Faculty
Jane Cavanaugh, PhD
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology
Research and Teaching Interests:
- Role of neurodegrentative diseases and cell death in normal brain aging
- Breast Cancer and aging
Elena V. Donso-Brown, PhD, OTR/L
Department of Occupational Therapy
Assistant Professor
Research and Teaching Interests:
- Assessment and rehabilitation of individuals post-stroke and brain injury
- Postural support for individuals with Parkinson's disease
- Development of home programs for adults with neurological impairments
Jelena M. Janjic, PhD
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics
Research and Teaching Interests:
- Novel inflammation targeted drug delivery agents for cancer, chronic pain and aging relevant diseases.
- Development of novel molecular imaging agents to aid studying inflammation in animals.
- For more information please visit www.janjiclabtheranostics.org
David A. Johnson, PhD
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Division Head
Research and Teaching Interests:
- Drug therapy to treat Parkinson's disease dementia
- The effect of dietary supplements on memory in adults and patients with mild cognitive impairment
Patricia Keys, PharmD, C.G.P.
Clinical, Social and Administrative Sciences
Division Head
Research and Teaching Interests:
- 35 years of experience as an acute care Geriatrics Clinical Pharmacy Specialist on a multidisciplinary Geriatrics team at UPMC Mercy
- Certified Geriatrics Pharmacist (CGP) , Commission for Certification of Geriatrics Specialists
Benedict (Ben) Kolber, PhD
Department of Biological Sciences
Assistant Professor
Research and Teaching Interests
- The intersection between chronic pain and stress
- Biological changes in pain and stress systems that occur with age
- www.kolberlab.com
Matthew Kostek, PhD
Department of Physical Therapy
Assistant Professor
Research and Teaching Interests:
- Muscle Physiology of Aging
- Sarcopenia
- Muscle injury and regeneration with aging
Rehana Leak, Ph.D.
School of Pharmacy
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Assistant Profsesor
Research and Teaching Interests:
- Impact of aging on neuronal and astrocyctic responses to cellular stress
- Transmission of Parkinson's pathology from olfactory structures into deeper brain regions
- Finding therapies that halt the spread of proteinopathy in Parkinson's disease
Mary T. Marchetti, PhD, GCS, PT
Department of Physical Therapy
Assistant Professor
Research and Teaching Interests
- Postural control in older adults with cognitive dysfunction
- Staff training in assistant living facilities and personal care homes
Jessica Mull, MT-BC
Department of Music Therapy
Adjunct Professor
Research and Teaching Interests:
- Specializes in providing quality music therapy programming for seniors and especially for those affected by Alzheimer's or other dementias
- Through her private practice provides music therapy services to hundreds of clients at more than 40 senior care facilities around the Pittsburgh area
David W. Seybert, PhD
Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences
Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Research and Teaching Interests:
- Biomarkers of oxidative stress in aging adults
- Role of antioxidants in slowing the rate of cognitive decline
Andrew T. Simpson, PhD
Department of History
Assistant Professor
Research and Teaching Interests
- Healthcare delivery
- Seniors and healthcare consumerism
- History of medicine and health policy
Brenda Swanson-Biearman, DNP, MPH, RN
Department of Physician Assistant Studies
Research and Teaching Interests:
- Hypertension
- Community health and Emergency medicine
Sarah E. Wallace, PhD, CCC-SLP
Department of Speech-Language Pathology
Assistant Professor and Program Director of the Adult Language and Cognition Clinic
Research and Teaching Interests:
- Communication strategies for adults with after stroke and traumatic brain injury
- Semantic Feature Treatments designed to increase word retrieval
- Assessment of cognition
- Inteprofessional education (IPE) and Team-Based Learning