Meet Our Team
The world-class researchers, physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers and other health care professionals at Banner Alzheimer's Institute (BAI) work together to provide hope and help for patients and families affected by Alzheimer's disease and other memory disorders.
BAI's multidisciplinary clinical trials research team is led by the following individuals:
Principal Investigators
Eric M. Reiman, MD
Chief Executive Officer, Banner Research
Executive Director, Banner Alzheimer's Institute
Dr. Reiman is chief executive officer of Banner Research,
executive director of Banner Alzheimer's Institute, clinical
director of the Neurogenomics Division at the Translational
Genomics Research Institute (TGen), professor of psychiatry at the
University of Arizona, and director of the Arizona Alzheimer's
Consortium. His contributions to the fields of brain imaging, the
behavioral neurosciences and the presymtomatic study of Alzheimer's
disease have earned him international recognition. He is the author
of more than 200 research publications and serves as principal
investigator for research grants from the National Institutes of
Health and other leading funders.
Pierre N. Tariot, MD
Geriatric Psychiatrist
Director, Banner Alzheimer's Institute
Dr. Tariot, director of Banner Alzheimer's Institute, is a
board-certified physician in internal medicine and geriatric
psychiatry. After intensive training in developing new treatments
for Alzheimer's disease at the National Institutes of Health, he
spent 20 years as a professor at the University of Rochester
Medical Center in New York, where he directed a program dedicated
to the care and study of people with Alzheimer's. He has devoted
his career to helping patients and families cope with the effects
of dementia and is a recognized leader in the development of new
Alzheimer's treatments. He has published hundreds of scientific
articles, is a widely sought-after speaker and consultant, and has
won numerous awards for his service and research.
Researcher Team
Dan Bandy, MS
Senior Scientist and Technical Director, PET Center
Bandy serves as senior scientist and technical director of
the PET Center at Banner Alzheimer's Institute. He holds a
bachelor's degree in nuclear medicine and zoology from the
University of Iowa and a master's in engineering science (nuclear)
from Arizona State University. He plays a critical role here in
brain imaging programs and is responsible for the daily operations
of the PET Center, including clinical and research activities as
well as equipment quality assurance.
Helle Brand, PA
Physician Assistant
Brand is a physician assistant at Banner Alzheimer's
Institute and a former physical therapist specializing in caring
for the elderly. Her professional interests center on education and
counseling related to understanding and living with dementia. Her
work focuses on the effects of dementia on a person's ability to
function daily as well as the disease's impact on the families of
those affected.
Anna Burke, MD
Geriatric Psychiatrist
Dementia Specialist
Dr. Burke is a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist and
specialist in dementia care at Banner Alzheimer's Institute. She
has worked extensively with patients and families suffering from
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Her areas of expertise
include the diagnosis and treatment of dementia as well as
treatment of associated behavioral and psychiatric
disturbances.
Kewei Chen,
PhD
Senior
Scientist
Lab Head - Computational
Image Analysis
Chen is a senior scientist and senior biomathematician at
Banner Alzheimer's Institute. He got his PhD in biomathematics in
the area of neuroimaging at UCLA and also holds a master's degree
in mathematics from Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China. His
primary research interest is the quantification and statistical
analysis of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) data in the study of human brain functions
and diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease. Chen has more than
160 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals in the fields
of neuroimaging, Alzheimer's disease and mathematical/statistical
methodology developments.
Jan Dougherty, RN, MS
Director, Family and Community Services
Dougherty is instrumental in creating care programs that
cater to those affected by Alzheimer's disease and other forms of
dementia. Her work has led to the formation and implementation of
nationally recognized care models for dementia patients, including
Dementia Care Paths and Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia. At
Banner Alzheimer's Institute, she leads the Family and Community
Services team in developing programs that foster enhanced
education, support and improved quality of life for individuals
living with and affected by memory loss.
Adam S. Fleisher, MD, MAS
Geriatric Neurologist
Associate Director of Brain Imaging
Dr. Fleisher, associate director of brain imaging at
Banner Alzheimer's Institute, is a geriatric neurologist and expert
in the field of brain imaging to detect and study the earliest
evidence of the pathology of Alzheimer's in the brain. He received
his general neurology training at Johns Hopkins Hospital before
completing a clinical and research dementia fellowship and master's
degree in clinical research at the University of California, San
Diego. He is well published in the fields of dementia clinical
trials and imaging.
Sarah Medina-Rodriguez, MD (not licensed in the US),
CCRP
Senior Manager, Clinical Trials
Medina-Rodriguez is a foreign medical graduate. She earned
her medical degree at St. Luke's College of Medicine in the
Philippines and bachelor's in psychology at the University at
Buffalo-SUNY. She worked as a clinical research coordinator at Beth
Israel Medical Center in New York conducting clinical trials in
liver diseases before moving to Arizona in 2009 to join the
research team at Banner Alzheimer's Institute. She served as a
clinical research coordinator prior to becoming a certified
clinical research professional in 2010. In 2011, she was promoted
to clinical trials senior manager. In the role, she is responsible
for the daily research operations of the clinical trials team,
managing more than 30 trials concurrently, including both imaging
and pharmaceutical-based research.
Roy Yaari, MD, MAS
Neurologist
Dementia Specialist
Director, Memory Disorders Clinic
Dr. Yaari is a board-certified neurologist and dementia
specialist. He earned a Master of Advanced Study degree in clinical
research and received comprehensive training through a clinical
research and dementia fellowship at the University of California,
San Diego. His strong interest in treating dementia patients as
well as developing new treatments and therapies for those with
dementia led him to the Memory Disorders Clinic at Banner
Alzheimer's Institute, which he now directs.
