Research Team Members
Alicia Parker, MD
Within the field of memory disorders, there is a strong need for increased clinical resources, research studies and educational training. With this in mind, Alicia Parker, MD, has worked to bring clinical, research and educational opportunities to the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Disorders.
As the first physician to join the Biggs Institute, and the first Cognitive and Behavioral Neurologist to practice in Bexar County, Dr. Parker established the Memory Disorders Clinic and the multidisciplinary MIND clinic. She is the Co-Director of the FTD Clinic, along with Campbell Sullivan, PSYD, ABPP-CN, in Neuropsychiatry, which specializes in treating patients with behavioral and language disorders. Dr. Parker serves as the Clinic Director for the Biggs Institute.
Dr. Parker has helped bring research opportunities to patients with dementia and their caregivers. She is involved in and is site PI for multiple clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. She is interested in the interaction of heart and brain health, and has ongoing research studying the impact of diastolic dysfunction and dementia.
Regarding educational training, Dr. Parker gives didactic instruction in research and cognitive topics. She has helped develop clinical rotations for students, residents and fellowship programs, and is a member of the Neurology Residency Program Evaluation Committee. She is the Co-Director, with Arash Salardini, MD, being the Director of the Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Fellowship program, which is accredited by UCNS.
Research Areas
Clinical Research
Contact:
Research Profile
Neela Patel, MD, MPH, CMD
Neela K. Patel, MD, MPH, CMD, has developed a superb reputation in geriatric care for the care. Dr. Patel and her team have developed a model of integrated care for older adults across all clinical settings including acute care inpatient elder care, skilled nursing care and long-term custodial care, rehabilitation center care and palliative and hospice care called the CARINO Approach. This approach is linked to community resources such as home health agencies, the Alzheimer’s association, senior centers, hospital, consultants and other community resources.
At the Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dr. Patel’s role is to develop and implement closely integrated, seamless care patterns across clinicians– ranging from screening in primary care offices, personalized preventive advice, diagnosis and differential diagnosis and developing integrated care plans. She collaborates with team members for supporting community care providers and family caregivers, as behavioral, medical and neurological issues arise, to manage severe dementia, discussion of advance directives and palliative care/hospice care support.
Dr. Patel serves on the Community Advisory Board for the UT Health San Antonio School of NursingCaring for the Caregiver Program. She is also the co-primary investigator with Dr. Carole White on a PCORI – Grant to enhance palliative care and end of life care for persons with dementia where she is an integral part of the grant’s stakeholder advisory council.
Research Areas
Clinical Research
Contact:
Research Profile
Qitao Ran, PhD
Research surrounds the exploration of mitochondria. Mitochondria are organelles with multiple functions essential for neural activities and the dysfunction of which is implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, especially for sporadic and late-onset cases. Research focuses to illustrate the underlying mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction in relation to Alzheimer’s disease and aging, with a goal of identifying novel targets for prevention and treatment of the disease.
Research Areas
Biological & Innovative Research
Contact:
Ran@uthscsa.edu
Research Profile
