Memory Disorders Program
georgetown university, washington dc
Faculty and Staff:
Program Director: Paul Aisen, MD
Program Coordinator: Carolyn Ward, MSPH
Clinical Staff:
Paul Aisen is Professor of Neurology and Medicine and has been the Director of the Memory Disorders Program since its inception. Dr. Aisen received his MD from Columbia University in 1979. He interned at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Dr. Aisen completed his residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital and a fellowship at New York University. Dr. Aisen is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, and Geriatrics. His research focuses on the development of new treatment strategies for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. He is currently directing a number of NIH-funded multi-center therapeutic trials. Dr. Aisen has published extensively in scientific journals, primarily on the subject of Alzheimer's disease.
Kathleen Redington joined the Memory Disorders Program in 2000. She earned a PhD in Psychology from Columbia University in 1982 and received her MD from Cornell University in 1988. Dr. Redington completed her residency at New York Hospital and a fellowship in Cognitive Neuroscience in a joint program with Rockefeller University and Cornell University. In addition to her work in the Memory Disorders Program, she has a private neurology practice in Virginia. Dr. Redington also trains Medicine and Psychiatry Residents rotating through Fairfax hospital. She is Board Certified in Neurology and she is an active member of the American Association of Neurology and the Virginia Medical Association.
John Little is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University. He received his MD from Baylor College of Medicine in 1986. Dr. Little completed his internship at Tufts University and his residency at the Boston University Medical Center. He is board certified in Psychiatry and has added Board Certification in Geriatric Psychiatry. Dr. Little has held positions at the National Institute of Mental Health, University of Pittsburgh Medical School and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Little’s research interests include geriatric depression, memory disorders and neuroimaging.
Brigid Reynolds joined the Memory Disorders Program in 2001. She received her Masters of Science in Nursing from the Catholic University of America in 1996 and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Emory University in 1989. Brigid’s career has focused on home care, primary care, and case management for elderly patients. Currently, Brigid specializes in evaluating and treating patients with memory problems, and functions as a clinician in the research program. Brigid is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and is an active member of the Washington DC Nurse Practitioner Association. She is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the Nursing Honors Society.
Kathleen Johnson joined the Memory Disorders program in 2001. She received a Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of Southern California in 1995, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York in 1988. Her career has focused on evaluation and case management of the elderly in primary care and long term care settings. Currently, Kathleen specializes in evaluating and treating patients with memory problems, and functions as a clinician in the research program. She is certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is a member of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Maryland.
Patrycja Zielinska, RN, MSN, NP
Patrycja Zielinska joined the Memory Disorders Program in 2005. She received a Master of Science in Nursing degree from Massachusetts General Hospital-Institute of Health Professions in 2003 and a Bachelor of Arts in Neuropsychology from University of Connecticut in 2000. Before joining the Memory Disorders Program, Patrycja's career had focused on evaluating and providing care for patients in medical and psychiatric settings. Currently, Patrycja specializes in evaluating and treating patients with memory problems, and functions as a clinician in the research program. Patrycja is certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She is also an active member of the Washington DC Nurse Practitioner Association.
Research Faculty:
Pamela Saunders is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Neurology and a faculty member for the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience at Georgetown University. Dr. Saunders received her doctorate in Sociolinguistics from Georgetown University in 1994 and a Master of Arts in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988. She joined the Memory Disorders Program in 2000 where her research program includes studies that combine communication, aging, caregiving and complementary medicine. Dr. Saunders also directors the Jesuit Memory and Aging Project and co-directs the Geriatrics Curriculum for the Georgetown University Medical School. Additionally, Dr. Saunders is a clinical trials monitor for the Alzheimer’s disease Cooperative Study (ADCS).
Yasuji Matsuoka is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and is a faculty member for the Interdisciplinary Program is Neuroscience at Georgetown University. Dr Matsuoka received his BS and PhD in pharmacological sciences from Kyoto Pharmaceutical University in 1994 and 1998, respectively. He completed postdoctoral training in the Nathan Kline Institute at New York University Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry in 2001. He was then promoted to Research Assistant Professor at the same institute. In 2003 Dr. Mastuoka joined the Department of Neurology at Georgetown University. His research focuses on pre-clinical development of therapeutic strategies and agents for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Matsuoka has published more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles on Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. His laboratory’s web page is at http://matsuokalab.georgetown.edu.
Rochelle Tractenberg, PhD, MPH
Rochelle Tractenberg is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Biostatistics, Bioinformatics & Biomathematics and in the Section for Geriatrics. She earned a PhD in Psychology from the University of California at Irvine, an M.P.H. from California State University, San Diego, and a Doctoral-level Graduate Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Tractenberg’s research interests include measurement of behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and understanding how inaccuracies in measurement affect statistical modeling and interpretation of outcomes of clinical trials. She has published over 35 papers reflecting these interests as well as her work in reading disability, sleep disturbance, the assessment of change, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Research Staff:
Carolyn Ward joined the Memory Disorders Program in 1999. She
received a Master of Science degree in Public Health from the University
of North Carolina in 1983. Her career has focused on addressing aging and disability issues. Prior to joining the Memory Disorders Program, she led the Membership Unit on Caregiving for the National Council on Aging and conducted research on long term care for the National Association of State Units on Aging. Carolyn is the Memory Disorders Program Coordinator. In this role she manages both clinic and study activities. Carolyn is a current member of the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association, National Capital Chapter. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Washington. She was the President of the Greater Washington Chapter from 1993 – 1995. Carolyn was appointed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia to the District of Columbia Alzheimer’s Disease Study Commission, where she was elected Secretary/Parliamentarian. In addition she chaired the Commission’s Education Subcommittee and co-edited its final report.
Kris Brugger joined the Memory Disorders Program in 2004. She received a bachelor’s degree in Gerontology and Sociology from Case Western Reserve University in 2001. Since graduating, Kris has worked as a Research Coordinator at both the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Myers Research Institute in Cleveland, Ohio. Kris is currently oversees research trials as a Clinical Monitor for the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study and conducts research at the Memory Disorders Program. She is also the editor of the Memory Disorders Program Newsletter.
Kelly Behan joined the Memory Disorders Program in 2005. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology and French from the University of Virginia in 2004. Kelly assists Dr. Redington in her clinical practice and provides cognitive testing, visit coordination, and data managment for the research trials.
Farida Sita joined the Memory Disorders Program in 2006. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience, with a minor in Chemistry, from the University of Pittsburgh in April of 2006. While in school, Farida was involved in neuroimaging research with psychiatric patients in the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh. Farida assists Dr. Aisen in his clinical practice and provides cognitive testing, visit coordination, and data management for the research trials.
Mary Stevenson joined the Memory Disorders Program in August of 2007. She received her bachelor's degree in History from the University of Maryland in May of 2007, with a minor in premedical studies. Mary assists Dr. Aisen in his clinical practice and provides cognitive testing, visit coordination, and data management for the research trials.
memory@georgetown.edu| 202-784-6671 | memory.georgetown.edu