James E. Galvin, MD, MPH

James E. Galvin, M.D., M.P.H. is a  Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is the Founding Director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health, Director and Principal Investigator of the Lewy Body Dementia Research Center of Excellence, and Chief of Cognitive Neurology for Palm Beach and Broward County leading brain health and neurodegenerative disease research and clinical programs. Dr. Galvin has authored over 300 scientific publications and 3 textbooks on healthy brain aging, cognitive health, Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body dementia, and related disorders. Dr. Galvin has received over $100 Million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health, Alzheimer’s Association, Michael J Fox Foundation, American Federation for Aging Research, Lewy Body Dementia Association, Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, Missouri, New York, and Florida Departments of Health, and numerous Private and Family Foundations.

 

The major focus of Dr. Galvin’s clinical and research career has been to improve the clinical care and quality of life for all older adults from diverse backgrounds and their family caregivers who are dealing with neurodegenerative disorders in order to initiate early intervention, alleviate psychosocial burden on the patient and family, reduce the impact of race, language, culture, and class on the delivery of health services, and improve health outcomes. His current research program focuses on four themes: (1) Developing and validating new clinical assessment scales to improve detection of cognitive impairment in multicultural community samples to improve health outcomes; (2) Studying the interaction between race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and multiple chronic conditions on the risk of cognitive impairment; (3) Characterizing the clinical, cognitive, behavioral, and biomarker features of neurodegenerative disorders; and (4) Creating novel precision-medicine based interventions based on individual phenotypic, biomarker, and genomic profiles aimed at ADRD risk reduction and dementia prevention.

Sang H. Lee

Sang Lee has been a member of Dr. Noam Alperin’s MR research group for more than 20 years by participating in many important projects including implementation of the pulsatility based method for segmentation (PUBS) of lumen conducting non steady flow. He helped to develop MR based method for measurements of intracranial compliance and pressure, and he has built experiences and knowledge in hydro- and hemo-dynamics of the cranio-spinal system. Currently, Sang Lee is a member of the Advanced Image Processing Lab (AIPL) and Physiologic Imaging and Modeling Lab (PIML) in the Department of Radiology, University of Miami. Sang Lee is proficient with brain segmentation/parcellation software packages such as FreeSurfer, FMRIB Software Library and ASHS (Automatic Segmentation of Hippocampal Subfields).

Noam Alperin, PhD

Noam Alperin came to the University of Miami in May 2009 from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He obtained his Graduate Degree from the University of Chicago’s Medical Physics program. Dr. Alperin’s research focuses on blood and CSF flow dynamics using flow sensitive MRI techniques. A primary aim of the research is to provide noninvasively, important physiologic parameters among which are cerebral blood perfusion and intracranial pressure. These parameters play impotent role in a wide range of neurological problems, including hydrocephalous and stroke. Since joining the University of Miami, Dr. Alperin’ Advance Image Processing laboratory is working closely with the Evelyn F. McKnight Center for Age Related Memory Loss, using different MRI modalities to characterize and quantify morphologic and physiologic changes in the brain associated with aging as well as the coupling between age related brain tissue volume loss and cerebral blood flow decrease.

Scott Brown, PhD

Scott C. Brown, Ph.D. is an environmental health scientist and Research Associate Professor in the UM Miller School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences, with a secondary appointment in the School of Architecture. He is Project Director of the UM Built Environment, Behavior and Health Research Group, and for 16 years, has led cross-sectoral, cross-disciplinary federally-funded research studies (NIH, HUD, CDC) to understand those built (physical) environmental policies and strategies that promote health for the most vulnerable residents (i.e., older adults; children; the poor), particularly those at risk for physical inactivity, social isolation, age-related cognitive decline, and behavioral health problems. He is Principal Investigator (PI) on a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evidence for Action (RWJF E4A) grant examining health impacts of greening (tree-planting) initiatives on cardiovascular health in low-income Miami neighborhoods, and is PI on an Ed & Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Research Grant from the State of Florida evaluating impacts of greenness and greening initiatives on Alzheimer’s disease incidence, and is PI on a UM Sylvester Cancer Center Pilot Grant investigating greenness’ relationship to cancer. As PI on a US HUD grant, he published the first studies to link block-level greenness (vegetative presence such as tree canopy) to lower risk of chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes; cardiovascular disease; Alzheimer’s disease), using “big data” on ~250k Medicare beneficiaries.
He is Co-Leader of one of 11 inaugural teams selected by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Design+Health Research Consortium. Previously, he completed postdoctoral fellowships in cognitive aging and behavioral health at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research and Division of Rheumatology. The overarching goal of his research is to inform policies pertaining to the built environment to enhance health across the lifespan, in the most underserved populations and communities.

Antoni Barrientos, PhD

Dr. Barrientos is interested in the basic processes underlying the biogenesis of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) and how they bear on human neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders and during the aging process. We use yeast and mammalian cell culture models for our research
Three of the research lines in the lab involve:
1- We intend to delineate the assembly process of the enzymes composing the MRC, with special emphasis in cytochrome c oxidase (COX). COX deficiency is the most frequent cause of mitochondrial neuromyopathies in humans and has been shown to decline with age.
2- We are interested in the creation of yeast and neuronal models of age-related human neurodegenerative disorders (including Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease). This will help us study the alterations in mitochondrial physiology that could be essential for the pathogenic mechanism of such disorders.
3- We have created novel yeast models of chronological aging that are being used to explore the role of mitochondrial function in the aging-disease relationship. The results obtained are being validated in mammalian neuronal aging models.

Joyce Gomes-Osman, P.T., Ph.D.

Joyce is a physical therapist, health coach and neuroscientist. After completing her physical therapy degree in her native country of Brazil, she obtained her Ph.D. at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. As a rehabilitation neuroscientist, Dr. Gomes-Osman is driven to answer questions that can impact people’s ability to live more functional and independent lives. Before joining Linus, Dr. Gomes-Osman worked as an Assistant Professor at the Departments of Physical Therapy and Neurology at University of Miami, dividing her time between teaching neurophysiology, and carrying out studies to disentangle the complex relationships between physical exercise, brain health and postural control in older adults and individuals with various neurological conditions. An important focus of Dr. Gomes-Osman’s work is focused on better understanding how we can optimize lifestyle interventions to promote better brain health for individuals who are aging. This interest in brain health has stemmed both from scientific curiosity, and from experiencing the reality behind the statistics, witnessing memory deficits as a family member. She is deeply committed to characterizing the “active ingredients” of physical exercise as it pertains to maintaining mental sharpness in aging adults. Joyce is very excited to join Linus and work to achieve her long-term goal of delineating individualized exercise and lifestyle programs to promote better brain health in aging. Her work has been featured in many media outlets including The Boston Globe, The Times, CBS News, Medscape, Healthline, and was featured in the Time Magazine article “Here’s How Much Exercise You Need to Keep Your Brain Healthy.” On her free time, Joyce enjoys spending time with her 2.5 year old son Danilo, her husband Brian and their golden doodle puppy Samba. She is passionate about cooking and growing tropical plants, including exotic orchids from all over the world.

David Loewenstein, PhD, ABPP/CN

Dr. David Loewenstein is the Director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences for the University of Miami School of Medicine. He is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and Director of the Division of Neuropsychology. Previously, Dr. Loewenstein served as Director of Neuropsychology Laboratories and Research at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, FL and Chief of Psychology for Jackson Memorial Hospital. He has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health at the University of Miami for more than 25 years and has brought in over 21 million dollars in Federal and State grants. His work is regularly published in top scientific journals and is considered cutting-edge. Dr. Loewenstein’s laboratory has a long history in the development of innovative cognitive and neuropsychological instruments and examining their relationship with biomarkers of brain health (amyloid and tau PET scans and CSF, MRI, fMRI). Dr. Loewenstein developed the first scale for the direct assessment of functional capacity in Alzheimer’s disease which has been translated into numerous languages. Most recently, Dr. Loewenstein and associates developed the Loewenstein and Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L), a cognitive stress test to address the concern that current neuropsychological measures may not capture the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s disease. The LASSI-L is a sensitive marker of the early manifestations of AD and has been increasingly adapted by other laboratories.

Susan Halloran Blanton, PhD

Dr. Blanton received her PhD in Human Genetics from Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia. She obtained post-doctoral training in Biostatistics (University of Pittsburgh) and Population Oncology (Fox Chase Cancer Center). Her primary research has focused on the mapping of genes for Mendelian and complex diseases; she has been instrumental in studies identifying over twenty genes/loci for Mendelian disorders. Stroke and the underlying genetics of its risk factors, deafness, retinal diseases, skeletal dysplasias, cleft lip/palate, and clubfoot are among the diseases which she currently studies. She collaborates with Drs. Sacco, Wright and Rundek to identify genetic factors influencing white matter and cognition and their relation to ageing. In addition, she has been involved in developing and implementing genetic education materials for Federal and appellate level judges and science writers in an ELSI sponsored project. Dr. Blanton is the Executive Director of the Hussman Institute for Human Genomics as well as the Associate Director of Communications and Compliance. She is an Associate Professor in the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics.
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Elizabeth Crocco, MD

Dr. Elizabeth Crocco received her MD from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. She then completed her residency training in general psychiatry at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. She specializes in geriatric psychiatry, and completed her fellowship at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Dr. Crocco is currently the Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Miller School of Medicine. As the Medical Director of the University of Miami Memory Disorder Clinic, within the University of Miami’s Center on Aging she oversees the coordination of clinical services at the MDC. As a clinical scientist she also participates in research on caregiving and the development of measures to diagnosis MCI and PRE-MCI. She also serves as the geriatric psychiatry training director at Jackson Memorial Hospital and facilitates the primary training and supervision of all geriatric psychiatry fellows, psychiatry residents, medical students and other physicians/health care professionals.

Sonya S. Kaur, PhD

Dr. Kaur was born and raised in Singapore. She moved to the United States to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.  She completed her internship in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in neuropsychology at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She currently serves as an Instructor in the Division of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

She conducts neuropsychological assessments for a range of neurological and psychiatric populations including but not limited to pre-and post-neurosurgery evaluations, cardiovascular disease and stroke, epilepsy, autoimmune conditions, movement disorders and dementias. She is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and is interested in applying therapeutic techniques to treat poor sleep in a range of neurological conditions.

Dr. Kaur’s research focuses on mechanistic pathways that mediate cognitive impairment in aging. She has a special interest in examining the impact of lifestyle interventions (e.g. exercise, sleep) on markers of disease progression in a variety of neurodegenerative processes.