ADRC - Key Persons

Adam Paulsen

ap..@medicine.wisc.edu

Job Titles:

Researcher - Okonkwo Lab

ADNI Engagement Core

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ADNI Engagement Core Project Manager

ADNI Scholars

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ADNI Scholars Project Manager

Adrienne Johnson, PhD, is an assistant professor (tenure track) in the Department of Medicine division of General Internal Medicine and the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI). Johnson is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in health psychology and the treatment of individuals with neurological disorders. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and then worked for two years at UW-CTRI as a health counselor helping individuals quit smoking. Using skills she learned while working as a health counselor, Johnson went on to obtain her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Cincinnati, with a focus in health psychology. She completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Postdoctoral Fellowship in Women's Health at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital. She was awarded the 2021 ADRC Developmental Project to develop a motivational message for older adult African American Smokers to Quit Smoking as a means to prevent dementia onset. Research Interests Dr. Johnson's research focuses on reducing the negative impacts of smoking and better understanding the role of smoking on brain health, particularly Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. She was awarded a K23 Career Development Award from the National Institute on Aging as well as a Developmental Grant from the University of Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center to support her research. This funding will help Johnson develop two motivational interventions for smoking cessation in older adults consisting of: (1) a novel patient-informed motivational message promoting smoking cessation, and (2) clear access routes to evidence based smoking cessation treatments.

Alexia Spevacek

Job Titles:

Student Podcast Editor

Alexia Spevacek is a junior at UW-Madison studying Journalism with certificates in Photography, Gender & Women's Studies and Graphic Design. In the future, she hopes to be doing something creative.

Alfred Eiji S Braceros

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Clinical Research Coordinator

Alicia Weich

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Division of Geriatrics Administrative Specialist

Allison Randall

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Clinical Research Coordinator

Alyssa Pandos

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Assistant Program Manager - Okonkwo Lab

Amanda Peterson

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Clinical Research Coordinator II

Amber Niay

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HABS - HD Fellowship Project Manager

Amy JH Kind

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Care Research Core Leader, Research Education Component Co - Leader

Amy Lambright Murphy

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Communications Specialist

Andrea Gilmore-Bykovskyi

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Care Research Core Co - Leader

Andrew Alexander

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Investigator
Professor

Education BS, University of Maine, ME MS, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ PhD, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ Andrew Alexander, PhD, is a professor in the departments of psychiatry and medical physics. Research Interests Dr. Alexander's research is focused on the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for mapping and measuring the functional and structural organization of the human brain. These techniques are being used to investigate the brain in both typically developing individuals and subjects with developmental disorders including autism.

Anne Fischer

af..@medicine.wisc.edu

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Nurse Practitioner

Annik Dupaty

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Outreach Program Coordinator

Art Walaszek

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Outreach, Recruitment & Engagement Core Co - Leader

Asha Coy

ac..@wisc.edu

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Research Intern - Okonkwo Lab

Barbara B. Bendlin

Job Titles:

Leader of the Research
Research Education Component Leader

Barbara B. Bendlin is leader of the Research Education Component in the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and director of the UW-Madison Neuroscience & Public Policy Program. Research Interests Dr. Bendlin's lab studies aging and Alzheimer's disease. She is interested in understanding the interplay of factors that contribute to healthy or pathological brain aging, in particular, the effect of factors that contribute to or protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Beckie Jeffers

bj..@medicine.wisc.edu

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Biospecimen Lab Manager

Ben Young

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Research Scheduling Coordinator

Benjamin Farral

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Senior Clinical Research Project Coordinator

Bill Bevis

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Database Administrator II

Bonnie Nuttkinson

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Research Program Coordinator

Brad Christian

bc..@wisc.edu

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Investigator
Professor in the Departments of Medical Physics

Education BS, Physics, St. John's University MS, Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison PhD, Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison Professional Activities Brad Christian, PhD, is professor in the departments of Medical Physics and Psychiatry. Research Interests Dr. Christian's research focuses on developing and translating novel PET methods for the study of neurodevelopment and neuropsychiatric illness. This involves using PET methodologies to investigate neurochemical changes in the brain and studying novel radioligands to characterize neurotransmitter-protein interactions and how they are influenced by development, genes, environment and drugs. These imaging methods are being applied to investigate the etiologies and mechanisms in diseases such as Down syndrome, affective disorders, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and Tourette syndrome.

Bri Breidenbach

bb..@wisc.edu

Job Titles:

Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Associate - Okonkwo Lab

Caoilfhinn Rauwerdink

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Dementia Matters Program Specialist

Cara Omernik

co..@medicine.wisc.edu

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Nurse Practitioner

Carey Gleason

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Researcher
Inclusion of under - Represented Groups Core Leader

Carey Gleason is a researcher and clinician, interested in improving timely identification of and intervention for memory disorders in underserved communities. Ultimately, she seeks to identify targets to modify risk for Alzheimer's disease in African Americans and Native Americans, groups traditionally under-represented in research. She serves as leader of the Inclusion of Under-Represented Groups Core at the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and is principal or co-investigator on numerous research projects examining modifiable risk factors, including cardiovascular disease, emotional health, and social context.

Carol Hermann

ch..@medicine.wisc.edu

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Administrative Manager

Carola Ferrer Simo

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Community Data Collection Project Coordinator

Carrie Trojanczyk

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AMICA Project Coordinator

Cassandra Thomas

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AMICA Community Researcher

Catherine L. Gallagher

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Investigator

Cecilia Cárdenas

cc..@medicine.wisc.edu

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Clinical Research Study Coordinator

Christian Pompa

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Neuroimaging Data Specialist

Colleen Mellert

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Compliance Monitor

Courtney Hannegan

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AD Research Nurse Practitioner

Craig S. Atwood

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Investigator
Professor

Dr. Atwood is a professor in the UW Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology and a Health Science Specialist at the Madison VA GRECC. He is Leader of the Molecular Sciences and Biomarker Service of the Wisconsin ADRC. He has held faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School, Case Western Reserve University, and UW-Madison. Dr. Atwood is a widely-acknowledged authority regarding the neuroendocrinology of aging and Alzheimer's disease. The research in his laboratory is based on a novel theory of aging (Reproductive-Cell Cycle Theory of Aging) that links reproductive hormone signaling to cell cycle dynamics that regulate our growth and development early in life, our reproductive function during adult life, and our senescent phenotype in late adult life. In essence, the theory explains why and how we age at the molecular, physiological and evolutionary levels. The current focus of research in his laboratory relates to the development and clinical testing of drugs and biologics for restoring hormone balance so as to halt the aging process, and mitigate the development of a range of age-related diseases. He has published several seminal papers concerning the pathobiology of aging and AD, and has received substantial research funding from the NIH, the VA, the Alzheimer's Association, and the pharmaceutical industry. He has published over 200 scientific articles, is an inventor on eight issued U.S. patents, is a top cited author (h-index = 49), has served on numerous review boards, and is an editor of more than 50 scientific journals.

Cynthia Carlson

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Nurse Practitioner

Cynthia Carlsson

Job Titles:

Clinical Core Leader
Geriatrician

Dr. Carlsson is a geriatrician at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, where she treats veterans with dementia and memory issues. She is the Clinical Core leader in the Wisconsin ADRC. She also serves as director of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute.

Dan King

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Veteran Recruitment Coordinator

Daniel Abubakar

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Clinical Research Coordinator

Denise Ealy

de..@medicine.wisc.edu

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Neuroimaging Scheduler

Dorothy Farrar-Edwards

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Outreach, Recruitment & Engagement Core Leader
Professor

Dr. Farrar-Edwards is a professor in the School of Education with appointments in the departments of Medicine and Neurology at the School of Medicine and Public Health. She leads the Outreach, Recruitment & Engagement Core and is co-leader for the Inclusion of Under-Represented Groups Core at the Wisconsin ADRC. She serves as director of the Collaborative Center for Health Equity (CCHE) with the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.