The Lagakos Distinguished Alumni Award
HSPH, FXB 301

David Fardo, PhD, Stephen W. Wyatt Endowed Professor of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Affiliate Faculty in the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are defined by cognitive decline, but the biology underlying the decline is remarkably complex. Multiple neuropathologies commonly coexist in the aging brain, complicating efforts to understand the causes of dementia and offering opportunities for more targeted genetic discovery. In this talk, I will describe our work using genome-wide association studies of deeply characterized autopsy cohorts to disentangle the genetic architecture of these pathologies. In a lecture about memory-affecting diseases, it seems appropriate to spend some time remembering the people, opportunities, and experiences along the way. I will reflect on the mentors, collaborators, trainees, and friends who made the work possible, fulfilling, and tun.