Meet Our Team

Members of the ACTRU team come from all walks of life, yet we focus on one common goal: improving the lives of individuals impacted by Alzheimer's Disease.

Dr. Arnold leads a broad clinical and translational research program on Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders of aging. His major interests include clinicopathological correlation studies of molecular markers in human cerebrospinal … — Dr. Arnold leads a broad clinical and translational research program on Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders of aging. His major interests include clinicopathological correlation studies of molecular markers in human cerebrospinal fluid and postmortem brain tissue, the discovery and validation of biochemical biomarkers for diagnosis and staging of neurodegenerative dementias, and the design and conduct of novel, early phase and proof-of-concept clinical trials. Specific topics of interest in Alzheimer’s disease include laboratory and clinical research studies of brain insulin resistance and cellular metabolic dysfunction, proteomic analyses in brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid with clinical correlation, and the neurobiological roots of neuropsychiatric dysfunction. Dr. Arnold’s work aims to accelerate therapeutics discovery and development for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias with innovative mechanistic and biomarker-intensive clinical trials.
After receiving his M.D. from Boston University, Dr. Arnold completed residency training in Psychiatry at the New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, and residency training in Neurology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. He also completed fellowship training in Behavioral Neurology / Cognitive Neuroscience and was a post-doctoral associate in Neuroanatomy in Iowa. Dr. Arnold is board certified in both neurology and psychiatry. After his training, Dr. Arnold joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania where he was Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology until his move to MGH in 2015.
At MGH, Dr. Arnold is leading the Interdisciplinary Brain Center, a new collaboration of the Departments of Neurology. Psychiatry and the Martinos Center for Neuroimaging. Its mission is to facilitate the discovery, development, and implementation of promising therapeutics and associated diagnostics for individuals with complex brain disorders that affect cognition, behavior and emotion. Alzheimer's disease and related disorders are major disease interests of the Interdisciplinary Brain Center.

Director/Principal Investigator: Steven E. Arnold, MD

Leadership

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hersJess’s original education and professional development were in the field of manufacturing engineering; however, all along she had an interest in integrative health and decided to pursue a career as an acupuncturist. A… — Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
Jess’s original education and professional development were in the field of manufacturing engineering; however, all along she had an interest in integrative health and decided to pursue a career as an acupuncturist. After owning a clinic in which she saw 60+ patients per week, she transitioned over to the MGH Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging first as a research acupuncturist and then added project manager responsibilities. As a research acupuncturist, her job is to provide acupuncture therapy services to subjects enrolled in ongoing clinical and basic research studies. She continues to perform acupuncture both inside and outside the MRI scanner. She received her doctorate in acupuncture in May of 2020 from Pacific College of Health and Science. As project manager, she supported and facilitated the daily clinical trial activities by working with the PIs, RAs, site support, sponsors and subjects; and she continues to consult on NIH Program Project Grants and other clinical trials for the Martinos as needed.
Most recently Jess joined neurologist Dr. Steven Arnold’s research program ACTRU as Program Manager. Here she oversees protocol start-up activities for over 15 studies primarily focused on the identification and prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease; eight of these studies are clinical trials with pharmaceutical interventions. She coordinates sponsor and regulatory activities, resource allocation and program staffing for all protocols as required.
In addition, Jess is the Program Manager for the newly forming Interdisciplinary Brain Center for Translational and Clinical Research. The IBC will be both a state of the art Clinical and Translational Research Unit shared with the I3 (Institute for Innovation in Imaging) and an academic collaboration between the MGH Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Radiology (specifically Martinos Center). Jess contributes by identifying and organizing the facility and service needs of the researchers predicted to use the space. Additionally, she is coordinating all start-up activities related to the CTRU of the IBC/ I3 including but not limited to inputs to the space planning and design, predictive modelling and budget justification, utilization forecasting and staffing. Jess is also helping to coordinate a common assessment that all subjects participating in research at the CTRU of the IBC/I3 could take part in; eventually she will help organize access to this data from researchers from all over the globe.
Jess looks forward to continued collaborations with researchers of all backgrounds to further support the IBC mission which is to facilitate and synergize research for brain disorders.

Director of Programs and Research Operations : Jessica Gerber, DAc, MS

Dr. Hiroko Dodge joined ACTRU in October of 2022. Before joining the ACTRU, she was a professor of neurology at Oregon Health & Science University and an endowed professor of neurology at the University of Michigan. Between 2010 and 2019, she simultaneously directed the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center Data Core and Oregon Alzheimer’s Disease Center Data Core. Besides her quantitative skills, she has been the PI for NIH-funded behavioral intervention studies for over the past ten years, examining whether social interactions by using video chats can enhance cognitive functions. She likes cooking and hiking in the woods.

Director of Research Analytics for the IBC: Hiroko Dodge, PhD

Dr. Dodge’s website: https://dodgelab.wixsite.com/dodge-lab

Ashley Rivera is a Program and Project Manager who oversees industry-sponsored clinical trial activities at the Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her work broadly involves management of the clinical research coordinator team engaged in the conduct of sponsored clinical trials and partnering with team leaders in the Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit (ACTRU) as well as the Interdisciplinary Brain Center (IBC) to translate ideas into project frameworks and strategic plans to support organizational change, research and innovation
Ashley graduated from Amherst College with a BA in neuroscience in 2010 and went on to complete a BS in mortuary science at the University of Minnesota. In 2011, she began working in funeral service, achieving licensure as a funeral director and embalmer. Deeply interested in the wellbeing of older adults, Ashley transitioned into long-term care and senior housing where she collaborated with cross-functional teams and valued being part of shaping the future of aging and community within one of the largest national healthcare and senior living providers in the country.
Inspired by an ever-deepening interest in aging and motivated to enhance the scope of her perspective, Ashley joined Dr. Arnold’s team in the summer of 2021. Ashley believes in the value of people, collaboration and the importance of approaches that are interdisciplinary and sustainable. Ashley is committed to leveraging her knowledge, diversified experience and people-oriented approach to ensure the ACTRU team feels supported and well-equipped to achieve its goals.

Project Manager: Ashley Rivera

Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
Dr. Marc Weinberg is a physician-scientist, board-certified psychiatrist, and faculty member in Psychiatry and Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Weinberg is a clinician in the Mass General Hospital Neurology Department’s Memory Disorders Unit, seeing new and established patients concerned about memory loss and neurodegenerative disease. As a researcher, Dr. Weinberg is a Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator working within the Alzheimer’s Clinical and Translational Research Unit (ACTRU), led by Dr. Steven Arnold. He serves as a study clinician on numerous ongoing academic and industry-sponsored clinical studies, commonly related to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. His primary research interests involve the relationship of the immune system to neurodegenerative disease, and the discovery of novel biomarkers (bodily fluid and cellular-based measures that help with diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of response to treatment). His long-term interests are identifying new ways to reprogram the older adult immune system to protect against age-related neurological diseases. An example of his ongoing research is the study of an old vaccine (BCG) that prevents tuberculosis, and how this vaccine might be repurposed as an Alzheimer’s disease prophylaxis or treatment. His research interests also span into older adult mental health. He is grateful to have received research support from the NIH, Alzheimer’s Association, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, IMPACT-AD, and Harvard Catalyst.
Dr. Weinberg received his MD with Alpha Omega Alpha honors from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. Before medical school, he received his Ph.D. at the University of Colorado at Boulder in Behavior Neuroscience and Psychology, studying brain mechanisms of stress adaptation. This was followed by an NIH F32-supported postdoctoral fellowship working with the University of North Carolina Gene Therapy Center. There, he studied Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) / host interactions and entry mechanisms, worked to develop new treatments for epilepsy, and generated novel viral vectors capable of cell-selective expression in the central nervous system.
His full publication list is accessible at this link: bit.ly/35e3dFF

Marc Weinberg, MD ,PhD

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hersDr. McManus is a Family Nurse Practitioner who supervises translational and clinical trial activities within the Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit. Her work broadly involves the management of the … — Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
Dr. McManus is a Family Nurse Practitioner who supervises translational and clinical trial activities within the Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit. Her work broadly involves the management of the research team engaged in the conduct of sponsor and investigator-initiated trials as well as the clinical care of patients enrolled in clinical research projects within the ACTRU.
Dr. McManus graduated from The Miss A.J.MacMaster School of Nursing in 1987 and subsequently worked as a Registered Nurse in both the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Departments for the first 20 years of her career. After receiving her MSN as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2006, she began working as a Co-Investigator on clinical trials with an infectious disease and internal medicine focus. Upon receiving a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Rush University under the guidance of Dr. Melanie Dreher (2013), she assumed the role of Principal Investigator becoming one of only a few Nurse Practitioners in the nation who are leading these types of clinical drug trials. Dr. McManus joined the Arnold Lab in June 2018 after relocating to Boston from San Diego.
Dr McManus has always embraced the challenge and reward of confronting traditional systems and focused a lot of her graduate work on addressing health disparities in the LGBTQ community. She believes that different backgrounds, ideas, and perspectives create a stronger and more creative work environment that ultimately results in better outcomes. Dr. McManus is committed to applying this philosophy to her work with Dr. Arnold and the team at the ACTRU in their search for a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.

Clinical Research Nurse Manager: Alison McManus, DNP, FNP-BC

Biobank Core Manager: Pia Kivisäkk Webb, MD/PhD

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
Katie joined the clinical leadership team at ACTRU as a Clinical Research Project Manager in the spring of 2022. Katie graduated from Stetson University with a BS in Biology and minors in Psychology and Health Care Issues. She earned a Master’s degree in Neuroscience from the University of Hartford in 2005 and performed her thesis work in the Blood-brain-barrier lab in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Building on an early research career in bench neuroscience at Genzyme and clinical research coordination in Cerebral amyloid angiopathy at MGH, Katie is excited to support the design and execution of innovative investigator- initiated clinical studies that will impact the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Prior to joining ACTRU, Katie spent several years working in Research Project Management at Boston University in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Brain Aging Program (BAP), where she was involved in the daily research operations of a NIH supported Neuropsychology team working on integrating digital tools of cognitive assessment (digital pen, digital voice, app-based tests) into the FHS generational cohorts. While at FHS, Katie helped transition the Brain Donation program to the BAP; facilitated research collaborations and managed the coordination of ongoing Neuropsych testing and dementia surveillance. She also worked as an Adjunct Professor of Anatomy & Physiology at Bunker Hill Community College, where she proudly groomed many students for matriculation into fields in the health professions. Katie is thrilled to utilize her combination of experiences to make an impact at ACTRU and for the Alzheimer’s research community.

Project Manager: Katie Young

Dr. Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez is an Instructor at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She completed a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras, her doc… — Dr. Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez is an Instructor at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She completed a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras, her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Iowa, and fellowship in neuropsychology and geropsychology at the Boston VA in 2016.
As a graduate student Edmarie examined the dissociation between emotions and memory in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its neural correlates, as well as the effectiveness of a two-day intervention for dementia caregivers. After she completed her PhD, Edmarie worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Multicultural Alzheimer Prevention Program directed by Dr. Yakeel Quiroz at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her research as a postdoctoral fellow primarily focused on identifying cognitive tests that are sensitive to early pathological changes in familial AD and that can reliably differentiate individuals in the preclinical stage of AD from adults with no genetic predisposition for AD, and on using neuroimaging techniques to measure changes in functional brain connections in preclinical AD. She has extended her research to investigate lifestyle factors that can protect against the onset of cognitive symptoms associated with neurodegenerative disorders, particularly AD, and its mechanisms. Edmarie is working with Dr. Arnold and his team to examine markers of neuroinflammation in familial AD and their relation to cognition and physical activity in the preclinical stage.

Edmarie Guzman-Velez, PhD

Clinical Team

Nursing

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hersKelli Devitte-McKee is an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) who has been working with ACTRU since November 2020. She graduated from Vassar College with her degree in Neuroscience in 2012. She th… — Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
Kelli Devitte-McKee is an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) who has been working with ACTRU since November 2020. She graduated from Vassar College with her degree in Neuroscience in 2012. She then moved on to get her Bachelors of Nursing in 2015 and her Masters of Nursing in 2017, from MGH Institute of Health Professions. Her previous work before this includes heading a student run volunteer medical clinic for the Somerville community, and working as a staff nurse at McLean Hospital on the Bipolar and Schizophrenia unit. She also currently works with a second research lab in the Navy Yard that focuses on imaging in aging and dementia related processes. She is passionate about patient education and healthcare empowerment and hopes to work as an educator in her future work.

Kelli Devitte-McKee, MSN

Griffin graduated from Boston University in 2013 with a bachelor’s in psychology. He worked at Beverly Hospital after graduation on the Leland Unit, an inpatient medical psychiatric unit, caring for patients diagnosed with a variety of psychiatric d… — Griffin graduated from Boston University in 2013 with a bachelor’s in psychology. He worked at Beverly Hospital after graduation on the Leland Unit, an inpatient medical psychiatric unit, caring for patients diagnosed with a variety of psychiatric diagnoses as well as medical co-morbidities. He eventually returned to nursing school, after which he continued to work as a per diem nurse at Beverly Hospital until August, 2019. He additionally worked at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts as an inpatient staff nurse caring for patients diagnosed with mood disorders. Griffin works in the JnJ study within the ACTRU, but is eager and excited to participate in additional research studies within the lab.

Griffin Duffy, RN

Data

Dr. Wu is an Instructor at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She joined the research analytics team at ACTRU in January 2023. She holds a PhD in rehabilitation sciences from the University of Pittsburgh and pursues a MS in data science at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Wu is a methodologist. Her research adopts advanced technologies to collect high-resolution digital biomarker data and further enriches the study of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease trials. Her broad research interests include the diurnal patterns of routines of in-home behaviors, naturalistic learning and social behaviors, and novel analytics (sample size imputation, intervention effect analysis, sensor composite index).
Besides her training in study methodology, she is also a practitioner. She is an occupational therapist in Taiwan, where she had practiced for three years delivering services for older adults with cognitive impairment and disabilities.

Chao-Yi Wu, PhD

Clinical Research Coordinators

Jake is a Project Coordinator at the Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit. He is the lead coordinator on the Interdisciplinary Brain Center’s Game Pack study, which seeks to develop and validate the use of tablet-based games in the cognitive assessment of adults with normal cognition. Jake is also aiding in the study of Nicotinamide Riboside (Niagen) in adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline or Mild Cognitive Impairment.
Jake holds both a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he engaged in qualitative research focused on promoting inclusive educational environments for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Jake is concurrently employed at McLean Hospital as a Shift Leader, where he helps to manage an acute residential unit for adolescents. Additionally, he has experience working with underserved families within the Boston Metropolitan area to improve social determinants of health and access to telemedicine. Jake is eager to learn and grow in his role at ACTRU as he prepares for entrance into medical school.

Jake Galler, BS

Preferred pronouns: She/her/hers
Cathleen is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit. She is the lead coordinator on the LIFT-AD study which investigates the effects of an investigational drug, ATH-1017, on individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Cathleen graduated from Dartmouth College in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and a minor in Biology. As an undergraduate, she was an intern for the Perrimon Lab at Harvard Medical School and studied how cells, tissues, and organs communicated using drosophila as the model organism. She later became a research assistant for the Social Perception Lab, which examined how prosopagnosia lies on a spectrum of severity rather than as a single diagnosis. She intends to pursue a medical degree after her time at ACTRU.

Cathleen Li, BA

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Isabel Abril is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Alzheimer’s Clinical and Translational Research Unit. She is a coordinator on a randomized, placebo-controlled parallel group clinical trial of nicotinamide riboside to evaluate NAD+ levels in individuals with persistent cognitive and physical symptoms after COVID-19 illness under Dr. Guzmán-Vélez.
She completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in French studies at the Florida State University in 2020.During her undergraduate education, Isabel volunteered as a Research Assistant in the Risk for Anxiety and Depression lab of FSU and co-authored a paper with Dr. Barbara Bruce at Mayo Clinic on the Effectiveness and Durability of a Brief Multidisciplinary Treatment Program for Patients with Fibromyalgia, located in Jacksonville, Fl. After graduating, she worked as a Behavior Technician with children with Autism spectrum Disorder and volunteered at University of North Florida as a Research Assistant, predominately focusing on recruitment and retention of Latinx participants in clinical trials.
She joined ACTRU in January for 2021 and plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Isabel Abril, BS

Preferred pronouns: she/her/hers
Ashley is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit. She is the lead coordinator of a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial investigating the effects of nicotinamide riboside on individuals with mild cognitive impairment and/or subjective cognitive decline.
Ashley graduated from Trinity College in 2020 with Bachelor of Science degrees in Neuroscience and Psychology, and obtained a concentration in Clinical Neuroscience. While at Trinity, she worked as a Research Assistant for the Neuroscience Department, conducting experiments to describe the neuromuscular physiology of the withdrawal escape behavior in the Chinese Mud Snail. She later became a Clinical Research Assistant for the Hartford HealthCare Headache Center and worked on two studies that utilized remote electrical neuromodulation devices for the acute treatment of migraine. Ashley joined the ACTRU team in May of 2021 and is eager to develop new skills and contribute to Alzheimer’s research. She plans to pursue a medical degree after her time at MGH.

Ashley Kupferschmid, BS

Preferred pronouns: he/him/his
Cody Reynolds is a University of Georgia graduate with degrees in Cellular Biology and a minor in Spanish. He moved to Boston in 2021 for a Clinical Research Assistant position at the Mongan Institute, a Healthcare Delivery Science Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital. Now, he remains at Massachusetts General as a Clinical Research Coordinator II in the Guzmán-Vélez Lab studying the effects of a form of vitamin B3 on patients with Long-Covid.

Cody Reynolds, BS

Translational Team

Postdoctoral Fellows and PhD Students

Preferred Pronouns: he/him/hisDr. Mahesh Chandra Kodali is a Research Fellow in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He joined the lab in Feb 2021 and is working with Dr. Arnold, Dr. Weinberg, Dr. Kivisakk and the … — Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
Dr. Mahesh Chandra Kodali is a Research Fellow in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He joined the lab in Feb 2021 and is working with Dr. Arnold, Dr. Weinberg, Dr. Kivisakk and the team at Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit (ACTRU) to explore novel interventions that could potentially modify/halt/slow-down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. He is primarily involved in studying the peripheral and Central Nervous System (CNS) specific effects that develop in response to the trained immunity induced by BCG vaccination in older adults. He performs ex-vivo experiments on the cells derived from peripheral blood to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating trained immunity. Besides, he also analyzes cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) samples to develop novel cellular assays to understand the neuro-immune signatures and epigenetic modifications in the cells derived from the CSF.
Mahesh obtained his doctorate in Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC, Memphis, TN, USA) in December 2020. During his PhD, he worked in the laboratory of Dr. Francesca-Fang Liao where he modelled the earliest sequential events during the advancement of systemic inflammation into the CNS. This work helped to better understand the interplay between the vascular and glial cells in initiating and driving acute neuroinflammatory cascade during Sepsis Associated Encephalopathy. He also studied the contribution of peripheral blood circulating exosomes to neuroinflammation during systemic inflammatory conditions. Additionally, he has experience in preclinical testing of novel compounds aimed to modify microglial activation states during neuroinflammation and evaluated the pharmaco-therapeutic effects of those compounds in several transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier, he obtained a Master of Science degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Wright State University, (Dayton, OH, USA).
Mahesh is from the southern part of India, from a place called Hyderabad (Telangana State, India). He obtained his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, (Hyderabad, Telangana, India). He is excited to continue his research in translational neuroimmunology together with the diverse team at ACTRU and hopes to contribute to a better understanding of the immunomodulatory mechanisms to target neurodegenerative diseases.

Mahesh Chandra Kodali, PhD

Pronouns: he/him/his
Matthijs is a PhD student from The Netherlands at the Alzheimer's Clinical & Translational Research Unit since spring 2021. In his project he focuses on proteomics of cerebrospinal fluid samples from Alzheimer's disease patients to find potential novel biomarkers and to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying these biomarkers. Spanning the full translational research spectrum, he performs bioinformatic analyses on large scale datasets with machine learning algorithms, develops novel immunoassays for clinical measurement of potential targets, and studies the underlying molecular mechanisms using in-vitro iPSC models of AD.
Matthijs completed his bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and his master's degree in Molecular Neuroscience at the University of Amsterdam. For his master's thesis he worked in the lab of Dr. Frank Jacobs where he studied recent genomic changes in human evolution and their effects on the complexity of the human brain.
Matthijs grew up in a small town in the northern part of The Netherlands and maintains his Dutch roots by biking all through the city of Boston. He hopes to stay in the area after his graduation and transition into industry.

Matthijs de Geus, MSc

Research Technicians

Johanna is a Research Technician at the Alzheimer’s Clinical and Translational Research Unit. She completed a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a master’s degree in neuroscience at the University Industrial of Santander in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Before joining Massachusetts General Hospital, Johanna worked as the coordinator of the Clinical Research Lab at the Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia, where she supervised the collection, processing, analysis, and shipment of biological samples for multiple clinical research studies. After receiving her master’s degree in Neuroscience, she was the coordinator of the Neuroscience Research Laboratory at the Universidad de Santander in Bucaramanga, Colombia. In this role, Johanna was involved in pharmacological experiments in animal models and supervised the training of undergraduate students and lab technicians. At the ACTRU, Johanna is responsible for the coordination of the biobank, the supervision and training of Co-ops, and the monitoring of research documentation in accordance with IRB requirements.

Johanna Celedon, MSc

Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
Bruno is a Research Technician at the Alzheimer’s Clinical and Translational Research Unit. In 2023, he graduated with highest honors from Emory University with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and a minor in Neuroethics. As an undergraduate, he was a research assistant at the Wharton Laboratory, where he studied biomarkers of neurodegeneration in cognitively normal minority populations with elevated risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Back in his home country of Panama, Bruno worked with the Panama Aging Research Initiative (PARI) conducting dementia-related biomarker research in an underserved cohort of Latin-American older adults. His interests lie in the intersection of neurodegenerative diseases with human life and behavior, especially in minority communities, and he plans to pursue a PhD in clinical neuroscience following his time at MGH.

Bruno Hammerschlag, BS

Graduated from Bates College in 2022 with a BS in Biochemistry. For my senior thesis, I did yearlong research on the phosphoinositide (phospholipid) metabolism in HEK-293, exploring the effects of two knockout proteins - PITPNA and PIP5K1C- on the phosphoinositide synthesis in the cell membrane. The phosphoinositide metabolism is hypothesized to be altered in neuropathological diseases like epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's diseases. I look forward to learning about the different biomarkers under investigation, to understand the pathophysiology of the Alzheimer's disease and intend to pursue a PhD in clinical neuroscience.

Hadia Fatima, BS

Co-Ops

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her
Deya is a third year undergraduate student in the Northeastern University Honors Program. She is pursuing a BS in Behavioral Neuroscience and minoring in Graphic and Information Design. On campus, she is a member of Nu Rho Psi, the National Honor Society in Neuroscience. Upon completion of her degree, she plans to pursue a career in clinical neuropsychology.
She joined the ACTRU in July of 2023 for a six month Co-Op position. She works in the wet lab and is responsible for organizing and maintaining the biobank. Additionally, she works in the outpatient Neurology Clinic to collect and process samples for biomarker research.

Deya Arnold

Preferred pronouns: She/her
Anna is a current Senior at Northeastern pursuing a Bachelor's of Science in Biology with a minor in Behavioral Neuroscience. On campus, she is involved in the Nu Rho Psi (the neuroscience honors society), is a cofounder and VP of Friends of MSF Northeastern (Doctors Without Borders Chapter), and is a board member of Harvard Ballet Company. Upon graduation, she hopes to gain a clinical research coordinator position and to pursue a career in medicine.
In her position as a Biomarker Core co-op, she was involved in quantifying and identifying biomarker concentrations in CSF and plasma, assisted in the consenting process for the MIND clinical research study, processed and stored precious aliquots, and maintained the ACTRU biobank.

Anna Torten Rabinowitz

Administration

Laurie Paris is the administrative assistant to the Director\Principal Investigator Dr. Steven E. Arnold and the Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit. In this position, Laurie provides administrative assistance with correspondence,… — Laurie Paris is the administrative assistant to the Director\Principal Investigator Dr. Steven E. Arnold and the Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit. In this position, Laurie provides administrative assistance with correspondence, meeting scheduling, travel arrangements, file maintenance, processing expense reports, managing invoice payments, reimbursements and assisting with the prescreening of the LifeSpan BioBank Study.
Laurie joined the Alzheimer’s Clinical & Translational Research Unit in September 2018. Prior to her position at MGH, she served as administrative assistant to the Director of Revenue Cycle and Director of Patient Accounts\Finance for Winchester Hospital for over 19 years.

Laurie Paris

Our Collaborators

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hersDr. Becky Carlyle is an Instructor in Neurology at MGH. She uses her expertise in molecular biology and integration of *omics data, particularly RNA sequencing and proteomics, to direct the wet lab at ACTRU. The wet lab handles all the biofluids from ACTRU Clinical Trials, and uses a range of cutting edge technologies to define novel biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease, to assess target engagement for novel therapeutics, and for selecting patients for personalized trial approaches. In addition to these clinically focused projects, the wet lab also runs a number of projects focused on disease mechanism, using post-mortem human tissue to define dementia related pathways and the effect of concurrent diseases such as diabetes on the brain.Becky earned a first class degree in Medical Sciences from the University of Oxford in 2005, then moved to the University of Edinburgh to complete her PhD in Molecular Medicine in 2010. Her interest in personalized medicine began during her PhD where she studied the effect of the DISC1 gene, which is mutated in a family with an enrichment for psychiatric disorders, on the signaling pathways involved in schizophrenia. Becky moved to the USA after her PhD and completed her Post-Doctoral training at Yale University under the guidance of Professors Angus Nairn and Amy Arnsten. During this time she studied the use of extremely old primates as models for the onset of dementia in humans, produced a protein atlas of the human brain which was published in Nature Neuroscience, and developed a cell-type specific method for measuring protein translation dynamics in mouse brain. In the summer of 2017 she moved to Boston to join ACTRU, and is excited to be part of a dynamic and inclusive program that thinks outside the standard paradigms of Alzheimer’s Disease treatment. Each individual that comes to ACTRU has a different disease presentation, a different subset of associated medical conditions, and a unique history. By treating each individual as their own control, we hope to improve the lives of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease in the short term and make significant steps towards making personalization of dementia treatment a long term reality. — Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
Dr. Becky Carlyle is an Instructor in Neurology at MGH. She uses her expertise in molecular biology and integration of *omics data, particularly RNA sequencing and proteomics, to direct the wet lab at ACTRU. The wet lab handles all the biofluids from ACTRU Clinical Trials, and uses a range of cutting edge technologies to define novel biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease, to assess target engagement for novel therapeutics, and for selecting patients for personalized trial approaches. In addition to these clinically focused projects, the wet lab also runs a number of projects focused on disease mechanism, using post-mortem human tissue to define dementia related pathways and the effect of concurrent diseases such as diabetes on the brain.
Becky earned a first class degree in Medical Sciences from the University of Oxford in 2005, then moved to the University of Edinburgh to complete her PhD in Molecular Medicine in 2010. Her interest in personalized medicine began during her PhD where she studied the effect of the DISC1 gene, which is mutated in a family with an enrichment for psychiatric disorders, on the signaling pathways involved in schizophrenia. Becky moved to the USA after her PhD and completed her Post-Doctoral training at Yale University under the guidance of Professors Angus Nairn and Amy Arnsten. During this time she studied the use of extremely old primates as models for the onset of dementia in humans, produced a protein atlas of the human brain which was published in Nature Neuroscience, and developed a cell-type specific method for measuring protein translation dynamics in mouse brain. In the summer of 2017 she moved to Boston to join ACTRU, and is excited to be part of a dynamic and inclusive program that thinks outside the standard paradigms of Alzheimer’s Disease treatment. Each individual that comes to ACTRU has a different disease presentation, a different subset of associated medical conditions, and a unique history. By treating each individual as their own control, we hope to improve the lives of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease in the short term and make significant steps towards making personalization of dementia treatment a long term reality.

Becky Carlyle, PhD

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hersDr. Nadine Schwab is a neuropsychology research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital working within the Interdisciplinary Brain Center at the Charlestown Navy Yard. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psycholog… — Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
Dr. Nadine Schwab is a neuropsychology research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital working within the Interdisciplinary Brain Center at the Charlestown Navy Yard. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and earned a Doctorate degree in Clinical Neuropsychology, both from the University of Florida in Gainesville.
During her graduate studies, her research focused primarily on neuroanatomical correlates of cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease, with a strong focus on validity of neuroimaging methodology. She also worked extensively examining biological markers of risk for cognitive decline following knee-replacement surgery in an older adult population. Dr. Schwab’s work with typical and pathological aging populations has led her to extend her research into the Alzheimer’s disease field and assist Dr. Steven Arnold and his team at MGH with developing novel techniques for capturing cognitive change over time using digital technologies.

Nadine Schwab, PhD

Dr. Anna Goodheart joined the MGH Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease in July 2019, where she is completing a two-year post-residency fellowship program as an American Academy of Neurology clinical research scholar. Clinically, she is undergoing… — Dr. Anna Goodheart joined the MGH Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease in July 2019, where she is completing a two-year post-residency fellowship program as an American Academy of Neurology clinical research scholar. Clinically, she is undergoing fellowship training in both Memory Disorders and Movement Disorders, primarily seeing patients with Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and related disorders. From a research perspective, she is interested is translational and clinical research in the neurodegenerative diseases. Her primary research focus as a fellow is using molecular neuroimaging tools to map epigenetic molecules in patients with Parkinson disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. She is excited to collaborate with ACTRU in clinical trial work in dementia with Lewy bodies.
Dr. Goodheart graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BS in Biology in 2011, where she completed her Honors research thesis in a neural stem cell laboratory, examining populations of stem cells in mouse models of Parkinson disease. She obtained her MD from the University of Pittsburgh in 2015. As a medical student, she worked in an Alzheimer disease research group, doing molecular neuroimaging biomarker research with the beta-amyloid tracer Pittsburgh Compound-B. She completed her internship in Internal Medicine at MGH in 2016 and her residency in Neurology at the combined Harvard MGH-BWH residency program in 2019. After her current fellowship, she plans to pursue a career as a clinician-researcher.

Anna Goodheart, MD

Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
Dr. Barnaly Rashid is an Instructor at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is leading the Neuroimaging Core within ACTRU where she manages neuroimaging protocol design, data acquisition and statistical modeling for clinical research targeting effective treatments for dementias. Her research is aimed at understanding changes in brain structure, function, and functional connectivity due to aging and neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease.
Barnaly received her Doctorate degree in Electrical Engineering with a focus on signal processing and biomedical engineering from the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, USA). Her broader research interests include biomedical image processing, time-varying functional brain connectivity, machine learning algorithms, and digital health.

Barnaly Rashid, PhD

ACTRU Alumni