Alzheimer’s and Memory Research

photo of woman studying scanned images

About Our Research

The Memory Disorders Program investigates new treatments designed to prevent and slow Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, we develop new tools to improve diagnostic and prognostic accuracy.

The Memory Disorders Program is actively recruiting subjects for clinical trials, volunteers are needed to participate in our research. Ongoing studies are those that are underway and are no longer recruiting new subjects.

If you are interested in joining a research study, please contact our program at memory@georgetown.edu.

Joining Our Research

As the first step, we invite you to complete a pre-screening phone call. The call lasts about 20 minutes, and you will be asked about your family and medical history, willingness to participate in research procedures, contact information and demographics. This one time call helps us determine your eligibility for research.

If you are interested in joining a research study, please contact our program at memory@georgetown.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please contact us if you have any specific questions.

It is not required that you be evaluated in our clinic prior to participating in research. If you have a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease and receive your medical care elsewhere, you may be eligible to participate. We ask that you request to have your medical records (including recent office visit notes, laboratory results and CT or MRI brain scan reports) sent to us.


Learn how to send us your medical records (see the Send Us Your Medical Records section).

Most studies require participants to have a study partner. Your study partner may be a family member or friend who will be asked to accompany you to study visits and to provide us with information about your health status throughout the study.

Some of our studies seek older adults who are cognitively normal, and those who have concerns about their memory. If this describes you, please contact us to learn more about possible research participation.

You may review the eligibility requirements for our Recruiting and Ongoing research studies through the web links provided above.

There is no fee to participate in research, and all study-related costs are covered by the research sponsor. In some cases, participants receive a small stipend to reimburse travel and other costs.

Please note that research sponsors will not pay for a clinical evaluation leading to a diagnosis. However, all study-related costs are covered by the research sponsor (such as the NIH or a pharmaceutical company), unless otherwise noted in the study consent form.

Each study has different procedures, therefore different risks. Common procedures include cognitive assessments, blood draws, spinal fluid draws, MRIs, PET scans, and experimental medication.

Additionally, we inform you of all the procedures and known risks when we invite to you participate in a study.

It is always a good idea to discuss possible participation in a clinical trial with your doctors for their advice and guidance.

The Georgetown University Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversees the research at the Memory Disorders Program. If you have questions about your rights as a Research Participant, or would like to file a complaint, you may contact the IRB at (202) 687-1506.

Participating in Clinical Trials: What You Need to Know by Christine Weber, PhD and Mary Sano, PhD of the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center at Columbia University.