NACC Team

The National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) was founded by Walter A. Kukull, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology at the University of Washington, whose leadership established NACC as a cornerstone of the National Institute on Aging’s (NIA) Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRC) Program.

Today, NACC is led by Director Kari Stephens, PhD, Professor of Family Medicine and Biomedical Informatics at the University of Washington. Dr. Stephens leads a multidisciplinary team of faculty and staff who continue to advance NACC’s mission of data coordination, research support, and scientific collaboration across the national ADRC network.

NACC’s faculty includes experts from the Departments of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Family Medicine, Biomedical Informatics, Radiology, and Statistics. The Center’s team of 33 professionals brings specialized expertise in informatics, software engineering, data science, biostatistics, communications, project management, and administration.

In addition to its central role in supporting the ADRCs, NACC provides consultation and technical expertise in data harmonization, epidemiologic design, and biostatistical methods to investigators within and beyond the ADRC network, extending the impact of this national research infrastructure across the broader Alzheimer’s and related dementias research community.

Leadership

Kari A. Stephens, PhD
She/Her
Director and PI
[email protected]

Christine Mac Donald, PhD
She/Her
Co-Investigator and Faculty Lead
[email protected]

Suman Jayadev, MD
She/Her
Co-Investigator and Faculty Lead
[email protected]

Operations

NACC's Operations team consists of the Administration and Project Management teams and undertakes a wide range of logistical, administrative, and operational support — contributes to maximizing the utility of NACC in support of the ADRCs and the NIA.

Program Managers

Jessica Welsch, MBA
She/Her
Senior Project Manager
[email protected]

Elise Gruber
She/Her
Project Manager
[email protected]

Satish Mathew
He/Him
Technical Project Manager
[email protected]

Liam Lane, MS
He/Him
Senior Research Coordinator
[email protected]

Sarah George
She/Her
Project Manager
[email protected]

Eugene Lin, PhD
He/Him
Research Scientist
[email protected]

Research

The Research Team provides consultation to ADRC researchers and others as well as engages in methodological research. The experienced faculty and staff in these five groups, together with the physical resources at NACC (as described below) and expertise from other departments throughout the UW, contribute to an institutional environment with a high probability of success in delivering on our stated Scope of Work.  

Communications & Events

The Communications & Events Team leads NACC’s efforts to inform, connect, and engage the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) community and the broader research field. The team manages NACC’s publications, website, newsletters, and social media, coordinates national ADRC meetings and webinars, and develops resources that highlight network achievements and emerging research.

Technology

The expertise of NACC’s Technology Team, along with the requisite physical infrastructure (including an on-premises server and cloud capabilities), provides a firm foundation to assure the rapid handling of high-quality data in a secure environment. 

Grants & Finance

Our experienced Grants & Finance Team is a key resource for managing our budget goals and supporting our funding initiatives. 

Founding Director

Walter Kukull, PhD
He/Him
Founding Director