Core Co-Lead, MGH Contact PI

Dr. Vranceanu is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the development, testing and implementation of behavioral interventions for patients, informal care partners and dyads. She has extensive expertise with interdisciplinary in-person, remote and app based behavioral health in ADRD (2 R01s, 1 R21 and 1 foundation grant); community-engaged research and health disparities (1 R61/R33; 1 R21/R33), and the conduct of multi-site remote clinical trials (2 R01s). She has a strong commitment to training and mentoring in ADRD and health disparities. She has a K24 aimed at supporting mentoring in behavioral health and health disparities and developed and runs a remote “K club” that includes 17 mentees from MGH and from resource-poor areas. Since its inception in 2020, the K club has led to 6 funded K23s (3 from UiM investigators; 2 in ADRD), 1 Diversity Supplement to support a UiM candidate, 5 pending K23s, and 4 Ks in preparation.

Dr. Vranceanu founded and runs the CHOIR in the MGH Psychiatry Department, including the “Lifespan Health” clinical psychology and postdoctoral fellowship tracks of the larger MGH Clinical Psychology Internship (2 Lifespan interns/year, at least one UiM intern). Dr. Vranceanu is the director of the Palliative Care Clinical Trials Intensive (ADRD in 2021; SoDH in 2022), as well as director of Evaluation for a NIA-funded R25 focused on ADRD palliative care clinical trials. She also founded and runs a mentoring group for junior women in behavioral health, and a peer support group for mid-career women at MGH. Her commitment to mentoring has been recognized with 5 mentoring awards including the 2021 MGH Mentoring Award for Excellence in Research. Dr. Vranceanu has developed and led workshops in qualitative methods, intervention development and implementation science nationally and internationally.

She has extensive expertise with the NIH Stage Model, NIH Health Disparities Framework and CDC prevention model. Dr. Vranceanu has close collaborations with the REC faculty listed below, including Overall PI Dr. Okereke. Dr. Vranceanu is Associate Professor at HMS (promotion to Professor in progress) and also Elizabeth Gambles Endowed Chair Co-Director of MassGeneral Neurosciences (MGN), an interdisciplinary collaborative at MGH. As part of her role at MGN, she supports DEI (diversity, equity & inclusion) initiatives, and builds community across relevant disciplines.

Core Co-Lead, BUMC Sub-PI

Dr. O’Connor is a board-certified neuropsychologist with clinical and research expertise in neurodegenerative disorders. She is an Assistant Professor at BU, Department of Neurology, and has been a member of the BU-ADRC faculty for the past 19 years. At the BU-ADRC she has served as the Associate Director of the Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement (ORE) Core and, currently, as Director of the REC at the BU-ADRC, helping to train future AD/ADRD researchers. She has also served as the Director of Neuropsychology at the Bedford VA for 19 years. Her clinical work at the VA has centered around the creation and oversight of the VA Memory Disorders Clinic, evaluating and treating older veterans and providing support to their families. She serves as the Director of Neuropsychology Training at the Bedford VA for the APA-approved neuropsychology specialty training program, which she established over 15 years ago, and she currently leads all aspects of that educational program for students at the postdoctoral, internship, and residency levels of training, which includes responsibility for residents’ clinical and research activities. Her research focuses on behavioral interventions for persons with ADRD and caregivers.

Other Significant Contributor and Mentor

Dr. Alegria is the Chief of the Disparities Research Unit at MGH and The Mongan Institute, the Harry G. Lehnert, Jr. and Lucille F. Cyr Lehnert Endowed MGH Research Institute Chair, and Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry at HMS. Her research is focused on improvement in health care services delivery for diverse racial and ethnic populations, conceptual and methodological issues with multicultural populations and ways to bring the community’s perspective into the design and implementation of health services. Dr. Alegria has mentored over 60 pre- and postdoctoral trainees and faculty members. She has been recognized by the Steve Banks Award for Mentoring and the Excellence in Mentoring award by the National Hispanic Science Network. Dr. Alegria’s research spans primary and secondary prevention by harnessing community engaged research to improve mental health and prevent among minority elders.

Mentor

Dr. Arnold is a Professor of Neurology at HMS and director of the Translational Neurology for the Integrated Brain Center for Clinical Translational Research at MGH. His research is focused on the neurobiology of behavior in aging, health and disease and translating this into better diagnostic and treatments for neurocognitive disorders, and in particular ADRD. He is PI of the Biomarker Core of the MADRC.

Co-Investigator and Mentor

Dr. Bartels is the inaugural James J. and Jean H. Mongan Chair in Health Policy and Community Health in the Department of Medicine, Professor of Medicine at MGH and HMS, and Director of the Mongan Institute at MGH. His research is focused on health disparities, health care management, aging and geriatrics, integration of mental health and primary care, self-management, automated telehealth and mobile technology, evidence-based models of care for complex conditions, and implementation science. Dr. Bartels has mentored > 50 investigators. He is a past president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry and founding chair of the Geriatric Mental Health Foundation. Dr. Bartels is past Chair for the National Institute of Health Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (DIRH) Study Section spanning 20 NIH institutes. Much of Dr. Bartels’ work focuses on secondary and tertiary prevention by developing and implementing effective integrated models of care for older persons with mental health conditions.

Liaison with the MADRC REC

Dr. Blacker is the Deputy Chair and a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and a Professor of Psychiatry at MGH and HMS. She has mentored > 55 investigators. She also serves as Co-Lead of the REC and Clinical Cores for the MADRC, and leader of the Analytic Core for the Harvard Aging Brain Study. She has served on the DSM-5 Neurocognitive Disorders Workgroup and the American Psychiatric Association’s Workgroup to Revise the Practice Guideline for Dementia. Dr. Blacker’s research addresses primary (using CDC model) and indicated and targeted prevention (using NAM) issues related to ADRD by focusing much of her work on the assessment for, diagnosis, phenomenology, and early recognition of cognitive disorders.

Mentor

Dr. Dickerson is Professor of Neurology at HMS and Tom Rickles Chair in Progressive Aphasia Research, Leader of the Neuroimaging Core of MADRC, and Director of the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit at MGH. Dr. Dickerson runs a multidisciplinary team of 30 scientists using advanced brain imaging and behavioral methods to study how memory, language, emotion, and social behaviors change in normal aging and in patients with neurodegenerative disease. His team also studies new approaches to caregiving. He has mentored over 75 pre- and postdoctoral trainees and faculty and was recognized as the 2021 MGH Xandra Breakfield Research Mentor of the Year. In partnership with Dr. Vranceanu, his work to improve quality of life for those with early-onset dementia and frontotemporal dementia along with their care-partners addresses important tertiary prevention interventions.

Mentor

Dr. Forester is the chief of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at McClean Hospital, where he leads the Geriatric Psychiatry Research Program and Geriatric Mood Disorders Research Program. He also serves as medical director for Dementia Care and Behavioral & Mental Health Population Health Management at Mass General Brigham (MGB). Dr. Forester’s research focuses on novel treatment methods for managing behavioral symptoms of dementia, such as agitation and aggression. Dr. Forester has mentored over 75 early career investigators and has received the Psychopharmacology Teaching Award and Cynthia N. Kettyle Award for Teaching, Mentorship, and Leadership in Psychiatric Education. His work to reduce behavioral symptoms in dementia and support care-partners spans tertiary and primary prevention respectively.

Liaison with the Data core and Mentor

Dr. Hoeppner is an experimental psychologist and biostatistician at MGH and Associate Professor at HMS. She has broad expertise in digital health interventions for health behaviors in hospital and community settings through community engaged research and clinical trials. She has mentored over 30 trainees, with half being UiMs.

Mentor

Dr. Jackson is a neuroscientist, Assistant Professor at HMS, director of the Community Access, Recruitment, and Engagement Research Center at MGH, and co-leader of the BU-ADRC REC. He has extensive expertise with recruitment/retention of Black, Latino and other minority adults in the community, with specific emphasis on ADRD. He will provide mentorship on community engagement and access.

Co-Investigator and Mentor

Dr. Jain is a geriatric psychiatrist, Director of Healthy Aging at MGH, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at HMS. He specializes in the development of digital health solutions for aging adults as well as for caregivers of persons with dementia, as well as culturally tailoring digital health solutions to Spanish-speaking individuals.

Mentor

Dr. Emmons is a Professor of Social and Behavioral Science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is a behavioral scientist who has mentored over 50 scientists, with research focused on community-based and interdisciplinary approaches to lifestyle prevention in under-resourced populations. She developed the Community Engaged Course within the Harvard Catalyst.

Mentor

Dr. Gomez-Isla is a neurologist, the Anne B. Young, MD, PhD, Endowed Chair in Neurodegenerative Disease, Assistant Director of the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Co-Director of MADRC Clinical Core, Director of the MGH Memory Division, and Associate Professor of Neurology at MGH and HMS. Her research focuses on the identification of vulnerability and resilience mechanisms of ADRD and the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Other Significant Contributor and Mentor

Dr. Joo is a physician in the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at MGH. She conducts health services research on depression and dementia care for underserved older adults to decrease their unmet needs, and on the meaning and use of religious coping among minority older adults, disparities of depression care in primary care, and use of paraprofessionals such as peer mentors and community health workers for vulnerable populations. Since her arrival at MGH in January 2022, she has been mentoring 2 PhD and MD junior faculty. Her study of a peer support intervention for depression among low-income and ethnic minority older adults gives her experience with tertiary prevention interventions.

Other Significant Contributor and Mentor

Dr. Lopez is Professor and Associate Dean of Research, Jacques Mohr Chair, and Director of the Office of Nursing Research and Scholarship in the School of Nursing at MGH Institute of Health Professions. Dr. Lopez’s research focuses on the needs of nursing home residents with advanced dementia and their family caregivers, nurses’ perceptions of end-of-life care in nursing homes, family caregivers’ perceptions of treatment decision making. Dr. Lopez has mentored >30 faculty members. She has received several awards including the Partners in Excellence Award for Outstanding Community Service. Dr. Lopez is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) and the Gerontological Society of America. Dr. Lopez’s work is in tertiary prevention in the setting of advanced dementia in long term care facilities.

Co-Investigator and Liaison with the Data Core

Dr. Mace is a clinical health psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychology at HMS and MGH’s CHOIR. He has a strong research background in geriatric mental health, statistics, and cognitive assessment for dementia. Dr. Mace has co-developed 6 patented mood and cognitive screening instruments as well as 2 patented evidence-based interventions for older adults with cognitive decline that are currently used in nursing homes and assisted living facilities nationwide. His current research focuses on developing behavioral interventions to prevent dementia aided by technology. He has mentored 6 doctoral interns and postdoctoral fellows on NIH-funded aging trials.

Dr. Morone is an internal medicine doctor and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Boston Medical Center. Her K24 is focused in providing mentoring in health disparities, community-engaged research and mind-body interventions. She has a strong track record of mentoring at all training levels (medical students, residents, fellows, post-docs junior faculty). Mentees have gone on to receive federal grant funding, publications in peer-reviewed journals, and local and national presentations.

Mentor

Dr. Okereke is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Epidemiology at HMS and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She also serves as Director of Geriatric Psychiatry and of the MGH Psychiatry Center for Racial Equity and Justice. Dr. Okereke’s research is focused on identifying modifiable risk factors in adverse mental aging, prevention of depression and cognitive decline in older adults, including design and implementation of large-scale clinical trials, community-engaged research, and racial and ethnic disparities in aging. Dr. Okereke has mentored 37 faculty members, psychiatry fellows and residents and teaches and mentors as part of 2 T32s and 2 R25s in Psychiatry. Dr. Okereke work has advanced the science on approaches to universal as well as selected (targeted) and indicated prevention, using the NAM model, of late-life depression and ADRD.

Mentor

Dr. Quiroz is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology at MGH/HMS. She is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and directs the Multicultural Assessment and Research Center (MARC). She is also Director of the Multicultural Alzheimer’s Prevention Program (MAPP) and the Familial Dementia Neuroimaging Lab, and the Multicultural Track of the Psychiatry Internship in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Quiroz's research focuses on the primary prevention of ADRD among individuals with genetic predisposition, with a particular focus on Latino individuals. Dr. Quiroz has mentored over 15 early career investigators.

Liaison between REC and CDI

Dr. Price is a Professor of Radiology at HMS. She has a T32 focused on multimodal research in ADRD and engages in mentoring on underrepresented in medicine trainees via the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) at MGH, where she serves as Co-Director of Research for UiMs faculty and fellows.

Co-Investigator, Liaison between the ADRD R25 educational activities and those proposed in Mass-ENVISION, and Mentor

Dr. Ritchie is a geriatrician and palliative care doctor with expertise in ADRD. She runs the Center for Aging and Serious Illness within the MGH Mongan Institute and Directs the Geriatric Palliative Care Research within the Department of Internal Medicine at MGH. She is MPI on an R25 ADRD on behavioral interventions for dementia and Co-Lead of the ORE Core of the MADRC.

Mentor

Dr. Sepucha is the director of the Health Decision Sciences Center in the General Medicine Division at MGH and an Associate Professor in Medicine at HMS. Her research and clinical interests involve developing and implementing tools and methods to improve the quality of significant medical decisions made by patients and clinicians. She has mentored over 37 pre- and postdoctoral trainees and faculty members. Her work spans secondary and tertiary prevention interventions in older adults.

Mentor

Dr. Saadi is a neurologist and director of the Neurodisparities and Health Justice Lab at MGH. Her work focuses on understanding and addressing inequities in neurological disorders, including ADRD, and associated psychiatric co-morbidities in diverse populations, with a particular focus on persons seeking asylum or refuge and immigrants.

Other Significant Contributor and Mentor

Dr. Mitchell is a geriatrician, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and senior scientist at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston. She is also an attending geriatrician at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Mitchell's research interests focus on decision-making, health outcomes, and resource utilization for older people near the end-of-life, particularly those with dementia.