Cognitive Neurology Fellowship – Portland, Oregon

OHSU Tram with Mount Hood in the background

This two-year Cognitive Neurology program aims to prepare Fellows for a clinical career in geriatric neurology or an academic career in aging and dementia research.

Fellows will have the flexibility to customize the fellowship experience to focus on their areas of interest and long-term career goals.

Research and clinical themes of this program include the study of Alzheimer’s disease, vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia, healthy brain aging, early biomarkers of cognitive decline, technology and aging research, caregiver research, and dementia therapeutics and prevention.

This Fellowship provides multidisciplinary training in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias at the Portland Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (PVAHCS) and its affiliate, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), connected via sky-bridge. Fellows participate in both clinical and research activities.

Clinical fellowship activities

Fellows will be exposed to a wide range of patient populations through their participation in the Cognitive Care Clinic at the PVAHCS and the Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Clinic at the Layton Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Center

Research fellowship activities

A broad range of research opportunities are available at the VA and the Affiliate (OHSU) Layton Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Center, including the Oregon Center for Aging and Technology (ORCATECH) and Clinical Care and Therapeutics Program.

Research activities include such topics such as:

Neuroimaging
Biomarkers
Continuous in-home technology-assisted assessment of movement and cognition
Cerebrovascular disease in older adults,
Neurology, genetics, neuropsychology and neuropathology of the older adults
Clinical trials

For those in the research track, the design and implementation of independent research protocols is emphasized, leading to independent investigator status. Research experiences include didactic offerings in clinical research through the Human Investigations Program, various seminars through OHSU and the OADRC, and opportunities to participate in ongoing research projects at the OADRC.