We are excited to welcome Professor Matthew Panizzon, PhD who joined the department in August from the University of California San Diego. Dr. Panizzon is an internationally recognized scholar of adult cognitive and brain development. His widely published research integrates neuropsychology, neuroscience, behavior genetics, and neuroendocrinology to investigate the biological mechanisms underlying normal and pathological cognitive and brain aging.

Dr. Panizzon’s work uses longitudinal studies, genetically informative designs, and advanced quantitative methods to understand age-related cognitive change and risk for mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and related dementias. He is one of the PIs of the NIA funded Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA), a longitudinal twin study examining genetic and environmental influences on cognitive and brain aging. He has also led NIA funded studies examining the impact of male and female reproductive hormone suppression on cognition and brain health.

Moving forward, Dr. Panizzon intends to develop a research program at UW that focuses on elucidating the factors that drive age-related cognitive decline, as well as potential causal mechanisms among risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and the condition itself. If you’d like to reach out to Dr. Panizzon, he can be emailed at panizzon@uw.edu.