REC Faculty
We selected faculty who bring interdisciplinary (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologist, geriatricians, epidemiologists, statisticians) expertise in behavioral health (intervention development, clinical trials, implementation science), ADRD, community engaged research and social determinants of health/health equity.
Margarita Alegria, PhD
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.
Steve Arnold, MD
Mentor
Dr. Arnold is Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School 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 a co-investigator in the Biomarker Core of the MADRC.
Stephen Bartels, MD, MS
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.
Deborah Blacker, MD, ScD
Liaison between the MADRC REC and the Mass-ENVISION 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.
Bradford Dickerson, MD
Mentor
Dr. Dickerson is Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Tom Rickles Chair in Progressive Aphasia Research, Leader of the Neuroimaging Core of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and Director of the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit at MGH. Dr. Dickerson runs a multidisciplinary team of 30 clinicians and 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, with extensive funding from the National Institutes of Health. 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 caregivers addresses important tertiary prevention interventions.
Karen Emmons, PhD
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.
Brent Forester, MD, MSc
Mentor
Dr. Forester is the Dr. Frances S. Arkin Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine, Chief and Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Tufts Medical Center, Director of Behavioral Health, Tufts Medicine. 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. Dr. Forester is also past president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) and is a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. His work to reduce behavioral symptoms in dementia and support caregivers spans tertiary and primary prevention respectively.
Teresa Gomez-Isla, MD, PhD
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.
Bettina Hoeppner, PhD
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. She provides expertise in digital health.
Jonathan Jackson, PhD
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 provides mentorship on community engagement and access.
Felipe Jain, MD
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.
Jin Hui Joo, MD, MA
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.
Ruth Lopez, PhD, GNP-BC
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.
Ryan Mace, PhD
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.
Natalia Morone, MD
Mentor
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, postdocs junior faculty). Mentees have gone on to receive federal grant funding, publications in peer-reviewed journals, and local and national presentations.
Olivia Okereke, MD, MS
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 largescale 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.
Julie Price, PhD
Mentor, Liaison between REC and CDI mentoring and training resources
Dr. Price is Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. 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.
Christine Ritchie, MD, MSPH
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.
Altaaf Saadi, MD
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 across diverse populations, with a particular focus on asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants.
Karen Sepucha, PhD
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.