Dr. Anil Shanker is an immunologist and a Professor of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience and Pharmacology at Meharry Medical College. Dr. Shanker’s research interests focus on the information processing and signal transduction circuitry underlying lymphocyte crosstalk during neuropathological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease.  

Dr. Shanker completed a master’s degree in cell biology at University of Delhi and a doctoral degree in tumor immunology at Banaras Hindu University. Dr. Shanker completed a postdoctoral fellowship in tumor immunology at Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy and a postdoctoral fellowship in tumor immunotherapy at the National Cancer Institute. He joined the Meharry Medical College faculty in 2010. 

Dr. Matthew S. Schrag is a board-certified vascular neurologist and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Schrag has clinical expertise in the overlap between vascular and cognitive neurological diseases and sees patients in the Stroke Division of the Department of Neurology. Dr. Schrag’s research interests focus on how cerebral amyloid angiopathy contributes to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, he is interested in mapping the cerebral microvasculature to understand morphological changes in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Schrag is a collaborator with the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project, an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and a member of the training faculty for the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Training Program in Alzheimer’s Disease (T32).

Dr. Schrag completed medical school and his doctoral degree in biochemistry at Loma Linda University, a neurology residency and research fellowship at Yale University, and a vascular neurology fellowship at Vanderbilt University. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2016.

Dr. Jerri M. Rook is a behavioral and systems neuropharmacologist and an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology. Dr. Rook’s research interests focus on understanding the in vivo effects of G protein-coupled receptors in the regulation of brain function and behavior to identify novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, she has worked on the M₁ positive allosteric modulators drug discovery program for an Alzheimer’s candidate drug that is currently in clinical trials. Dr. Rook is an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

Dr. Rook completed her doctoral degree in pharmacology at University of Kansas Medical Center and a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacology at Vanderbilt University. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2012. 

Dr. Wellington Pham is a medicinal chemist and a Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Pham’s research interests focus on the development of probes, therapeutic agents, and delivery molecules for application in Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, he has developed integrated combinatorial methods to identify novel amyloid beta binding molecules for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Pham is an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and is a member of the training faculty for the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Training Program in Alzheimer’s Disease (T32). 

Dr. Pham completed his doctoral degree in medicinal chemistry at University of Toledo, a postdoctoral fellowship in positron emission tomography chemistry at University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, and a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular imagining at Harvard Medical School. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2006.

Dr. Laura M. Keohane is a health services researcher and an Assistant Professor of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Keohane’s research interests focus on achieving better health outcomes and affordable services for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Her research also includes the evaluation of dementia and neurocognitive tests among workers with alpha-particle dose to brain tissue.  

Dr. Keohane completed a master’s degree in health policy and management at Harvard School of Public Health and a doctoral degree in health services research at Brown University. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2015.  

Dr. Carrie K. Jones is a neuropharmacologist and an Associate Professor of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Jones’s research interests focus on the in vivo effects of metabotropic glutamate receptor and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor ligands in the regulation of brain function and behavior. Her research also includes the development of selective M₁ positive allosteric modulators for the treatment of age-related impairment in cognition and sleep architecture observed in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Jones is an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.  

Dr. Jones completed her doctoral degree in medical neurobiology at Indiana University School of Medicine, a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacology at Lilly Research Laboratories, and a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2007. 

Dr. Daniel E. Gustavson is a cognitive psychologist and an Instructor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Gustavson’s research interests focus on cognitive changes across the lifespan, including genetic and environmental associations with mental health and self-regulation. Specifically, he studies cognition using longitudinal twin studies, with a strong focus on cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Gustavson is a collaborator of the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project. 

Dr. Gustavson completed his doctoral degree in cognitive psychology at University of Colorado Boulder and a postdoctoral fellowship at University of California. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2020.  

Dr. Alexander C. Conley is a cognitive neuroscientist and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Conley’s research interests focus on treatment discoveries to reverse cognitive and memory problems that develop following trauma and neurodegeneration. In particular, he has studied the development and implementation of a novel cholinergic agent for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, and has contributed to clinical trials for mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and geriatric depression.  

Dr. Conley completed his doctoral degree in psychology at University of Newcastle and a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuroscience at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2019.

Dr. Bruce D. Carter is a biological chemist and a Professor of Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Carter’s research interests focus on the molecular mechanisms of neurotrophin signaling. Specifically, he studies the signaling mechanisms regulating neuronal survival, as abnormal apoptosis is the basis for many neuropathologies including Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Carter is a member of the training faculty for the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Training Program in Alzheimer’s Disease (T32). 

Dr. Carter completed his doctoral degree in biological chemistry at University of Michigan and postdoctoral fellowships at Max Planck Institute and Cornell University Medical School. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1997.

Dr. Ricardo F. Capone is a biological chemist and an Instructor of Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Capone’s research interests focus on the C99 fragment of amyloid precursor protein and giant plasma membrane vesicles. He has studied gamma-secretase enzyme kinetics and its modulation by amyloid beta proteins.  

Dr. Capone completed his doctoral degree in biological chemistry at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and postdoctoral fellowships at Hebrew University and University of Michigan. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2017.