Aivi T. Nguyen

Aivi T. Nguyen, M.D., serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. As a board-certified neuropathologist and translational researcher, she spearheads investigations into neuroinflammation mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases through the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA), integrating neuropathology with neuroimaging and biomarker analysis.

Her educational trajectory includes:

• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Translational Neuropathology Research Laboratory (University of Pennsylvania, 2020)
• Neuropathology Fellowship (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 2018)
• Anatomic Pathology Residency (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 2016)
• M.D. (Jefferson Medical College, 2014)
• Research Fellowship (NIH Medical Research Scholars Program, 2013)
• B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics (University of Delaware, 2009)

Dr. Nguyen's research centers on microglial heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease, employing single-nuclei RNA sequencing and immunohistochemical validation to characterize distinct microglial subpopulations. She investigates how genetic risk variants (APOE E4, TREM2 R47H) modulate microglial responses to proteinopathies and explores microglia's role in cognitive resilience despite pathological burden. Her work bridges molecular mechanisms with clinical manifestations through multidisciplinary approaches.

Analysis of her 2020-2025 publications reveals consistent focus on microglial biology across neurodegenerative conditions, with increasing emphasis on genetic determinants and translational applications. Recent work expands into TDP-43 proteinopathies and cerebral amyloid angiopathy while maintaining core investigation of microglial dynamics in Alzheimer's disease.

Her accolades include:

• Two Diagnostic Slide Session Awards for Best Neurodegenerative Case (American Association of Neuropathology, 2021 & 2018)
• Neurodegenerative Disease Scholars Program Award and Robert Terry Award Honorable Mention (2020)
• Penn Cares Grant for 'Woodland Writers' Project (2015)
• Harold L. Stewart Prize in Pathology (2014)

Dr. Nguyen actively shapes neuropathology standards through committee roles including the American Board of Pathology Test Development Advisory Committee and American Association of Neuropathologists Education Committee. Her research is supported by institutional resources within Mayo Clinic's ADRC infrastructure and collaborative multi-institutional grants.

She operates within Mayo Clinic's integrated research ecosystem, contributing neuropathological expertise to the ADRC and MCSA teams while participating in national consortia studying neurodegenerative mechanisms. Her laboratory work focuses on human tissue analysis with emphasis on microglial transcriptomics and spatial pathology mapping.