Directors and Faculty

Directors

  • Jennifer J. Manly, PhD

    • Professor of Neuropsychology in Neurology in the Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University

    JENNIFER J. MANLY, PhD, is a Professor of Neuropsychology in Neurology in the Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University. She completed her graduate training in neuropsychology at the San Diego State University / University of California at San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, a clinical internship at Brown University, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University. Her research focuses on mechanisms of disparities in cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s Disease. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the Alzheimer’s Association. She has authored over 220 peer-reviewed publications and 10 chapters. She received Early Career Awards from both Division 40 of the American Psychological Association and from the National Academy of Neuropsychology, was the 2014 recipient of the Tony Wong Diversity Award for Outstanding Mentorship, is a Fellow of APA, and in 2020 was the recipient of the Paul Satz-International Neuropsychological Society Career Mentoring Award. She served on the US Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care and Services from 2011–2015 and is currently a member of the National Advisory Council on Aging.

    Dr. Jennifer Manly headshot
  • Adam M. Brickman, PhD

    • Professor of Neuropsychology in Neurology in the Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University

    ADAM M. BRICKMAN, PhD, is a Professor of Neuropsychology at Columbia University Department of Neurology, the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain and the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center.

    Dr. Brickman is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society and Neuropsychology Review. Dr. Brickman uses advanced neuroimaging techniques to understand cognitive aging and dementia. He is particularly interested in white matter abnormalities and the intersection between vascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

    Dr. Brickman completed his undergraduate training in neuroscience and psychology at Oberlin College, his doctoral work in neuropsychology at City University of New York, his clinical/research internship at Brown Medical School, and post-doctoral training in neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University.

    Dr. Adam Brickman Headshot

Faculty

  • Jeanne Teresi, EdD, PhD

    • Co-PI of the Analysis Core

    JEANNE TERESI, EdD, PhD, is the Co-PI of the Analysis Core. She is the Administrator and Director of the Research Division of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale and a senior research scientist at the Columbia University Stroud Center and Faculty of Medicine, at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Teresi has over 30 years of experience in medical and social research.

  • Mildred Ramirez, PhD

    • Co-PI of the Analysis Core

    MILDRED RAMIREZ, PhD, is the Co-PI of the Analysis Core. She is the Associate Director of the Research Division at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale. She is a community psychologist with a specialization in social gerontology. Dr. Ramirez is well-versed on measurement and methodological issues as they relate to health disparities and cross-cultural research. She has expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods applied in survey instrument development, and in applications of classical test theory methods of scale construction.

  • Rafael Lantigua, MD

    • Associate Director of the Admin Core

    RAFAEL LANTIGUA, MD, is the Associate Director of the Admin Core. He received his MD degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo in 1972. Dr. Lantigua completed his residency in internal medicine at Lincoln Hospital. He has been actively involved in research on issues that affect the quality of life in minority population. Since 1999, he has served as Deputy Director of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University. Dr. Lantigua has published more than 60 medical articles in peer-reviewed journals.

  • Vilas Menon, PhD

    • Admin Core

    VILAS MENON, PhD, is part of the Admin Core. He is an Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences (in Neurology). Dr. Menon obtained his PhD in Applied Mathematics from Northwestern University, where he worked on ion channel kinetics and synaptic integration in neurons using both modeling and experimental techniques. At Columbia, his lab investigates signatures of differential vulnerability and resistance at both the cell type and individual level in neurodegenerative diseases (including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s) and neuroimmune diseases (such as Multiple Sclerosis).

  • Priya Palta, PhD

    • Analysis Core

    PRIYA PALTA, PhD, is part of the Analysis Core. She is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine). Dr. Palta received her PhD and MHS in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and completed an NHLBI T32 postdoctoral fellowship in cardiovascular disease epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her current work focuses on the role of modifiable risk factors, such as physical activity, on cognition, physical function and quality of life metrics.

  • Maria Glymour, ScD, MS

    • Admin core

    Maria Glymour, ScD, MS is a Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. Dr. Glymour received both her Master of Science in Health and Social Behavior and her Doctorate of Science in Social Epidemiology from Harvard University. Currently, Dr. Glymour serves as the Director for the UCSF program in Epidemiology and Translational Science. Dr. Glymour’s research focuses on how social factors experienced across the lifecourse, from infancy to adulthood, influence cognitive function, dementia, stroke, and other health outcomes in old age. 

  • Lisa L. Barnes, PhD

    • Admin core

    Lisa L. Barnes, PhD, the Alla V. and Solomon Jesmer Professor of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, is a Cognitive Neuropsychologist in the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Her work is focused on the epidemiology of aging and racial differences in chronic diseases of aging. Dr. Barnes is internationally recognized for her contributions to minority aging and minority health. She has published extensively on cognitive aging in older African Americans, and has received numerous awards and honors for her work in minority communities. 

  • Sarah E. Tom, PhD, MPH

    • Analysis core

    Sarah Tom, MPH, PhD is an Assistant Professor in Epidemiology in Neurology at the Gertrude H Sergievsky Center at Columbia University.  Dr. Tom's primary area of research focuses on how social and health experiences from early life through older adulthood influence dementia and cognitive decline in older adults.  Dr. Tom received her Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Master of Public Health and PhD from the University of California, Berkely.