About
Zoe Arvanitakis, MD, MS, is the Acting Chairperson of the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush Medical College, Rush University, and Medical Director of the Rush Memory Clinic at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. She holds a Professor rank in Neurological Sciences, specializing in cognitive neurology and dementia. Her expertise spans clinical care, research, and education with over two decades of experience.
Dr. Arvanitakis earned her MD and an MS in Clinical Research with subspecialization in epidemiology. Her research focuses on neurodegenerative, vascular, and metabolic cognitive disorders, leveraging large-scale epidemiological studies and clinical-pathologic cohorts. She leads NIH-funded grants and clinical trials, investigating Alzheimer’s disease mechanisms, insulin signaling, and lifestyle interventions.
Key research interests include Alzheimer’s pathology, brain insulin resistance, and vascular risk factors. She co-edited a medical textbook and serves on national panels, including the NIH Neurological, Aging and Musculoskeletal Epidemiology study section. Awards include the Rush Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring and recognition from the American Academy of Neurology.
She collaborates across disciplines, integrating clinical, neuroimaging, and biospecimen data to advance understanding of aging-related diseases. Her work emphasizes preventive strategies, including the MIND diet and multidomain lifestyle interventions targeting cognitive decline in elderly populations.
