Christian Agudelo, MD

Dr. Christian Agudelo grew up in Miami, Florida. He received a bachelors degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University. He completed medical school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Funded by a NIMH R25 research fellowship, he studied the psychophysiology in Parkinson’s Disease in medical school. Funded by a NIMH T23 research fellowship, he investigated neuroimaging markers of late-life cognitive and mood disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed residency training in neurology and a fellowship in sleep medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine / Jackson Memorial Hospital. Upon completion of clinical training, he continued as a clinical instructor and the Evelyn F. McKnight Neurocognitive Scholar at the University of Miami, as he developed a research focus investigating the relationship between sleep and cognitive decline. His research currently aims to (1) identify features of sleep physiology associated with cognitive decline, and to (2) identify sleep-related markers of preclinical cognitive decline. He emphasizes working with historically understudied Black and Latino populations both in South Florida and throughout the United States. As sleep can be manipulated pharmacologically, surgically, and behaviorally, he ultimately intends to clinically optimize sleep to mitigate cognitive aging and dementia.

As the Co-Director of Education for the McKnight Brain Institute, Dr. Agudelo develops programs to train residents in cognitive neurology and promote the careers of trainees interested in research. He also works with various community organizations to educate the public about sleep and cognitive health by giving talks throughout South Florida. Dr. Agudelo is a member of professional and scientific organizations dedicated to clinical practice, research, and service, including the American Academy of Neurology and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Xiaoyan Sun, MD, PhD

Dr. Sun started her medical career as a neurologist in China. She obtained her Ph.D. in neuroscience in Japan. She completed her neurology residency training at the Medical University of South Carolina in the United States. She completed a cognitive and behavioral neurology fellowship at the VA Boston Healthcare System in the United States. Her research activities have been primarily focused on Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Her earlier work includes characterization of biochemical properties of tau protein in the axonal transport and roles of amyloid protein in Alzheimer’s disease. She is one of the earliest researchers to establish quantitative amyloid ELISA in the field. Her long-term efforts are dedicated to identifying biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, she is working on the role of CSF synaptic proteins in cognitive function. She has been invited to be a reviewer for multiple journals on Alzheimer’s research. Dr. Sun provides clinical care to patients with cognitive disorders at the Memory disorder clinic of the University of Miami. She is also involved in educational programs for medical students, neurology residents, and is the Education Director for the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Miami. She is a co-director of the brain endowment bank in University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Save [/av_textblock]