Dr. Marilyn Albert is a distinguished leader in cognitive neuroscience and Alzheimer's disease research, recognized internationally for her pioneering contributions to understanding cognitive changes in aging and neurodegenerative disorders. She currently serves as Director of the Division of Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. She holds the position of Professor of Neurology with secondary appointments across multiple disciplines including Psychiatry & Behavioral Science, Neuroscience, Pathology, and Psychology & Brain Science. Dr. Albert received her doctorate in physiological psychology from McGill University in Montreal and completed a fellowship in neuropsychology at Boston University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, she served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School for over 22 years, establishing herself as a leading authority in the field before transitioning to her current leadership roles.
Dr. Albert's groundbreaking research has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of cognitive changes associated with aging and early Alzheimer's disease, establishing critical frameworks for early detection and intervention. Her work was the first to identify the characteristic feature of delayed recall in Alzheimer's disease, providing a crucial diagnostic marker that has become standard in clinical assessment. She has pioneered innovative approaches using multimodal biomarkers from cerebrospinal fluid, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and genetics to predict progression from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment and dementia with remarkable accuracy. Her influential 2018 Brain publication on predicting progression from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment has provided essential insights for developing early intervention strategies and clinical trial designs. Her research on cognitive reserve and the relationship between lifestyle factors and cognitive decline has significantly reshaped preventive approaches to neurodegenerative disorders, offering hope for modifiable risk factors.
As Director of the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Dr. Albert has been instrumental in advancing the field through her leadership of one of the nation's premier research hubs dedicated to understanding and combating Alzheimer's disease. She plays a pivotal role in national research initiatives including the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, the POINTER imaging study, SCAN, and the HEAD project, coordinating efforts across multiple institutions to accelerate discovery. Her work integrating longitudinal cognitive studies with comprehensive biomarker data is setting new standards for characterizing the progression across the Alzheimer's disease continuum, enabling more precise staging and monitoring of the disease process. Dr. Albert continues to mentor the next generation of cognitive neuroscientists and shape research directions through her editorial roles and participation in major scientific advisory committees. Her current research focuses on refining early diagnostic methods, identifying protective factors that may delay or prevent cognitive decline, and developing more effective strategies for early intervention in aging populations at risk for neurodegenerative disorders.
