Print This Post
Dr Patrick Lao
Name:
Dr Patrick Lao
Job title:
Assistant Professor
Place of work/study:
Columbia University
Area of Research:
Multimodal neuroimaging in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
How is your work funded:
National Institute on Ageing
Tell us a little about yourself:
I received my PhD in Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed my postdoctoral training in the Division of Cognitive Neuroscience at Columbia University. My work incorporates inflammatory and vascular pathways with amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration. By studying Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, we can discover common or unique pathways that can be targeted with generalizable or personalised therapeutic approaches.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
My best ideas come to me on my commute to work
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
I started working in neuroimaging methodology, which I applied in studies of dementia. It was fascinating to use these emerging techniques to map the spatial and temporal progression of brain changes along with clinical presentations. Building our basic understanding of the disease course can ultimately lead to prevention strategies for a condition that impacts so many people.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early-career researcher?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Use your network, meet with your mentors, troubleshoot with your colleagues.
