Dr. Richard M. Breyer is a biochemist and a Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Breyer’s research interests focus on the pharmacology and physiology of prostaglandins and prostaglandin receptors. Specifically, he is interested in determining the role of E-prostanoid receptors in disease states, including Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Breyer is an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. 

Dr. Breyer completed a master’s degree in biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a doctoral degree in biochemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and postdoctoral fellowships in pharmacology at Biologie Moléculaire des Récepteurs and Laboratoire d’Immuno-Pharmacologie Moléculaire. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1991.  

Dr. Jennifer ‘Piper’ E. Below is a geneticist and a Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Below’s research interests focus on the development of novel strategies for identifying and confirming genetic risk factors of complex traits such as Alzheimer’s disease. She is a member of the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project. Dr. Below is 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. Below completed her doctoral degree in human genetics at University of Chicago and a postdoctoral fellowship in genome sciences at University of Washington. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2017.  

Dr. Bennett A. Landman is a biomedical engineer and a Professor of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Landman’s research interests focus on medical image processing, including multi-atlas labeling and intra-voxel tissue modeling. Specifically, his work emphasizes optimizing acquisition and analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and defining community standards for multi-site DTI protocols for Alzheimer’s disease studies. Dr. Landman is an investigator with the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project, he is the Biomarker Core Co-Leader for the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and he is a member of the training faculty for the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Training Program in Alzheimer’s Disease (T32). 

Dr. Landman completed a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2009. 

Dr. Dandan Liu is a biostatistician and an Associate Professor of Biostatistics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Liu’s research interests focus on biomarker evaluation, event history data analysis with applications to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, she focuses on statistical method development for risk prediction modeling and its practical implementation in electronic health records system. Dr. Liu is the biostatistician for the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project, the Data Management & Statistics Core Leader for 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. Liu completed a master’s degree in statistics at University of Missouri, a doctoral degree in biostatistics at University of Michigan, and a postdoctoral fellowship in biostatistics at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2011. 

Dr. Consuelo H. Wilkins is a board-certified geriatrician, a Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Wilkins has clinical expertise in cognitive impairment, frailty, and depression and sees patients in the Division of Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Wilkins' research interests focus on developing and testing methods of patient and stakeholder engagement with an emphasis on populations often underrepresented in research, including African American older adults in Alzheimer’s disease research. Dr. Wilkins is an Associate Director for 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. Wilkins completed medical school at Howard University, an internal medicine residency at Duke University Medical Center, and a geriatric medicine fellowship at Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Dr. Wilkins also completed a master’s degree in clinical investigation at Washington University. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2012.  

Dr. Fiona E. Harrison is a behavioral neuroscientist and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Harrison’s research interests focus on using mouse models to understand how specific nutritional factors can impact the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, she has studied the ways in which vitamin C deficiency and a high fat diet can drive beta-amyloid accumulation in the brain. Dr. Harrison is the Research Education Component Leader with the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and is a preceptor for the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Training Program in Alzheimer’s Disease (T32).

Dr. Harrison completed her doctoral degree in behavioral neuroscience at University of Wales, a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacology at Vanderbilt University, and a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular biology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2008.

Dr. Nancy Cox is a quantitative human geneticist and the Mary Phillips Edmonds Gray Professor of Genetics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Cox’s research interests focus on large-scale integration of genomics with methods for the analysis of genome data on translational phenotypes and common diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Cox is a member of the Internal Advisory Committee and an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

Dr. Cox completed her doctoral degree in human genetics at Yale University, a postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric genetics at Washington University, and a postdoctoral fellowship in the genetics of diabetes at University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Cox joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2015. 

Dr. R. Ryan Darby is a board-certified behavioral neurologist and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Darby has clinical expertise in neurodegenerative diseases in older adults, including frontotemporal dementia. He is a clinician in the Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Division of the Department of Neurology where he evaluates and treats patients with memory disorders. Dr. Darby’s research interests focus on the neurobiological mechanisms leading to abnormal behaviors in dementia patients. Dr. Darby is 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. Darby completed medical school at Vanderbilt University and a neurology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Darby completed a behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry clinical fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and McLean Psychiatric Hospital, and a research fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard University. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2017.

Dr. Jeffrey Conn is a pharmacologist, a Professor of Pharmacology, and the Lee E. Limbird Chair in Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Conn’s research interests focus on the discovery of novel small molecule ligands for specific ion channels, receptors, and neurotransmitter transporters that can be used to probe pathways in the central nervous system and provide advances in developing novel treatments for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Conn is a member of the Internal Advisory Committee and an investigator in the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. He is also a member of the training faculty for the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Training Program in Alzheimer’s Disease (T32).

Dr. Conn completed his doctoral degree in pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and a postdoctoral fellowship in neurophysiology at Yale University. He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2003. 

Dr. Katherine Gifford is a clinical neuropsychologist and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Gifford has clinical expertise in evaluating older adults with memory concerns and sees patients in the Neuropsychology Clinic within the Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Division in the Department of Neurology. Dr. Gifford’s research interests focus on identifying neuropsychological and self-report markers that underlie the earliest manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Dr. Gifford is a study neuropsychologist for the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project, the Clinical Core Co-Leader for the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and a member of the training faculty for the Vanderbilt InterdisciplinaryTraining Program in Alzheimer’s Disease (T32).

Dr. Gifford completed her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Florida Institute of Technology and postdoctoral fellowships in neuropsychology at Boston University and Vanderbilt University. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2013.