News

We are delighted to announce that Ann Cohen, PhD, has received conferral of tenure at the rank of associate professor by the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Cohen is widely recognized for her outstanding work in the use of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease prior to the emergence of cognitive symptoms. Recently, she has expanded this work into amyloid imaging in older individuals with Down syndrome, as well as increased her focus on studying social determinants of health in relationship to cognitive deficits in midlife and early late-life.

Dr. Cohen co-leads a recently renewed National Institute on Aging (NIA) Program Project Grant focused on the role of astrogliosis in aging and the pathological and clinical progression of Alzheimer's disease. Currently, Dr. Cohen and her colleagues are recruiting a new cohort of study participants and focusing on community-based research and underrepresented groups to better represent the regional population. She also serves as principal investigator (PI) of the PPG’s Project 2. 

In addition, Dr. Cohen leads or co-leads five National Institutes of Health (NIH) studies. She is part of a multiple principal investigator team leading an NIA R01 focused on developing advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods with 7T human imaging to study the pathways linking small vessel and cerebral spinal fluid flow pathophysiology to Alzheimer’s disease. She is a co-site PI of an NIA U19 grant, the Alzheimer Biomarker Consortium-Down Syndrome (ABC-DS), and leads Core B, Alzheimer's Disease Down Syndrome Outreach Recruitment and Education, which aims to increase enrollment of adults with Down syndrome from diverse populations, particularly African American individuals. Dr. Cohen also leads the neuroimaging core for the NIA-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Finally, Dr. Cohen is PI of two NIA R01 grants, one focused on the role of midlife cardiovascular disease on Alzheimer’s pathology and cerebrovascular reactivity in individuals ages 45-75, and the second using a health equity framework to investigate the role(s) of structural and social determinants of health in the natural history of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, she serves as co-investigator on eight federally funded projects focused on cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease/dementia, and autism.

Dr Cohen’s work has generated many important contributions to the research in her field. She has shown that higher levels of cognitive activity are associated with lower brain amyloidosis and higher glucose metabolism when compared to those with lower cognitive activity. Dr. Cohen also demonstrated that vascular pathology has a strong relationship to progression of amyloid pathology and prediction of subsequent dementia. In addition, Dr. Cohen’s research has indicated that the trajectory of change in amyloid deposition in Down syndrome differs significantly from the trajectory of change associated with normal aging. 

An excellent teacher, mentor, and academic role model, Dr. Cohen has made important contributions to training the next generation of scientists. She has mentored numerous undergraduates, as well as graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career faculty members.

“Dr. Cohen is widely recognized as an international leader in the study of Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome, and she is very well-positioned to continue conducting innovative and influential studies that are advancing both fields,” said David Lewis, MD (Chair, Department of Psychiatry). “Dr. Cohen also has substantial expertise in optimizing investigations of neurological conditions within underrepresented populations to address health disparities. We look forward to her future contributions to our mission!” 

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Cohen!