. Davis received his PhD in Pathology from Boston University School of Medicine and completed his post doctorate training in brain aging at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology located at the University of Southern California.

Dr. Davis has devoted his scientific career to exploring the association between environmental exposures and their potential roles in accelerating dementia and movement disorders. His current research focuses on investigating connections between toxins produced by harmful algal blooms, heavy metals, and nanoplastics with pathological changes observed in Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

He is board certified by the American Board of Toxicology, a member of the American Association of Neuropathologists, the American Association of Bioanalysts Board of Registry, the Society of Toxicology Southeastern Chapter, and the International Society of Neurotoxicology.

His work on cyanobacterial toxins has led to publication in Proceedings of the Royal Society, has been featured in several film documentaries, and reported in nationwide news outlets such as CNN, FOX, Miami Herald, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The London Economic, and the Washington Post.

Michael J. Kleiman, PhD

Dr. Kleiman is a Researcher and Data Scientist at CCBH. He received his PhD in Experimental Psychology from Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Kleiman’s area of focus is on the intersection between neurology, cognitive psychology, and data science. He has developed tools and machine learning models that use neurobehavioral markers as well as health records, cognitive exam scores, and neuroimaging data for assessing current impairment and predicting future risk of impairment. He was awarded a grant from the Florida Department of Health to develop his novel methodology.

Lilah M. Besser, PhD, MSPH

Dr. Besser’s current research program centers on the intersections between neighborhood built and social environments, healthy aging, and brain health. She is the Principal Investigator on two grant-funded projects on “Longitudinal associations between neighborhood greenspace and brain aging in cognitively normal older adults” (NIH/NIA K01-AG063895) and “Neighborhood segregation and longitudinal change in brain health measures” (AARG-21-850963). In addition, Dr. Besser serves as co-chair on the Social/Structural Determinants of Health Working groups for the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and for the Diversity and Disparities Professional Interest Area for the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART). The ultimate goal of Dr. Besser’s research is to provide evidence to planners, architects, urban designers, policy makers, and public health professionals (among other disciplines) on the neighborhood and community factors that can help maintain cognitive function into older ages, reduce ADRD risk, and allow for healthy aging in place. Abstracts of Dr. Besser’s published articles can be found HERE.

Magdalena Ioana Tolea, PhD

Dr. Magdalena Tolea received her Doctorate in Gerontology, Master of Science in Epidemiology, and Master of Arts in Sociology from University of Maryland. Following her doctoral training, Dr. Tolea completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Epidemiology of Aging at the National Institute on Aging where she developed a research interest in physical functional aging with a focus on psychosocial determinants of physical dysfunction in older adults. As research assistant professor of Neurology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine (UMMSOM), her research focuses on the intersect between physical dysfunction and cognitive impairment, more specifically on sarcopenia and its role as a potential predictor of cognitive decline and dementia in later life. She also serves as the Associate Director for Research at the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health in the Department of Neurology at the UMMSOM.

Dr. Tolea’s research is supported by funding from the 1FL ADRC (AlzSTARS Program) to investigate contributions of sarcopenia to cognitive decline and dementia in preclinical multicultural populations and the Florida Department of Health to develop community and primary care provider dementia educational interventions in underserved areas. Dr. Tolea’s long-term research goal is to develop lifestyle interventions to reduce risk of dementia by addressing modifiable functionality-related risk factors including sarcopenia, sarcopenic-obesity, and frailty and to identify best approaches to mitigation of racial, ethnic, and rural disparities in dementia screening, diagnosis, and care.

Oliver Bracko, PhD

Dr. Bracko was born in Germany and studied at the University of Tübingen. He received his Ph.D. from the ETH Zürich in Switzerland and did his postdoc at Cornell University under the mentorship of Chris Schaffer. His previous research was focused on adult neuronal stem cells and the impact of stroke on cognitive function.

The lab’s research focuses on brain blood flow reductions and their contribution to dementia. Our previous study has shown that immune cells block the smallest blood vessels of the brain, the capillaries, and these obstructions are increased in Alzheimer’s models. These capillary obstructions are likely caused by inflammation within the vessels and changes in the blood-brain barrier. Both phenomena are shown to be associated with patients with dementia.

The lab uses high-temporal and high-resolution in vivo multi-photon imaging to understand the immune system’s interactions with the microvasculature in neurodegenerative diseases.

Joseph F. Signorile, Ph.D.

Dr Signorile is a Professor of Exercise Physiology in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences and Director of the Laboratory of Neuromuscular Research and Active Aging. He has been a pioneer in applying the diagnosis/prescription model for tailored exercise to improve function and reduce falls in older persons and continue to work on new technologies for improving independence. Within the context of prescriptive exercise, his laboratory was one of the first to use power training to address physical declines in older persons and individuals with Parkinson’s disease. He has also developed several assessment tools to quantify the physical progression of aging, and most recently the assessment of executive function, through the development of a walking executive function test called the WRIT. His latest work has concentrated on examining the impact of circuit training and modified yoga programming on cardiovascular performance and cognition. He is currently collaborating with researchers from the McKnight Foundation, Department of Neurology and Department of Ophthalmology in establishing the viability of retinal scans to assess changes in cognition using through exercise training. Dr Signorile released my definitive book on aging exercise prescription entitled Bending the Aging Curve in 2011, which has been translated into Cantonese, Korean and Italian.