Faculty

Meet Our Faculty

The USC Center for Personalized Brain Health (CPBH) comprises a diverse and talented team dedicated to pioneering research and clinical practices in brain health. Our faculty members are experts in fields ranging from neurology and genetics to nutrition and bioinformatics. The collaborative and multidisciplinary  a  approach within the CPBH drives innovation and new insights to combating  Alzheimer’s disease. Our faculty are advancing scientific understanding whilst shaping the future of personalized medicine and transforming how we approach brain health and disease prevention.

Director

Hussein Yassine, MD

Professor of Neurology, Medicine and Physiology and Neuroscience
Director, Center for Personalized Brain Health
Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Hussein Yassine is at the forefront of research exploring the intersection of neurology and nutritional sciences, with a focus on how lipids, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, affect Alzheimer’s disease. His work is especially important in understanding the impact of these fatty acids on cognitive decline in those carrying the APOE ε4 gene variant, a known Alzheimer’s risk factor. Dr. Yassine’s lab conducts a broad range of research, from basic science and brain imaging to clinical trials with omega-3 supplements and dietary interventions, making significant strides in our understanding of how nutrition influences Alzheimer’s.  Learn more about our director here.

Executive Board

Vsevolod Katritch, PhD

Professor of Quantitative and Computational Biology and Chemistry
USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Dr. Vsevolod Katritch is a computational biologist and computational chemist focused on developing and applying 3D molecular models and bioinformatics tools to explore structure, function and pharmacology of the largest family of membrane proteins, labeled GPCR, whose activity is implicated in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. His research aims to decipher the molecular mechanisms behind GPCR signaling, create computer-assisted designs for receptors with beneficial properties such as improved stability when exposed to heat, and discover compounds that selectively modulate GPCR activity for use as chemical probes and  Alzheimer’s drugs.

Stan Gee Louie, PharmD

Professor of Clinical Pharmacy
Director of Clinical Experimental Therapeutics Program
Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy
USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Dr. Stan Louie is a clinical and translational pharmacologist with over three decades of experience helping patients and working in drug development. His research focuses on inflammatory diseases, which include viral infections, cancer, diabetes, traumatic brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. He explores therapeutic areas including drugs that quell inflammation and speed up healing; new compounds targeting degeneration in the brain and retina; light-activated drugs for traumatic brain injury and eye injury; and the use of certain lipids to modulate chronic inflammation.

Helena Chang Chui, MD

Chair and Professor of Neurology
Raymond and Betty McCarron Chair in Neurology
Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Helena Chang Chui is internationally recognized for her research in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, or severe cognitive impairment from damage to blood vessels in the brain. She is the principal investigator for the National Institute on Aging-funded USC Alzheimer Disease Research Center, as well as a multi-institutional program project on vascular dementia. Using a multidisciplinary approach that leverages brain imaging and tissue typing, her research aims to understand the pathways from vascular risk factors to brain injury and damage caused by Alzheimer’s, contributing to innovations in diagnosis and treatment.

Carolyn C. Meltzer, MD

Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC
May S. and John H. Hooval, M.D., Dean’s Chair
Professor of Radiology
Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Carolyn Meltzer oversees the operations and academic affairs of the Keck School of Medicine, which is home to 26 basic and clinical academic programs and 16 major research institutes. She serves as the academic leader of the Keck School’s faculty and staff, who perform biomedical research, provide clinical care, and train medical students, graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and undergraduates. An expert in neuroradiology and nuclear medicine, she has conducted research to understand the brain’s structure and function during normal aging, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and psychiatric disorders in later life. Dr. Meltzer also specializes in cancer imaging research and holds subspecialty certification in neuroradiology, along with advanced training in positron emission tomography (PET).

Thomas A. Buchanan, MD

University Professor of Medicine
Bernard J. Hanley Chair in Medicine
Vice Dean for Research
Director of the CTSI,
Co-Director, Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute
Endocrine Division Chief in the Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Buchanan conducts research into the causes, disease processes, genetics and prevention of gestational and type 2 diabetes with a focus on how the illness impacts Hispanic Americans. He and his colleagues conducted long-term studies tracking high-risk individuals to define patterns of change in insulin resistance and insulin secretion that lead to type 2 diabetes, followed by the first successful type 2 diabetes prevention study in the United States. Dr. Buchanan continued with a large family-based study that helped identify the genetic basis for the metabolic abnormalities that lead to type 2 diabetes. His research has contributed to important advances in clinical care for gestational diabetes and the prevention of type 2 diabetes in Hispanic Americans.

Dr. Buchanan is a founding director of the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC-CTSI) and the Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute.

Co-Leaders

Kai Chen, PhD

Associate Professor of Research Radiology
Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Kai Chen focuses on the development of new theranostic agents — that is, doing double-duty for disease diagnosis and treatment. He is a recognized figure in the field of radiochemistry, especially known for his expertise in developing novel PET imaging probes. His research encompasses the creation and testing of new compounds tagged with harmless radioactive isotopes of fluorine, aiming to improve diagnostic capabilities for various diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions and cancer. His work has led to the development of innovative PET-MR imaging techniques.

Meredith N. Braskie, PhD

Assistant Professor of Neurology
Director of Education, Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute
Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Meredith Braskie is focused on the neuroimaging of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk and cognitive aging, with an emphasis on preclinical AD.  Her research uses multi-modal brain imaging, including functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging, resting state fMRI, and positron emission tomography (PET), to explore the connections between genetic and environmental risk factors for Alzheimer’s and their impact on the brain​. Dr. Braskie’s research focuses on identifying biomarkers for neurological diseases through sophisticated imaging methods, which aids in the early diagnosis and potential treatment strategies.

Lon Schneider, MD

Professor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Neurology and Gerontology
Della Martin Chair in Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Lon Schneider is one of the most prolific scientists in Alzheimer’s disease research, with deep expertise in clinical trials methods and drug development. His work involves developing new therapeutic compounds meant to alter how energy is processed from food and to regenerate brain tissue. He also leads investigations assessing treatment outcomes, modeling biological systems and simulating clinical trials.

Cyrus Shahabi, PhD

Professor of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Spatial Sciences
Director, Integrated Media Systems Center
USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Dr. Cyrus Shahabi specializes in data science, artificial intelligence and spatial sciences — using technologies such as GPS — applying these disciplines to innovate and solve real-world challenges. As the director of the Integrated Media Systems Center and the Information Laboratory, he has a distinguished record of advancements in geospatial and multidimensional data management. Dr. Shahabi’s contributions are acknowledged with  numerous awards and patents.

John M. Ringman, MD, MS

Professor of Clinical Neurology
Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. John Ringman specializes in cognitive and behavioral problems related to neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. He has made significant contributions in the clinical management of Alzheimer’s disease through his research on early symptoms, genetic risk factors and innovative diagnostic approaches using PET imaging technology, aiming to improve the accuracy of diagnoses and explore new therapeutic avenues.

Wendy Jean Mack, PhD

Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences
Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Wendy Mack has extensive experience directing biostatistical and data coordination activities for research studies. Her expertise includes designing, conducting and analyzing multiple single-center and multi-center clinical trials and observational studies. Dr. Mack directs biostatistical activities for  basic and clinical research programs, including the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the USC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. She additionally co-directs the population and public health sciences department’s Division of Biostatistics graduate programs.

Rema Raman, PhD

Professor of Neurology
Director, Biostatistics Core
Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Rema Raman is an expert in creating, running and evaluating clinical trials in neurology. She  helps lead several highly integrated and interdisciplinary clinical research programs in Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Her primary statistical research interests are in issues related to correlated and missing data, design and analysis of efficient clinical trials and cohort studies, centralized and adaptive approaches for statistical monitoring, effective safety monitoring, and the science of recruitment and retention. Dr. Raman is a committed educator and mentor for medical students, graduate students, clinical fellows and other clinical researchers learning biostatistics and clinical trial methodology.