Christian Agudelo, MD

Education Director, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute
Assistant Professor Clinical Neurology
Department of Neurology
Miller School of Medicine

Email: cxa427@med.miami.edu  

University of Miami
1120 NW 14th Street, Suite 1371
Miami, Fl 33136

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.