ADRC Affiliated Researchers

Dr. Walsh is Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Pathology, Director of the Division of Neuro-epidemiology, and a Senior Fellow in the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. He leads Duke’s Neuro-epidemiology Lab, which integrates bench science with statistical methods to study the neurobiology of glial senescence and gliomagenesis. He is also the Co-Lead for the ADRC Research Education Component (REC) Core.

REC Scholar Project: Impact of Menopause and APOE4 on Neurosteroid Balance and Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers in Women

My lab studies neural circuit basis of sensory perception. Specifically we are interested in determining neural circuits underlying (1) active touch sensation including tactile processing stream and motor control of touch sensors on the face; (2) pain sensation including both sensory-discriminative and affective aspects of pain; and (3) general anesthesia including the active pain-suppression process.

Duke-UNC ADRC Neuropathy Core Leader

Dr. Wax’s research interests include optical spectroscopy for early cancer detection, novel microscopy and interferometry techniques.

The West lab focuses on identifying critical pathogenic mechanisms underlying neurological diseases like Parkinson’s disease with the goal of developing new therapeutics to block disease progression.

Dr. White’s clinical expertise involves the care of older adults, especially care transitions, long-term care, and post-acute care. Current work includes studying the effects of personalized music in older adults with dementia and implementing personalized music programs for pain and delirium relief in hospital and dementia care in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Electrocardiography, CVD Surveillance, Environmental Epidemiology, and Genetics & Epigenetics

Research is focused on improving care options and resilience for people with multiple chronic conditions.

Genetic mapping of susceptibility loci for complex traits and the positional cloning of genes responsible for neurodegenerative disorders.

Research Interests: Aging and Global Health

Interested in discovering biomarkers across neuro-diseases, exploring how variations in the genome change the structure and development of the brain, and establishing neuro-biological basis to visualize the pathophysiological mechanisms of neuro-diseases using data-driven approach.

REC Scholar Project: New Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Tauopathies Diagnosis

My current program of research falls under two themes: (i) the analysis of health disparities in a multinational context, with a particular focus on the cognitive function among older adults; and (ii) the integration of patient-reported social factors in cardiovascular outcome research.

Xu lab is interested in Molecular Medicine and Biomarker & Drug Discoveries. We focus on translational aging research and apply ultrasensitive detection technologies. Currently, we work on biomarker discovery for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) early diagnosis and differentiation between AD and related dementias, and drug discovery for AD, diabetes and obesity.

We are interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neural circuit formation during development and degeneration in aging.

Focused on health disparities, social disparities in health, and causes of health differences.