Dr. Real de Asúa MD, PhD (center PI) is an internist and clinical researcher with a special focus on caring for adults with Down syndrome (DS). In his clinical role as an attending physician at the Adult Down Syndrome outpatient of the Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, in Madrid, Spain, he has focused on several areas of healthcare in this population, including cardiovascular health of adults with DS, overall- and COVID-19 related mortality risk factors in adults with DS and Alzheimer’s disease in this population.

The Adult Down Syndrome outpatient unit at the Department of Internal Medicine of the Hospital Universitario de La Princesa (Madrid) is the biggest outpatient clinic of its kind in the Madrid region. It provides care to over 1600 adults with DS, with close to 1000 visits per year. Since 2018, the Adult Down Syndrome unit is an active member of three international research networks: the DEGESCO consortium (Dementia Genetics Spanish Consortium, within the CIBERNED), the Trisomy 21 Research Society (T21RS) and the Reina Sofía Centre/CIEN Foundation (Neurological Disease Research Center). The site has access to a 3T MRI, EEG devices, and has a solid clinical trial unit.

Dr. Shrestha completed his general psychiatry residency at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, OH, and Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry fellowship at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. He specializes in neuropsychiatric disorders, with a particular focus on diagnosis and management of dementia and associated disorders.

Dr. Shrestha has extensive experience in managing memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, as well as aging in Down syndrome. He is the principal investigator at Case Western Reserve University for Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC). He conducts clinical research studies focusing on longitudinal observation of people with cognitive concerns, including Down syndrome, and clinical trials for prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Sarah Savoia received her Master of Medical Science from the Yale School of Medicine. Physician Associate Program and completed her training at the Yale Memory Clinic. Ms. Savoia is now a practicing clinician in cognitive behavioral neurology and an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at UT Health San Antonio. Her clinical and research focus at the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Disease is to transform dementia care management practices for both patients and their caregivers and to investigate for new promising treatments that aim to restore function, with a focus on people with Down syndrome. As a National Institute on Aging (NIA)-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in South Texas, we are collaborating with other institutions and community stakeholders to improve access to studies and clinical care for previously underrepresented patient populations and to expand our understanding of Alzheimer’s biology to rapidly translate and implement our findings into effective preventive interventions and therapies.

Jeffrey M. Burns, MD, MS is the Edward H. Hashinger Professor of Medicine and the Co-Director of the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (KU ADRC) ), one of 33 nationally designated centers in the country.  Dr. Burns also directs the Department of Neurology’s Neurocognitive Division, the Clinical and Translational Science Unit, and the KU ADRC’s Clinical Core, which is a site for the ADCS and ATRI national trial networks.

Dr. Burns started the Alzheimer’s clinical research program at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2004. His education includes a BA (English and Japanese) from the University of Notre Dame, medical school at the University of Kansas Medical Center, neurology residency at the University of Virginia, and a post-doctoral fellowship in Alzheimer’s at Washington University in St. Louis. He then returned to his hometown of Kansas City to start the Alzheimer’s clinical program to stimulate and support AD and aging research locally while pursuing research investigating how various lifestyle factors influence brain aging and AD. The program has grown into a vibrant research and training environment for AD and brain aging research. Dr. Burns has been continuously funded as a PI by the NIH since 2005 for work focused on how various lifestyle factors influence brain aging and AD progression. 

Dr. Ptomey’s primary research focus is the use of technology for the promotion of weight management and physical activity in individuals with intellectual disabilities including Down syndrome. Her secondary research focus is the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease in adults with Down syndrome. Dr. Ptomey has more than a decade of experience conducting clinical trials in individuals with Down syndrome. She conducted the largest and longest weight management trials for adults and adolescents with intellectual disabilities, and currently has 2 NIH funded trials examining the impact of lifestyle factors on the development of Alzheimer’s Disease in adults with Down syndrome. Additionally, she is the Co-Director of the Down Syndrome Cohort at the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

Dr. Fodstad is a licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified doctoral-level behavior analyst. Her clinical and research focus in on the assessment and treatment co-occurring neuropsychiatric conditions in individuals with autism, intellectual disability, and other developmental disorders. She is the Director of the multidisciplinary Down Syndrome Lifespan Psychiatry Clinic at the Indiana University Health Neurosciences Center, serving both children and adults, with a specific focus developmental regression and catatonia.