Investigators
Louisa Thompson, PhD
Technology is all around us and is increasingly central to providing quality care for older adults. Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and early disease detection and diagnosis are critical for treatment access and support planning for patients and their families. As a neuropsychologist, I am particularly passionate about pushing the field to change our practices in ways that reduce barriers to cognitive assessment for older adults. Now more than ever, digital assessment tools have the potential to improve cognitive screening and monitoring for subtle cognitive decline by leveraging automation and advanced analytics. I seek to apply my expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive assessment technology to conduct research that can eventually lead to positive change for healthcare systems and patient health outcomes. My current work focuses on primary care as a high need setting for more widespread, rapid, and accurate cognitive screening. Innovative digital approaches (including the use of remote and online measures) are well-suited for this space, if they can be validated and demonstrate usability, acceptability, and utility for diverse older adult patient populations and primary care physicians. This is the proximal goal of my ongoing projects.
Alyssa De Vito, PhD
Alyssa De Vito, PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and is a neuropsychologist in the Butler Memory and Aging Program. Her research focuses on leveraging digital tools to detect subtle novel cognitive and functional markers in those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. My current work focuses on examining the acceptability, feasibility, and validity of remote monitoring technologies (e.g., sensors placed in the home environment, smartphones, and wearables) to detect ADRD.
Zach Kunicki, MS, MPH, PhD
Zachary Kunicki, PhD, MS, MPH is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and serves as the assistant director of the Quantitative Science Program. His research focuses on the factors that alter trajectories of cognitive aging, with particular interests in delirium, depression, and dementia. His background is mainly in quantitative methods, specializing in psychometrics and longitudinal data analysis.
Research Staff
Molly Lawrence, BS
graduation, Molly worked as an EMT in Boston before transitioning to
working as an elder abuse investigator. She then expanded on her
passion for working with and advocating for older adults as a
recruitment specialist in Alzheimer’s research at Mass General Hospital
for Harvard Aging Brain Study-affiliated studies. Molly has been at the Memory and Aging Program since September 2022 and was awarded Employee of the Quarter for Q3 in 2023.
Juan Pablo Cajiga
Juan Pablo is a Senior Research Assistant who is working with the DANDI lab on our studies available in Spanish. He also works closely with Memory and Aging Program Director Dr. Edward Huey. His primary focus lies in the intersection of neurodegeneration and psychiatric symptoms, specifically with the Neurodegeneration-Associated Psychiatric Symptoms (NAPS) and the Positive and Negative Valance Emotional Systems in Neurodegenerative Disease (PAVES) research studies. He obtained his degree from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas
Fellows
Sarah Prieto, PhD
Molly Split, PhD
Molly Split, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow in Brown University’s Clinical Neuropsychology Specialty Program. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Drexel University. Her research focuses on developing novel methods to identify early behavioral markers of cognitive decline in older adults, particularly racially and ethnically diverse older adults who experience increased rates of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Residents
Rachel Keszycki, MS
Rachel Keszycki, MS is a predoctoral Clinical Neuropsychology intern at Brown University. Her research focuses on integrating clinical phenotypes, antemortem biomarkers, and postmortem neuropathology in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia.
Interns
Alexa Vasquez
Alexa Vasquez is a rising sophomore at Brown University, concentrating in Health & Human Biology and Sociology. Driven by her passion for bridging the gap between science and community trust, Alexa aims to foster a stronger connection between research and underrepresented communities by ensuring that community members receive clear and transparent information about scientific research, creating a more equitable and informed society. She is eager to participate in research that aims to give back to the community by finding long-term solutions to the problem of age-related diseases. By working with Dr. De Vito as an undergraduate intern on the Capture-AD study, Alexa hopes to begin a journey that allows participants and their loved ones more time to create memories through testing novel digital technologies for earlier identification of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alumni
Sheina Emrani, PhD
University of Pennsylvania, Digital Neuropathology Research Post-Doc
Catherine Dion, PhD
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Neuropsychology Fellowship
Jennifer Strenger, MS
Bryn Mawr, Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program
Caroline Nester, PhD
Brown Clinical Neuropsychology Fellowship Program – Rhode Island Hospital