People

DIRECTORS

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  Corey McMillan PhD

  Associate Professor
   Email Corey McMillan PhD
   215-614-0987
  
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  Corey McMillan PhD

  Associate Professor
   mcmillac@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
   215-614-0987
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  The overall mission of my Bioinformatics in Neurodegenerative Disease (BiND) Lab, housed within the Penn FTD Center, is to use multimodal and bioinformatic approaches to improve our understanding of the biological basis of neurodegenerative conditions. My lab aims to develop robust biomarkers that can be used to better diagnose neurodegenerative diseases, accelerate drug discovery of disease-modifying agents, and to define essential clinical trial endpoint measures. My clinical-translation research program focuses on two classes of neurodegenerative proteinopathies including the misfolded tau protein that contributes to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), primary age-related tauopathy (PART), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), as well as the TDP-43 protein that contributes to a spectrum of FTLD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). My lab emphasizes biologically-grounded hypotheses with novel analytic and multimodal approaches integrating MRI and PET imaging modalities with genomics and clinical datasets. I am also an Institute on Aging fellow and a faculty affiliate of several research centers including the Penn Neurodegeneration Genomics Center, Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, and MindCORE.

   

  PUBLICATIONS

  1.    McMillan, C. T., Irwin, D. J., Avants, B. B., Powers, J., Cook, P. A., Toledo, J. B., et al. (2013). White matter imaging helps dissociate tau from TDP-43 in frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 84(9), 949–955.

  2.    McMillan, C. T., Russ, J., Wood, E. M., Irwin, D. J., Grossman, M., McCluskey, L., et al. (2015). C9orf72 promoter hypermethylation is neuroprotective: Neuroimaging and neuropathologic evidence. Neurology, 84(16), 1622–1630.

  3.    McMillan, C. T., Lee, E. B., Jefferson-George, K., Naj, A., Van Deerlin, V. M., Trojanowski, J. Q., & Wolk, D. A. (2018). Alzheimer's genetic risk is reduced in primary age-related tauopathy: a potential model of resistance? Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, 5(8), 927–934.

  4.    Placek, K., Baer, G. M., Elman, L., McCluskey, L., Hennessy, L., Ferraro, P. M., Lee, E. B., Lee, V. M.-Y., Trojanowski, J. Q., Van Deerlin, V. M., Grossman, M., Irwin, D. J., & McMillan, C. T. (2019). UNC13A polymorphism contributes to frontotemporal disease in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurobiology of Aging, 73, 190–199. PMCID: 6251755.

  5.    McMillan, C. T., Toledo, J., Avants, B., Cook, P., Wood, E. M., Suh, E., Irwin, D. J., Powers, J., Olm, C., Elman, L., McCluskey, L., Schellenberg, G., Lee, V. M.-Y., Trojanowksi, J. Q., Van Deerlin, V. M., & Grossman, M. (2014). Genetic & neuroanatomic associations in sporadic frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Neurobiology of Aging 35(6): 1473-1482 PMCID: 3961542.

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  David Irwin MD

  Assistant Professor
   Email David Irwin MD
   215- 662-3361
  
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  David Irwin MD

  Assistant Professor
   dirwin@mail.med.upenn.edu
   215- 662-3361
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  Dr. Irwin is an attending cognitive neurologist at the Frontotemporal dementia center at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his MD from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia where he completed his residency and chief residency training in Neurology.  Dr. Irwin completed his postdoctoral clinical and research fellowship in the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research and the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center.  Dr. Irwin has an interest in young onset dementia and his research focuses on the interface of clinical symptoms and underlying neuropathology in neurodegenerative disease. The purpose of this approach is to better identify clinically, pathologically and genetically homogeneous patient populations for inclusion into clinical trials to efficiently study emerging disease modifying treatments that target the pathogenic proteins specific for each neuropathological subtype of disease (e.g. FTLD-associated with tau or TDP-43 protein inclusions).

  Dr. Irwin is accepting new patient appointments through the PENN Frontotemporal Degeneration Center.  To schedule an appointment, please call (215) 662-3361

  PUBLICATIONS

  Irwin DJ, Grossman M, Weintraub D, Hurtig HI, Duda JE, Xie SX, Lee EB, Van Deerlin VM, Lopez OL, Kofler JK, Nelson PT, Jicha GA, Woltjer R, Quinn JF, Kaye J, Leverenz JB, Tsuang D, Longfellow K, Yearout D, Kukull W, C. Keene D, Montine TJ, Zabetian CP, Trojanowski JQ. Neuropathological and genetic correlates of survival and dementia onset in synucleinopathies: a retrospective analysis. The Lancet Neurology. 2017 Jan;16(1): 55-65. PubMed PMID: 27979356; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5181646

  Irwin DJ, Byrne MT, McMillan CT, Cooper F, Arnold SE, Lee EB, Van Deerlin VM, Xie SX, Lee VMY, Grossman M, Trojanowski JQ. Semi-automated digital image analysis of Pick’s disease and TDP-43 proteinopathy. J Histochem Cytochem. 2016 Jan;64(1):54-66. PMID: 26538548; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4810792

  Irwin DJ, Brettschneider J, McMillan CT, Cooper F, Olm C, Arnold SE, Van Deerlin VM, Seeley WW, Miller BL, Lee EB, Lee VM, Grossman M and Trojanowski JQ. Deep Clinical and Neuropathological Phenotyping of Pick’s Disease. Annals of Neurology. 2016 Feb;79(2):272-87. PubMed PMID:  26583316; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4755803

  Irwin, D.J., Cairns, N.J., Grossman, M., McMillan, C.T., Lee, E.B., Van Deerlin, V.M., Lee, V. M.-Y., Trojanowski, J.Q.: Frontotemporal lobar degeneration: defining phenotypic diversity through personalized medicine.  Acta Neuropathologica 129:469-491, 2015.  PMCID: PMC 4369168

  Brettshneider, J., Del Tredici, K., Irwin, D.J., Grossman, M., Robinson, J.L., Toledo, J.B., Fang, L., Van Deerlin, V.M., Ludolph, A.C., Lee, V. M.-Y., Braak, H., Trojanowski, J.Q.: Sequential distribution of pTDP-43 pathology in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Acta Neuropathalogica, 127:423-439, 2014.  

  Irwin, D..J, Cohen, T.J., Grossman, M., Arnold, S.E., McCarty-Wood, E., VanDeerlin, V.M., Lee, V.M.-Y., and Trojanowski, J.Q.: Acetylated tau neuropathology in sporadic and hereditary tauopathies. American Journal of Pathology. 2013; 183(2):344-351.

  Irwin, D.J., White, M., Toledo, J., Robinson, J., Xie, S., Leverenz, J.B., Montine, T.J., Duda, J., Hurtig, H.I., Trojanowski, J.Q.: Neuropathologic substrates of Parkinson’s disease dementia. Ann Neurol. 2012;72:587-598.

  Irwin, D.J., McMillian, C.T., Brettschneider, J, Libon, D.J., Powers, J., Rascovsky,  K., Toledo, J.B., Boller, A, Bekisz, J., Chandrasekaran, K., Wood, B., Shaw, L.M., Woo, J.H., Cook, P.A., Wolk, D., Arnold, S.E., VanDeerlin, V., Elman, L., McCluskey, L., Lee, V.M.-Y., Trojanowski, J.Q., Grossman, M.: Cognitive decline and reduced survival in C9orf72 expansion Frontotemporal degeneration and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 84: 163-169, 2013. 

  Irwin, D.J., Abrams, J.Y., Schoenberger, L.B., Leschek, E.W., Mills, J.L., Lee, V.M.-Y. and Trojanowski, J.Q.: Evaluation of potential infectivity of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease proteins in recipients of cadaver-derived human growth hormone. JAMA Neurology, 70(4):462-468, 2013.

  Irwin, D.J., Lee, V.M.-Y. and Trojanowski, J.Q. Parkinson’s disease dementia: convergence of alpha synuclein, tau and amyloid-β pathologies. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14(9):626-636, 2013.

  Irwin, D.J. and Trojanowski, J.Q. Many roads to Parkinson’s disease neurodegeneration: Head trauma- A road more traveled than we know? Movement Disorders, 28(9):1167-70,  2012.

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• 

  Lauren Massimo PhD, CRNP

  Assistant Professor
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  Lauren Massimo PhD, CRNP

  Assistant Professor
   Lauren.Massimo@uphs.upenn.edu
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  Lauren Massimo is a graduate of the PhD program at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Massimo holds a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from The Pennsylvania State University and master’s degree as an Adult and Gerontology Nurse Practitioner from the University of Pennsylvania.

  Dr. Massimo’s research focuses on identifying the cognitive and neural basis for decline in neurodegenerative disease. Over her decade-long career as a nurse practitioner in cognitive neurology, she has enjoyed the opportunity to work with and support many patients with neurodegenerative disease and their families. She has received numerous grants and awards including the John A. Hartford Foundation Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity pre-doctoral fellowship and two National Research Service Awards. She is currently funded by the National Institute on Aging for her work on cognitive reserve in young-onset dementia.

  PUBLICATIONS

  Kolanowski, A., Gilmore-Bykovskyi, A., Hill, N., Massimo, L.,  Mogle, J. (2019).  Measurement challenges in research with individuals with cognitive impairment.  Res Gerontol Nurs., 12(1), 7-15.

  Caswell, C., McMillan, C.T., Xie, S. X., Van Deerlin, V. M., Suh, E., Lee, E. B., ... Massimo, L. (2019).  Genetic predictors of survival in behavioral varient frontotemporal degeneration.  Neurology, 93, 1-8.

  Massimo, L., Kales, H. C., & Kolanowski, A. (2018). State of the Science: Apathy As a Model for Investigating Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Dementia. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 66, S4–S12. http://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15343

  Massimo L, Xie, SX, Rennert, L, Fick, DM, Halpin, A, Placek, K, Williams, A, Rascovsky, K, Irwin, DJ, Grossman, M, McMillan, CT. (2018). Occupational attainment influences longitudinal decline in behavioral variant frontotemporal degeneration. Brain Imaging Behav. doi: 10.1007/s11682-018-9852-x.

  Massimo, L., Munoz, E., Hill, N., Mogle, J., Mulhall, P., McMillan, C., Clare, L., Vandenburg, D., Fick, D. & Kolanowski, A. (2017). Genetic and environmental factors associated with delirium severity in older adults with dementia. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 32(5), 574-581. PMCID: PMC5083230 

  Placek, K., Massimo, L., Olm, C., Ternes, K., Van Deerlin, V., Lee, E., Trojanowski, J., Irwin, D., Grossman, M & McMillan, C. (2016). Neuroanatomic and neuropsychological evidence of cognitive reserve in frontotemporal degeneration. Neurology, 87(17), 1813-1819. PMCID: PMC5089523    

  Massimo, L., Powers, J.P., Evans, L. K., McMillan, C.T., Rascovsky, K., Eslinger, P., Ersek, M., Irwin, D.J., Grossman, M. (2015): Apathy in Frontotemporal Degeneration: Neuroanatomical Evidence of Impaired Goal-Directed Behavior.  Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2015 November;9(611).

  Massimo, L., Zee, J., Xie, S.X., McMillan, C.T., Rascovsky, K., Irwin, D.J., Kolanowski, A., Grossman, M.(2015): Occupational Attainment Influences Survival in Autopsy-Confirmed Frontotemporal Degeneration.  Neurology. 2015 May 19;84(20):2070-5.  

  Fitts, W., Weintraub, D., Massimo, L., Chahine, L., Chen-Plotkin, A., Duda, J.E., Hurtig, H.I., Rick, J., Trojanowski, J.Q., Dahodwala, N.(2015):Caregiver report of apathy predicts dementia in Parkinson's disease. Parkinsonism Related Disorders. 2015 Aug;21(8):992-5.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26117435

  Powers, J.P., Massimo, L., McMillan, C.T., Yushkevich, P.A., Zhang, H., Gee, J.C., Grossman, M. (2014): White matter disease contributes to apathy and disinhibition in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. Cognitive Behavioral Neurology. 2014 Dec;27(4):206-14.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25539040

  Massimo, L., Evans, L. & Grossman, M. (2014). Differentiating Subtypes of Apathy to Improve Person-Centered Care in Frontotemporal Degeneration. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 40(10), 58-65.

  Massimo, L., Evans, L. & Benner, P. (2013). Caring for loved ones with Frontotemporal Degeneration: The lived experiences of spouses. Geriatric Nursing, 34(4), 302-306.

  Massimo, L., Libon, D.J., Chandrasekaran, K., Dreyfuss, M., McMillan, C.T., Rascovsky, K., Boller, A., & Grossman, M. (2013). Self-Appraisal in behavioral variant FrontotemporalDegeneration. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 84(2), 148-53.

  Libon, D.J., Rascovsky, K., Gross, R.G., White, M.T., Xie, S.X., Dreyfuss, M., Boller, A.,Massimo, L., Moore, P., Kitain, J., Coslett, H.B., Chatterjee, A. & Grossman M. (2011). The Philadelphia Brief Assessment of Cognition (PBAC): a validated screening measure for dementia. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 25(8), 1314-30.

  Grossman, M., Eslinger, P.J., Troiani, V., Anderson, C., Avants, B., Gee, J.C., McMillan, C., Massimo, L., Khan, A. & Antani, S. (2010). The role of ventral medial prefrontal cortex in social decisions: Converging evidence from fMRI and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.  Neuropsychologia,48(12):3505-12.

  Massimo, L., Anderson, C., Moore, P., Avantz, B., Libon, D. & Grossman, M. (2009).  Neuroanatomy of apathy and disinhibition in Frontotemporal Lobar Dementia.Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 27(1), 96-104.

  Massimo, L. & Grossman, M. Patient care and management of Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (2008). American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias, 23(2), 125- 131.

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  Murray Grossman MD, EdD

  Professor of Neurology
   215-349-5863
  
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  Murray Grossman MD, EdD

  Professor of Neurology
   215-349-5863
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  Dr. Grossman received his M.D.C.M. from McGill University and completed his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he is now Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry and Director of the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center. He was editor of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology for a decade, and currently serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals. Dr. Grossman has published almost 500 scientific papers, and is known professionally for his special interest and research contributions related to FTD and other early-onset neurodegenerative diseases. He has extensive clinical experience in diagnosis and management of FTD and related conditions. Dr. Grossman directs a team of researchers and clinicians in studies related to the diagnosis and treatment of FTDs including: understanding the neural basis of language social cognition, developing advanced techniques in neuroimaging and biofluid biomarkers in early-onset neurodegenerative conditions, relating measures of these conditions directly to neuropathology, and applying this knowledge to clinical care. He served as the foundingChair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board for the Association for Frontotemporal Degenerations, founding Board of Governors of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language, and Chair of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Aphasia, and currently serves on the governing board of the International Society of the Frontotemporal Degenerations.

  PUBLICATIONS

  1.    Grossman, M.: Primary progressive aphasia: Clinical-pathological correlations.  Nature Reviews Neurology 6;88-97, 2010.

  2.    Grossman, M.: The non-fluent/agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia.  Lancet Neurology 11;545-555, 2012.

  3.    Irwin DJ, McMillan CT, Xie SX, Rascovsky K, Van Deerlin VM, Coslett HB, Hamilton R, Aguirre GK, Lee EB, Lee VMY, Trojanowski JQ, Grossman M.: Asymmetry of post-mortem neuropathology in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia. Brain. 2018 Jan 1;141(1):288-301. doi: 10.1093/brain/awx319.

  4.    Grossman, M.: Linguistic aspects of primary progressive aphasia.  Annual Review of Linguistics 4, 377-403, 2018.  

  5.    Phillips JS, Da Re F, Irwin DJ, McMillan CT, Vaishnavi SN, Xie SX, Lee EB, Cook PA, Gee JC, Shaw LM, Trojanowski JQ, Wolk DA, Grossman M.: Longitudinal progression of grey matter atrophy in non-amnestic Alzheimer's disease. Brain. 2019 Jun 1;142(6):1701-1722. doi: 10.1093/brain/awz091.

  6.    Nevler N, Ash S, Irwin DJ, Liberman M, Grossman M.: Validated automatic speech biomarkers in primary progressive aphasia. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2019 Jan;6(1):4-14. doi: 10.1002/acn3.653.

  7.    Zhang, J.V., Irwin D.J., Blennow, K., Zetterberg, H., Lee, E.B., Shaw, L.M., Rascovsky, K., Massimo, L., McMillan, C.T., Chen-Plotkin, A., Elman, L., Lee, V.M.-Y., McCluskey, L., Toledo, J.B., Weintraub, D., Wolk, D., Trojanowski, J.Q., Grossman, M.: Neurofilament Light Chain Related to Longitudinal Decline in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration.  Neurology: Clinical Practice, in press.

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FACULTY

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  Sara Manning MD, MS

  Assistant Professor
   Email Sara Manning MD, MS
  
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  Sara Manning MD, MS

  Assistant Professor
   smannin@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  Dr. Manning received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude prior to moving to Philadelphia.  She received her medical degree, along with a master's degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology, from the University of Pennsylvania.  She went on to complete residency in neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she subsequently completed a fellowship in cognitive neurology. She now works both in the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center and the Penn Memory Center.  She’s particularly interested in narrative medicine and teaching the lay public about neurologic afflictions.  She's published work in The New York Times and The Boston Globe Magazine and is working on a book about molecules that hijack the brain.

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  Jeffrey Phillips PhD

  Research Assistant Professor
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  Jeffrey Phillips PhD

  Research Assistant Professor
   jefphi@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  My research is driven by a desire to understand the progression of neurodegenerative disease and predict its effects at an individual patient level. My current research program includes a focus on atypical, earlier-onset variants of Alzheimer’s disease and on mixed pathologies. Methodologically, this work leverages MRI-based measures of grey and white matter degeneration (Phillips, Da Re, et al., 2018, 2019) as well as positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of tau protein accumulation to evaluate patients’ disease progression during life (Phillips et al., 2018, 2021). My long-term translational research plan is to develop quantitative, biomarker-based models of disease risk that link information from the molecular level (genotyping and pathology) to the systems level (structural, functional, and molecular neuroimaging) and overt behavior (neuropsychological and cognitive neuroscientific assessment). I aim to apply this research translationally to predict disease spread and cognitive changes on the individual patient level. By enhancing the diagnostic and prognostic value of antemortem imaging, we can more accurately target clinical care efforts and potential disease-modifying therapies.

   

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  Katheryn Cousins

  Research Assistant Professor
   Email Katheryn Cousins
   215-349-5863
  
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  Katheryn Cousins

  Research Assistant Professor
   kcous@mail.med.upenn.edu
   215-349-5863
  

  BIOGRAPHY

   

  Katheryn Cousins is a Research Associate in the Department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. She joined the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center as a postdoctoral fellow in 2014 to study neurolinguistics and semantic processing in patients with neurodegenerative disease. Her current research agenda investigates the clinical, pathologic and demographic factors that interact with biomarkers associated with neurodegenerative disease. By combining clinical profiling with biofluid and neuroimaging markers of pathology, Dr. Cousins aims to improve diagnostic accuracy for patients with young-onset dementia, including frontotemporal dementia and non-amnestic variants of Alzheimer’s disease, and to develop diagnostic strategies that can detect co-occurring proteinopathies.

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  Katya Rascovsky PhD

  Research Assistant Professor
   Email Katya Rascovsky PhD
   215-662-2680
  
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  Katya Rascovsky PhD

  Research Assistant Professor
   katyaras@mail.med.upenn.edu
   215-662-2680
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  Dr. Katya Rascovsky is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. She received her BA in Biological Basis of Behavior and Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a MA in Psychology from New York University. From 1995-1999 she worked in a memory disorder’s clinic and taught neuropsychology in her native country of Colombia.  In 2005, she was awarded her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Rascovsky completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Neuropsychology at the Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, where she also worked as an Instructor and Assistant Professor.  

  Dr. Rascovsky’s research has focused on identifying the cognitive and behavioral markers of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Her research also includes studies of survival and clinical progression of patients with frontotemporal degeneration. Current research interests include social norm violation, politeness and compulsivity in bvFTD, as well as studies of impulsivity using neuroeconomic methods.  She also conducts cross-cultural studies of young-onset dementia in Latin America.

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RESEARCH FELLOWS

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  Sarah Burke

  Postdoctoral Fellow
  

  Sarah Burke

  Postdoctoral Fellow
  

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  Daniel Ohm PhD

  Postdoctoral Fellow
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  Daniel Ohm PhD

  Postdoctoral Fellow
   Daniel.Ohm@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
  

  Biography

  Dan is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Dave Irwin’s Digital Neuropathology lab associated with the FTDC.  Dan completed his PhD in Neuroscience at Northwestern University where he received training from Drs. Emily Rogalski, Changiz Geula, and M.-Marsel Mesulam. With a passion for neuroanatomy and how it changes in disease, his current work is centered on investigating the vulnerability of select regions and cell types to tau or TDP-43 proteinopathies.  One goal of this line of research is to identify the cells and circuits contributing to cognitive impairments associated with frontotemporal dementia syndromes. When not in lab, Dan loves hiking new mountains, teaching his dog new tricks, and improving his photography and drawing skills.

  Publications

  Ohm DT, Cousins KAQ, Peterson C, Xie E, Lobrovich R, Gibbons GS, McMillan CT, Wolk DA, Deerlin VV, Elman L, Spindler M, Deik A, Siderowf A, Trojanowski JQ, Lee EB, Grossman M, Irwin DJ (2021) Signature laminar distributions of pathology in frontotemporal lobar degeneration. (in revision at Acta Neuropathol)

  Ohm DT, Peterson C, Lobrovich R, Cousins KAQ, Gibbons GS, McMillan CT, Wolk DA, Deerlin VV, Elman L, Spindler M, Deik A, Siderowf A, Trojanowski JQ, Lee EB, Grossman M, Irwin DJ (2020) Degeneration of the locus coeruleus is a common feature of tauopathies and distinct from TDP-43 proteinopathies in the frontotemporal lobar degeneration spectrum. Acta Neuropathol 140:675–693.

  Ohm DT, Kim G, Gefen T, Rademaker A, Weintraub S, Bigio EH, Mesulam M ‐M., Rogalski E, Geula C (2019) Prominent microglial activation in cortical white matter is selectively associated with cortical atrophy in primary progressive aphasia. Neuropath Appl Neuro 45:216–229.

  Ohm DT, Fought AJ, Rademaker A, Kim G, Sridhar J, Coventry C, Gefen T, Weintraub S, Bigio E, Mesulam MM, Rogalski E, Geula C (2020) Neuropathologic basis of in vivo cortical atrophy in the aphasic variant of Alzheimer’s disease. Brain Pathol 30:332–344.

  Ohm DT, Fought AJ, Martersteck A, Coventry C, Sridhar J, Gefen T, Weintraub S, Bigio E, Mesulam M ‐Marsel, Rogalski E, Geula C (2021) Accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles and activated microglia is associated with lower neuron densities in the aphasic variant of Alzheimer’s disease. Brain Pathol 31:189–204.

  Ohm DT, Bloss EB, Janssen WG, Dietz KC, Wadsworth S, Lou W, Gee NA, Lasley BL, Rapp PR, Morrison JH (2012) Clinically Relevant Hormone Treatments Fail to Induce Spinogenesis in Prefrontal Cortex of Aged Female Rhesus Monkeys. J Neurosci 32:11700–11705.

   

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  Emma Rhodes PhD

  Neuropsychologist
   Email Emma Rhodes PhD
  
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  Emma Rhodes PhD

  Neuropsychologist
   Emma.Rhodes@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
  

  Biography

  Emma Rhodes completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Temple University, predoctoral internship in Neuropsychology at UCSD, and postdoctoral fellowship in Geropsychology and Neuropsychology at UCSF/San Francisco VA Medical Center. She is an instructor and clinical neuropsychologist in the Neurology department at the University of Pennsylvania and serves as the Co-Chair of the Social Media Committee of the International Neuropsychological Society.

  Dr. Rhodes’ research focuses on mechanisms of neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative disease, with an emphasis on social and emotional dysfunction in bvFTD, and the impact of psychosocial factors, such as mood and personality, on clinical and cognitive outcomes in aging and dementia. She additionally works as a clinical neuropsychologist, conducting comprehensive clinical assessments of patients with a wide range of neurologic and psychiatric etiologies. She strives to conduct research that is clinically informed and meaningful for patients and their families. In her free time, Dr. Rhodes enjoys painting, reading contemporary fiction, and telling dogs how good they are.

  PUBLICATIONS

  [1] Rhodes E, Insel PS, Butters MA, Morin R, Bickford D, Tosun D, Gessert D, Rosen HJ, Aisen P, Raman R, Landau S, Saykin A, Toga A, Jack CR, Weiner MW, Nelson C, Mackin S, on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging I, the ADP (2021) The Impact of Amyloid Burden and APOE on Rates of Cognitive Impairment in Late Life Depression. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 80, 991-1002.

   

  [2] Mackin RS, Insel PS, Landau S, Bickford D, Morin R, Rhodes E, Tosun D, Rosen HJ, Butters M, Aisen P, Raman R, Saykin A, Toga A, Jack C, Jr., Koeppe R, Weiner MW, Nelson C (2021) Late-Life Depression Is Associated With Reduced Cortical Amyloid Burden: Findings From the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Depression Project. Biological Psychiatry 89, 757-765.

   

  [3] Rhodes E, & Giovannetti T (2021) Grit and successful aging in older adults. Aging & mental health, 1–8.

   

  [4] Mackin RS, Rhodes E, Insel PS, Nosheny R, Finley S, Ashford M, Camacho MR, Truran D, Mosca K, Seabrook G, Morrison R, Narayan VA, Weiner M (2021) Reliability and Validity of a Home-Based Self-Administered Computerized Test of Learning and Memory Using Speech Recognition. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn, 1-15.

   

  [5] Rhodes E, Lamar M, Libon DJ, Giovannetti T (2019) Memory for Serial Order in Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia: A Competitive Queuing Analysis. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 34, 2-13.

   

  [6] Rhodes E, Devlin KN, Steinberg L, Giovannetti T (2017) Grit in adolescence is protective of late-life cognition: non-cognitive factors and cognitive reserve. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition 24, 321-332.

  [7] Kessler RK, Rhodes E, Giovannetti T (2015) Environmental Adaptations Improve Everyday Action in Schizophrenia. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 21, 319-329

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  Barbara Spencer PhD

  Researcher
   Email Barbara Spencer PhD
  
  Read More about Barbara Spencer PhD
  

  Barbara Spencer PhD

  Researcher
   Barbara.Spencer@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
  

  Biography

  Barbara joined the FTD Center as a postdoctoral fellow after completing her PhD in Neurosciences at UC San Diego. By examining genetic risk across TDP-43 proteinopathies, she aims to improve our understanding of the neuropathological and clinical heterogeneity of these neurodegenerative diseases.

   

  Publications

  Spencer BE, Digma LA, Jennings RG, Brewer JB, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging

  Initiative, A4 Study Team. (2021) Gene- and age-informed screening for

  preclinical Alzheimer’s disease trials. Alzheimers Dement 17, 457–465. doi:10.1002/alz.12207.

   

  Spencer BE, Jennings RG, Fan CC, Brewer JB (2020) Assessment of genetic risk for improved

  clinical-neuropathological correlations. Acta Neuropathol Commun 8, 160. doi:10.1186/s40478-020-01033-1.

   

  Spencer BE, Jennings RG, Brewer JB, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (2019)

  Combined biomarker prognosis of mild cognitive impairment: An 11-year follow up study in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. J Alzheimers Dis 68, 1549–1559. doi:10.3233/JAD-181243.

   

  Fan CC, Schork AJ, Brown TT, Spencer BE, Akshoomoff N, Chen CH, Kuperman JM, Hagler

  DJ Jr, Steen VM, Le Hellard S, Håberg AK, Espeseth T, Andreassen OA, Dale AM, Jernigan TL, Halgren E, Pediatric Imaging, Neurocognition and Genetics Study, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (2018) Williams Syndrome neuroanatomical score associates with GTF2IRD1 in large-scale magnetic resonance imaging cohorts: A proof of concept for multivariate endophenotypes. Transl Psychiatry 8, 114. doi:10.1038/s41398-018-0166-y.

   

  Reed JL, D'Ambrosio E, Marenco S, Ursini G, Zheutlin AB, Blasi G, Spencer BE, Romano R,

  Hochheiser J, Reifman A, Sturm J, Berman KF, Bertolino A, Weinberger DR, Callicott JH (2018) Interaction of childhood urbanicity and variation in dopamine genes alters adult prefrontal function as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). PLoS One 13, e0195189. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0195189

   

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  Naomi Nevler

  Research Assistant Professor
   Email Naomi Nevler
   215-615-3427
  
  Read More about Naomi Nevler
  

  Naomi Nevler

  Research Assistant Professor
   naomine@mail.med.upenn.edu
   215-615-3427
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  Naomi Nevler is  a 2004 graduate of the Sourasky School of Medicine in Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Israel. In 2015 she completed her residency in Neurology at the Tel-Aviv Medical Center. Dr. Nevler’s experience treating patients who suffer from neurodegenerative disorders has led her to join Dr. Grossman’s lab at the Penn FTD Center with the intention of  specializing in the field of Behavioral Neurology. Her current research topic is the prosodic changes in the speech of people with neurodegenerative related conditions such as FTD and PPA. Prosody refers to the elements of speech such as speech rate, pauses and intonations that work in synergy with the linguistic content to express specific emotional messages. The research is aimed at developing novel algorithms for automated speech analysis, in the hope of establishing a reliable clinical biomarker for FTD.

  PUBLICATIONS

  Lexical and Acoustic Speech Features Relating to Alzheimer Disease Pathology.  Cho S, Quilico Cousins KA, Shellikeri S, Ash S, Irwin DJ, Liberman MY, Grossman M, Nevler N. Neurology. 2022 Apr 29:10.1212/WNL.0000000000200581. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200581. Online ahead of print. PMID: 35487701

  Automatic measurement of prosody in behavioral variant FTD.  Nevler N, Ash S, Jester C, Irwin DJ, Liberman M, Grossman M. Neurology. 2017 Aug 15;89(7):650-656. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004236. Epub 2017 Jul 19. PMID: 28724588 Free PMC article.

  Validated automatic speech biomarkers in primary progressive aphasia.  Nevler N, Ash S, Irwin DJ, Liberman M, Grossman M. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2018 Nov 24;6(1):4-14. doi: 10.1002/acn3.653. eCollection 2019 Jan. PMID: 30656179 Free PMC article.

  Automated analysis of natural speech in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis spectrum disorders.  Nevler N, Ash S, McMillan C, Elman L, McCluskey L, Irwin DJ, Cho S, Liberman M, Grossman M. Neurology. 2020 Sep 22;95(12):e1629-e1639. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000010366. Epub 2020 Jul 16. PMID: 32675077 Free PMC article.

  Digital Speech Analysis in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Corticobasal Syndromes.  Parjane N, Cho S, Ash S, Cousins KAQ, Shellikeri S, Liberman M, Shaw LM, Irwin DJ, Grossman M, Nevler N. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021;82(1):33-45. doi: 10.3233/JAD-201132. PMID: 34219738 Free PMC article.

  Lexical and Acoustic Characteristics of Young and Older Healthy Adults.  Cho S, Nevler N, Shellikeri S, Parjane N, Irwin DJ, Ryant N, Ash S, Cieri C, Liberman M, Grossman M. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2021 Feb 17;64(2):302-314. doi: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00384. Epub 2021 Jan 13. PMID: 33439761 Free PMC article.

  Automated analysis of lexical features in frontotemporal degeneration.  Cho S, Nevler N, Ash S, Shellikeri S, Irwin DJ, Massimo L, Rascovsky K, Olm C, Grossman M, Liberman M. Cortex. 2021 Apr;137:215-231. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.01.012. Epub 2021 Feb 6. PMID: 33640853 Free PMC article.

  Automated Analysis of Digitized Letter Fluency Data.  Cho S, Nevler N, Parjane N, Cieri C, Liberman M, Grossman M, Cousins KAQ. Front Psychol. 2021 Jul 29;12:654214. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.654214. eCollection 2021. PMID: 34393894 Free PMC article.

  Automated analysis of lexical features in Frontotemporal Degeneration.  Cho S, Nevler N, Ash S, Shellikeri S, Irwin DJ, Massimo L, Rascovsky K, Olm C, Grossman M, Liberman M. medRxiv. 2020 Nov 4:2020.09.10.20192054. doi: 10.1101/2020.09.10.20192054. Preprint. PMID: 33173922 Free PMC article. Updated.

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  Sanjana Shellikeri

  Postdoctoral Fellow
  
  Read More about Sanjana Shellikeri
  

  Sanjana Shellikeri

  Postdoctoral Fellow
  

  BIOGRAPHY

   

  Sanjana joined the Penn FTD Center as a post-doctoral research fellow in September 2019. She received her Ph.D. in Speech-Language Pathology with a Collaborative Specialization in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto, Canada. Her research works to delineate motor from cognitive-linguistic effects on speech and to link speech behaviors to underlying pathology in neurodegenerative diseases. This research is aimed at developing valid and reliable clinical biomarkers which has implications for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic trials.

  PUBLICATIONS

   

   

  1.    Shellikeri, S., Keith, J., Black, SE., Zinman, L., & Yunusova, Y. (2019). Neuropathology of Speech Network Distinguishes Bulbar from Non-Bulbar Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, 0(0), 1-12.

  2.    Shellikeri, S., Myers, M., Black, S. E., Abrahao, A., Zinman, L., & Yunusova, Y. (2019). Speech network regional involvement in bulbar ALS: a multimodal structural MRI study. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 1-11.

  3.    Yunusova, Y., Ansari, J., Ramirez, J., Shellikeri, S., Stanisz, G. J., Black, S. E., & Zinman, L. (2019). Frontal Anatomical Correlates of Cognitive and Speech Motor Deficits in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Behavioural Neurology, 2019.

  4.    Kearney, E., Shellikeri, S., Martino, R., & Yunusova, Y. (2018). Augmented visual feedback-aided interventions for motor rehabilitation in Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1-17.

  5.    Shellikeri, S., Karthikeyan, V., Martino, R., Black, S.E., Zinman, L., Keith, J., & Yunusova, Y. (2017). The Neuropathological Signature of Bulbar-onset ALS: A Systematic Review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioural Reviews, DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.045.

  6.    Shellikeri, S., Green, J. R., Kulkarni, M., Rong, P., Martino, R., Zinman, L., & Yunusova, Y. (2016). Speech Movement Measures as Markers of Bulbar Disease in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 59(5), 887-899.

  7.    Yunusova, Y., Graham, N.L., Shellikeri, S., Phuong, K., Kulkarni, M., Rochon, E., Tang-Wai, D.F., Chow, T.F., Black, S.E., Zinman, L.H., & Green, J.R. (2016). Profiling Speech and Pausing in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), PloS One, 11(1).

  8.    Shellikeri, S., Yunusova Y., Green, J.R., Pattee, G.L., Rutkove, S., & Zinman, L. (2015). Electrical Impedence Myography (EIM) in the Evaluation of the Tongue Musculature in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Muscle & Nerve, 52(4), 584-91. DOI: 10.1002/mus.24565.

  9.    Yunusova, Y., Rosenthal, J.S., Green, J.R., Shellikeri, S., Rong, P., Wang, J., & Zinman, L. (2013). Detection of Bulbar ALS using a comprehensive speech assessment battery, Models and Analysis of Vocal Emissions for Biomedical Applications, 98, 217-221.

  10. Shellikeri, S., Yunusova, Y., Thomas, D., Green, J.R., & Zinman, L. (2013). Compensatory Articulation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Tongue and Jaw in Speech, In Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, 19(1), 060061. DOI: 10.1121/1.480042.

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GRADUATE STUDENTS

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  Christopher Olm

  Bioengineering Doctoral Student
  
  Read More about Christopher Olm
  

  Christopher Olm

  Bioengineering Doctoral Student
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  Chris is a Bioengineering PhD Candidate in the Penn FTD Center and the Penn Image Computing and Science Lab (PICSL). His research interests are identifying in vivo markers of disease progression and pathology using structural and functional MRI, in particular arterial spin labeling (ASL). Outside of the lab, he enjoys running, fixing guitars, and plays electric bass in a band. 

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CLINICAL STAFF

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  Gabriela Bustamante

  Clinical Research Coordinator
  
  Read More about Gabriela Bustamante
  

  Gabriela Bustamante

  Clinical Research Coordinator
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  Gabriela (Gabby) Bustamante is the Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator at the Penn FTD Center. She helps manage clinical care as well as assist in a variety of research evaluations. Gabby graduated from Villanova University in 2015 with her Bachelors of Science in Nursing and a minor in Psychology. Prior to starting at the Penn FTD Center in late 2017, Gabby worked as an inpatient medical-surgical nurse for over two years at Main Line Health's Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, PA. While at Riddle, Gabby completed evidence based practice research on hospice care to improve patient and family education when transitioning to end-of-life care. Research has always been a great interest of hers and a family member's experience with neurodegenerative disease motivated her transition to a career in Neurology. Gabby is currently working towards her Master’s in Public Health at Temple University to learn how to better provide for underserved communities as a health care professional.

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  Dahlia Kamel

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Email Dahlia Kamel
   215-662-6134
  
  Read More about Dahlia Kamel
  

  Dahlia Kamel

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Dahlia.Kamel@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
   215-662-6134
  

  Biography

  Dahlia Kamel is a Clinical Trials Coordinator at the Penn FTD Center, who joined the FTD Center in December 2020. Dahlia holds a B.S. in Biology, a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience, a Graduate Certificate in Biostatics and SAS Programming, and an M.S. in Health/Medical Psychology with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience. She is currently enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Aging Studies PhD Program at the Tulane University School of Medicine, but is taking a break to work in clinical research. Her published M.S. thesis focused on the associations of cognitive and functional screening measures in patients with Alzheimer’s and Mild Cognitive Impairment, and ways to improve diagnostic use and accuracy. Dahlia is primarily interested in neurodegeneration, neurogenetics, and cognition, and extremely excited about working on cutting-edge genetic therapy trials for patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Dahlia’s previous experience includes clinical research coordinating for Penn Memory Center and Department of Sleep Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate research assistant and lab manager for the Cognitive Neuropsychology Lab at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and undergraduate research at the University of North Carolina in the Aging and Cognitive Training Lab.

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  Danielle Almstead

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Email Danielle Almstead
   215-662-6122
  
  Read More about Danielle Almstead
  

  Danielle Almstead

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Danielle.almstead@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
   215-662-6122
  

  Danielle Almstead is a Clinical Research Coordinator who works on industry-sponsored therapeutic trials at the Penn FTD Center. Danielle is particularly excited to be able to play a role in offering new and innovative gene therapy trials to those with FTD. Danielle graduated from Princeton University in 2020 with her Bachelors degree in Biology, and joined the Penn FTD Center in May of 2021. Prior to her time at Penn, Danielle worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator on clinical trials for Major Depressive Disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Treatment-Resistant Depression, and Alzheimer’s Disease at the Princeton Medical Institute in Princeton, New Jersey.

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  Laynie Dratch ScM, CGC

  Genetic Counselor
  
  Read More about Laynie Dratch ScM, CGC
  

  Laynie Dratch ScM, CGC

  Genetic Counselor
  

  Laynie Dratch is a genetic counselor who joined the Penn FTD Center team in February 2020. She helps families with FTD and related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), navigate genetic testing options through research and clinical encounters. She helps individuals and families adapt to and cope with their diagnoses, and is a resource for all genetics questions. Laynie graduated summa cum laude from Colgate University with a BA in neuroscience and a minor in psychology. She completed her master’s in genetic counseling at the Johns Hopkins University / National Institutes of Health training program. Her graduate thesis work included a qualitative study of the lived experiences of individuals with or at risk of developing FTD. Laynie sees patients both at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Hospital, and is involved in many of our FTD Center research studies.

   

  PUBLICATIONS

  Dratch, L., Paul, R. A., Baldwin, A., Brzozowski, M., Gonzalez‐Alegre, P., Tropea, T. F., ... & Bardakjian, T. (2021). Transitioning to telegenetics in the COVID‐19 era: Patient satisfaction with remote genetic counseling in adult neurology. Journal of genetic counseling, 30(4), 974-983.

  Phillips, J. S., Da Re, F., Dratch, L., Xie, S. X., Irwin, D. J., McMillan, C. T., ... & Grossman, M. (2018). Neocortical origin and progression of gray matter atrophy in nonamnestic Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiology of aging, 63, 75-87.

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RESEARCH STAFF

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  Sharon Ash (PhD)

  Research Specialist C
  
  Read More about Sharon Ash (PhD)
  

  Sharon Ash (PhD)

  Research Specialist C
  

  BIOGRAPHY

  Sharon (Sherry) Ash holds a BA in Biology from Bryn Mawr College and a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania.  Before joining the FTD Center, she was the Associate Director of the Linguistics Laboratory at Penn, headed by William Labov, conducting research on variation and change in language.  As a member of the speech team within the FTDC, she studies the characteristics of phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, fluency, and discourse in the spontaneous speech of individuals with neurodegenerative conditions.  This research aims to identify speech biomarkers to aid in the early detection of impairment, assessment of prognosis, and the differentiation of distinct syndromes.  After hours, Sherry plays violin in one symphony orchestra and as many theatrical groups as possible and also provides entertainment for three lovely cats.

  PUBLICATIONS

  Ash S, Nevler N, Phillips J, Irwin DJ, McMillan CT, Rascovsky K, Grossman M.  A longitudinal study of speech production in primary progressive aphasia and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. Brain Lang. 2019 Jul; 171:46-57.

  Ash S, Jester C, York C, Kofman OL, Langey R, Halpin A, Firn K, Dominguez Perez S, Chahine L, Spindler M, Dahodwala N, Irwin DJ, McMillan C, Weintraub D, Grossman M. Longitudinal decline in speech production in Parkinson's disease spectrum disorders. Brain Lang. 2017 Aug; 171:42-51.

  Ash S, Ternes K, Bisbing T, Min NE, Moran E, York C, McMillan CT, Irwin DJ, Grossman M.  Dissociation of quantifiers and object nouns in speech in focal neurodegenerative disease.  Neuropsychologia.  2016 Aug; 89:141-152.

  Ash S, Menaged A, Olm C, McMillan CT, Boller A, Irwin DJ, McCluskey L, Elman L, Grossman M.  Narrative discourse deficits in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurology.  2014 Aug 5;83(6):520-8. 

  Ash S, Grossman M.  Why study connected speech production?  In Cognitive Neuroscience of Natural Language Use.  Ed. by Willems RM.  Chapter 3, pp. 29-58.  Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.  February, 2015.

  Ash S, Olm C, McMillan CT, Boller A, Irwin DJ, McCluskey L, Elman L, Grossman M.  Deficits in sentence expression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener. 2015 Mar;16(1-2):31-9.

  Ash S, Xie SX, Gross RG, Dreyfuss M, Boller A, Camp E, Morgan B, O’Shea J, Grossman M.  The organization and anatomy of narrative comprehension and expression in Lewy body spectrum disorders.  Neuropsychology 2012;26(3):368-384.

  Ash S, McMillan C, Gross RG, Cook P, Gunawardena D, Morgan B, Boller A, Siderowf A, Grossman M.  Impairments of speech fluency in Lewy body spectrum disorder.  Brain & Language 2011;120:290-302.

  Ash S, McMillan C, Gross RG, Cook P, Morgan B, Boller A, Dreyfuss M, Siderowf A, Grossman M.  The organization of narrative discourse in Lewy body spectrum disorder.  Brain & Language 2011;119:30–41.

  Ash, S, McMillan C, Gunawardena D, Avants B, Morgan B, Khan A, Moore P, Gee J, Grossman M.  Speech errors in progressive non-fluent aphasia.  Brain & Language 2010; 113:13–20.

  Ash S, Moore P, Antani S, McCawley G, Work M, Grossman M.  Trying to tell a tale: Discourse impairments in progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.  Neurology 2006; 66(9):1405-13.

  Labov W, Ash S, Boberg C.  The Atlas of North American English: Phonetics, Phonology and Sound Change. 2006. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

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  Quinn Hlava

  Clinical Research Coordinator
  
  Read More about Quinn Hlava
  

  Quinn Hlava

  Clinical Research Coordinator
  

  Biography

  Quinn received her B.S in Biology and B.S. in Psychology from the University of Georgia in May 2021. Her previous research includes stroke rehabilitation at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and eye-tracking in Parkinson's at UGA's Sensorimotor Neuroscience Laboratory. At the FTD Center, Quinn is a Neuroimaging Research Coordinator working on two multi-site imaging studies. She hopes to gain more experience in data analysis and patient care to work towards being a physician-researcher in the future. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cuddling with her cats, and painting her nails.

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  Claire Peterson

  Research Staff
  

  Claire Peterson

  Research Staff
  

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  Samantha Ballinger

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Email Samantha Ballinger
  
  Read More about Samantha Ballinger
  

  Samantha Ballinger

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Samantha.Ballinger@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
  

  Biography

  Sam graduated in 2018 with a B.S. in Clinical Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology from Virginia Tech.  At the FTD center, she is an Imaging Research Coordinator working specifically on collecting 7T MRI data.  Sam hopes to gain more experience in imaging analysis at the FTD center to prepare for graduate school.  In her free time, she enjoys running, eating, being outdoors, and spending time with her Golden Retriever puppy, Dexter!

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  Carmen Gonzalez-Recober

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Email Carmen Gonzalez-Recober
  
  Read More about Carmen Gonzalez-Recober
  

  Carmen Gonzalez-Recober

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Carmen.Gonzalez-Recober@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
  

  Biography

  Carmen Gonzalez-Recober recently graduated from The Pennsylvania State University Schreyer Honors College with a B.A. in Psychology and an enhanced minor in Spanish. Her previous research experience included working at the Bilingualism and Language Development Lab at The Pennsylvania State University, where she focused on code-switching effects on comprehension of speech. She is currently the Speech Team Clinical Research Coordinator at the FTD Center and is involved in category versus letter fluency analysis and will be helping to run an upcoming conversation study. She hopes to gain more experience in research and patient care in preparation for graduate school, where she will seek to attain a PhD in Clinical Psychology.  

   

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  Julia Kwiecinski

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Email Julia Kwiecinski
  
  Read More about Julia Kwiecinski
  

  Julia Kwiecinski

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Julia.Kwiecinski@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
  

  Julia is a Clinical Research Coordinator who earned her B.A. in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience from Rutgers University in January of 2021. She has experience completing neuropsychological testing with children, teens, and adults who have been diagnosed with either ADHD or Alzheimer's Disease. She has also spent some time working as a research assistant in Dr. Marc Steinberg's Tobacco Research and Intervention Lab at Rutgers University, studying various therapeutic techniques to help optimize tobacco treatment in populations with serious mental illness (I.e., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder). Julia has a strong interest in Neuropsychology and memory and hopes to earn her Ph.D. within the field so that she may continue to work with populations with ADHD and FTD.  

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  Natalia Parjane

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Email Natalia Parjane
  
  Read More about Natalia Parjane
  

  Natalia Parjane

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Natalia.Parjane@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
  

  Biography

  Natalia Parjane completed her BA in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Neuroscience and minor in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020. She is a clinical research coordinator at the Penn FTD Center. She performs cognitive assessments on patients, and scores and manages data cleaning for research. She has also done research at the center, investigating underlying speech pathology in progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome, corticobasal syndrome, and patients with nonfluent primary progressive aphasia.

  Publications

  Parjane N, Cho S, Ash S, Cousins KAQ, Shellikeri S, Liberman M, Shaw LM, Irwin DJ, Grossman M, Nevler N. Digital Speech Analysis in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Corticobasal Syndromes. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021;82(1):33-45. doi: 10.3233/JAD-201132. PMID: 34219738.

  Cho S, Nevler N, Shellikeri S, Parjane N, Irwin DJ, Ryant N, Ash S, Cieri C, Liberman M, Grossman M. Lexical and Acoustic Characteristics of Young and Older Healthy Adults. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2021 Feb 17;64(2):302-314. doi: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00384. Epub 2021 Jan 13. PMID: 33439761.

  Cho S, Nevler N, Parjane N, Cieri C, Liberman M, Grossman M, Cousins KAQ. Automated Analysis of Digitized Letter Fluency Data. Front Psychol. 2021 Jul 29;12:654214. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.654214. PMID: 34393894; PMCID: PMC8359864.

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  Lizzy Fulop B.S.

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Email Lizzy Fulop B.S.
   215-573-6279
  
  Read More about Lizzy Fulop B.S.
  

  Lizzy Fulop B.S.

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Elizabeth.Fulop@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
   215-573-6279
  

  Lizzy graduated in 2021 with a B.S. in Neuroscience from Temple University.  Her previous research experience includes working with adolescents and adults in the Social Developmental Neuroscience Lab at Temple University, as well as working on an automated speech study at the Center for Autism Research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  At the FTD center, Lizzy is an Imaging Research Coordinator working on PET and MRI studies.  She hopes to gain more experience in social neuroscience and data analysis at the FTD center to prepare for Graduate school.  In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hanging out with her cat, and going on walks in nature. 

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  Lynn Eickholt B.S

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   Email Lynn Eickholt B.S
   215-898-4266
  
  Read More about Lynn Eickholt B.S
  

  Lynn Eickholt B.S

  Clinical Research Coordinator
   lynn.eickholt@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
   215-898-4266
  

  Lynn is an imaging coordinator who earned her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan in April 2021, where she spent four years analyzing neuroimaging data to study the brain basis of literacy development in children. In her free time, she likes to play the saxophone, go hiking, and read. Her favorite part about being at the center is the exposure to clinical neuroimaging data because she is working toward being a radiologist.

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ADMINISTRATION

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  Brian Nelson (B.S)

  Data Management Systems
  
  

  Brian Nelson (B.S)

  Data Management Systems
  

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  Wei Xu MD, MBE

  Associate Director of Operations
   Email Wei Xu MD, MBE
   215-662-6138
  
  Read More about Wei Xu MD, MBE
  

  Wei Xu MD, MBE

  Associate Director of Operations
   weixu@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
   215-662-6138
  

  Biography

  Wei received her medical degree from Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Affiliated Tongren Hospital. She subsequently earned a master’s degree in Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania. She has decades of experience in biomedical, translational, and clinical research. She is the Associate Director of Operations in the Penn FTD Center, overseeing every aspect of the Center’s operations.

  Publications

  1. McLane LM, Ngiow SF, Chen Z, Attanasio J, Manne S, Ruthel G, Wu JE, Staupe RP, Xu W, Amaravadi RK, Xu X, Karakousis GC, Mitchell TC, Schuchter LM, Huang AC, Freedman BD, Betts MR, Wherry EJ. Role of nuclear localization in the regulation and function of T-bet and Eomes in exhausted CD8 T cells. Cell Rep. 2021 May 11;35(6):109120. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109120. PMID: 33979613; PMCID: PMC8195461.
  2. Beltra JC, Manne S, Abdel-Hakeem MS, Kurachi M, Giles JR, Chen Z, Casella V, Ngiow SF, Khan O, Huang YJ, Yan P, Nzingha K, Xu W, Amaravadi RK, Xu X, Karakousis GC, Mitchell TC, Schuchter LM, Huang AC, Wherry EJ. Developmental Relationships of Four Exhausted CD8⁺ T Cell Subsets Reveals Underlying Transcriptional and Epigenetic Landscape Control Mechanisms. Immunity. 2020 May 19;52(5):825-841.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2020.04.014. Epub 2020 May 11. PMID: 32396847; PMCID: PMC8360766.
  3. Khan O, Giles JR, McDonald S, Manne S, Ngiow SF, Patel KP, Werner MT, Huang AC, Alexander KA, Wu JE, Attanasio J, Yan P, George SM, Bengsch B, Staupe RP, Donahue G, Xu W, Amaravadi RK, Xu X, Karakousis GC, Mitchell TC, Schuchter LM, Kaye J, Berger SL, Wherry EJ. TOX transcriptionally and epigenetically programs CD8 (+) T cell exhaustion. Nature. 2019 Jul; 571(7764):211-218. doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1325-x. Epub 2019 Jun 17. PubMed PMID: 31207603.
  4. Huang AC, Orlowski RJ, Xu X, Mick R, George SM, Yan PK, Manne S, Kraya AA, Wubbenhorst B, Dorfman L, D'Andrea K, Wenz BM, Liu S, Chilukuri L, Kozlov A, Carberry M, Giles L, Kier MW, Quagliarello F, McGettigan S, Kreider K, Annamalai L, Zhao Q, Mogg R, Xu W, Blumenschein WM, Yearley JH, Linette GP, Amaravadi RK, Schuchter LM, Herati RS, Bengsch B, Nathanson KL, Farwell MD, Karakousis GC, Wherry EJ, Mitchell TC. A single dose of neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade predicts clinical outcomes in resectable melanoma. Nat Med. 2019 Mar; 25(3):454-461. doi: 10.1038/s41591-019-0357-y. Epub 2019 Feb 25. PubMed PMID: 30804515.
  5. Chen G, Huang AC, Zhang W, Zhang G, Wu M, Xu W, Yu Z, Yang J, Wang B, Sun H, Xia H, Man Q, Zhong W, Antelo LF, Wu B, Xiong X, Liu X, Guan L, Li T, Liu S, Yang R, Lu Y, Dong L, McGettigan S, Somasundaram R, Radhakrishnan R, Mills G, Lu Y, Kim J, Chen YH, Dong H, Zhao Y, Karakousis GC, Mitchell TC, Schuchter LM, Herlyn  M, Wherry EJ, Xu X, Guo W. Exosomal PD-L1 contributes to immunosuppression and is associated with anti-PD-1 response. Nature. 2018 Aug 8. doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0392-8. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30089911.
  6. Lu H, Liu S, Zhang G, Bin Wu, Zhu Y, Frederick DT, Hu Y, Zhong W, Randell S, Sadek N, Zhang W, Chen G, Cheng C, Zeng J, Wu LW, Zhang J, Liu X, Xu W, Krepler C, Sproesser K, Xiao M, Miao B, Liu J, Song CD, Liu JY, Karakousis GC, Schuchter  LM, Lu Y, Mills G, Cong Y, Chernoff J, Guo J, Boland GM, Sullivan RJ, Wei Z, Field J, Amaravadi RK, Flaherty KT, Herlyn M, Xu X, Guo W. PAK signalling drives acquired drug resistance to MAPK inhibitors in BRAF-mutant melanomas. Nature. 2017 Sep 27. doi: 10.1038/nature24040. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 28953887.
  7. Huang AC, Postow MA, Orlowski RJ, Mick R, Bengsch B, Manne S, Xu W, Harmon S, Giles JR, Wenz B, Adamow M, Kuk D, Panageas KS, Carrera C, Wong P, QuagliarelloF, Wubbenhorst B, D'Andrea K, Pauken KE, Herati RS, Staupe RP, Schenkel JM, McGettigan S, Kothari S, George SM, Vonderheide RH, Amaravadi RK, Karakousis GC, Schuchter LM, Xu X, Nathanson KL, Wolchok JD, Gangadhar TC, Wherry EJ. T-cell invigoration to tumour burden ratio associated with anti-PD-1 response. Nature. 2017 May 4; 545(7652):60-65. doi: 10.1038/nature22079. Epub 2017 Apr 10. PubMed PMID: 28397821; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5554367.
  8. Xu W, Grunwald JE, Metelitsina TI, DuPont JC, Ying GS, Martin ER, Dunaief JL, Brucker AJ. Association of risk factors for choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration with decreased foveolar choroidal circulation. Am J Ophthalmol. 2010 Jul; 150(1):40-47.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2010.01.041. Epub 2010 May 20. PubMed PMID: 20493466; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2900527.
  9. Rankin EB, Xu W, Silberg DG, Suh E. Putative intestine-specific enhancers located in 5' sequence of the CDX1 gene regulate CDX1 expression in the intestine. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2004 May; 286(5):G872-80. Epub 2004 Jan 8. PubMed PMID: 14715525.

   

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  Daneel Douglas

  Technical Support
  

  Daneel Douglas

  Technical Support
  

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  Lyles Clark

  Data Project Manager
   Email Lyles Clark
  
  Read More about Lyles Clark
  

  Lyles Clark

  Data Project Manager
   klyles@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
  

  Lyles joined the FTDC in October 2021 after earning their Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania. Their thesis work examined changes in neurogenesis and inflammation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus after traumatic brain injury. Lyles is excited to pivot to working with large clinical datasets to facilitate the center's goals of understanding the neurobiological origins of neurodegenerative disease. When they're not thinking about brains, Lyles enjoys reading, biking, and playing the cello.

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  Olivia Vozzella

  Administrative Coordinator
   Email Olivia Vozzella
  

  Olivia Vozzella

  Administrative Coordinator
   olivia.vozzella@pennmendicine.upenn.edu
  

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