Cognitive & Statistics Core

Rebecca Gottesman is the Stroke Branch Chief and Head of the Stroke, Cognition, And Neuroepidemiology section at the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke Intramural Research Program, at the National Institutes of Health, and Adjunct Professor of Neurology and Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed her undergraduate and medical training at Columbia University, then did neurology residency and a vascular neurology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and completed a PhD in Clinical Investigation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Gottesman conducts research as part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Her research focuses on the vascular contribution to cognitive impairment and dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). She received the Outstanding Stroke Research Mentor award at the 2019 International Stroke Conference and has served as a member of both American Heart Association (AHA) and NIH study sections.

Lisa Wruck is Director of the Center for Predictive Medicine at Duke Clinical Research Institute. She completed her undergraduate training in Mathematics at University of Florida and completed a PhD in Biostatistics at Harvard School of Public Health. Before coming to Duke, Dr. Wruck was a Clinical Associate Professor of Biostatistics with an appointment in the Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she was a co-PI of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Coordinating Center and a PI of the ARIC Neurocognitive Study (NCS) Coordinating Center. She has over 12 years of experience as a coordinating center biostatistician across therapeutic areas including adult and pediatric cardiology, neurology, urogynecology and autoimmune disease. Her research interests include meaningful use of real world data and examination of risk factors for adverse events in the elderly, including dementia, heart failure, MI and stroke. She is the Director of the Duke AI Health Data Science Fellowship Program. She is the co-PI of the DISCOVERY Statistical/ Cognitive Core.

Nicole Williams is the Project Manager for the DISCOVERY Statistical/Cognitive Core. She received her M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University Maryland and is currently a Senior Research Coordinator at the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke Intramural Research Program, at the National Institutes of Health. Her research area of interest includes cognitive decline, specifically focused on associations with vascular risk factors. Prior to her work with DISCOVERY, she worked at Johns Hopkins University for over 5 years enrolling acutely decompensated heart failure participants in a study examining cognitive change using an extensive battery of neuropsychological assessments. Within DISCOVERY, Nicole is responsible for aiding in the training, certification, and QC monitoring for cognitive assessment examiners.

Tom Mosley is the Hughes Distinguished Chair and founding Director of the Memory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center and a professor in geriatrics and neurology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He has an extensive background in clinical neuropsychology, behavioral neurology, and neuroepidemiology and directs the Jackson Field Center for several population-based studies. His research efforts have been largely devoted to seeking the determinants of brain aging, cognitive decline, and clinical outcomes of stroke and MCI/dementia with a particular focus on the role of vascular factors and racial differences.

Miguel Arce Rentería, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Neuropsychology at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain and the Department of Neurology at the Columbia University Medical Center. He is originally from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. He received a BA in Psychology from San Diego State University. He then received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology specializing in Neuropsychology and Health Psychology from Fordham University. His research focuses on determining factors of reserve and resilience to cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) among racial/ethnic minorities both within the United States and abroad with an emphasis on understanding the role of bilingualism. Dr. Arce is also involved in outreach efforts to engage with diverse communities in ADRD research. He is the director of the Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement (ORE) Core for Columbia University’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) and a member of the ORE Core National Steering Committee for the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC).

Dr. Keenan Walker is a Tenure-Track Investigator at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Intramural Research Program and Chief of the Multimodal Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND) unit. Dr. Walker earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from St. John's University. He completed his pre-doctoral internship in clinical neuropsychology at the University of California San Diego / VA San Diego Healthcare System before beginning an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After receiving an NIA-funded K23 career development award, he transitioned to the role of Assistant Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins. He then joined the NIA as a Tenure-Track Investigator. Dr. Walker’s current research program focuses on understanding the role of abnormal immune function in Alzheimer’s disease and late-life cognitive decline.

Soumya Gupta is a Lead Coordinator for the DISCOVERY Statistical and Cognitive Core. She received her Master of Arts (M.A.) in Applied Clinical Psychology from Pennsylvania State University, where she researched the relationship between body image and dating anxiety within young adults. She completed her internship in the area of pediatric clinical neuropsychology wherein she administered comprehensive neuropsychological and psychological assessments. Soumya is currently a Research Assistant with the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. Within DISCOVERY Soumya aids in the training, certification, and QC monitoring for cognitive assessment examiners.

Emma Gootee is a Project Coordinator for the DISCOVERY Statistical/Cognitive Core. She received her M.S. in Global Health from King’s College, London, where she researched brain injury treatment and outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Emma is currently a Research Assistant with the Division of Cerebrovascular Neurology at Johns Hopkins University where she is researching the brain heart connection, specifically utilizing cardiac anatomy in ischemic stroke patients to explain and understand patient outcomes. Within DISCOVERY, Emma is responsible for assisting in training, certification, and QC monitoring for cognitive examiners.

Jacqueline Penner is a Protocol Coordinator for the DISCOVERY Statistical and Cognitive Core. Jacqueline received her Bachelor of Arts in Human Development from Washington State University. Before joining the DISCOVERY team, Jacqueline was a Prevention Fellow for the Washington State Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery. She supported statewide projects, including mental health promotion, health equity, and substance use disorder prevention. As an undergraduate, Jacqueline worked as a Research Assistant at Stanford School of Medicine with the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Initiative Research Team and Washington State University with the Human-Animal Interaction Lab. Within DISCOVERY, Jaqueline aids in the training, certification, and QC monitoring for cognitive assessment examiners.

Julia Mosher is a Research Assistant at Johns Hopkins University for the DISCOVERY Cognitive Core. She is currently a graduate student at University of San Diego. Julia was previously a research project coordinator for the DISCOVERY study at University of Maryland, Baltimore. On the DISCOVERY team, Julia works with the Cognitive & Statistics Core on cognitive testing training, certification, and quality control.