Anna Fracassi

Anna Fracassi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and a junior faculty member at the Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Her research focuses on mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease, synaptic resilience, neuroinflammation, and autophagy, with emphasis on oxidative stress and peroxisomal alterations.

Dr. Fracassi holds a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of L’Aquila (2009), an MS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Rome Tre (2013), and a PhD in Molecular, Cellular and Environmental Biology from the University of Rome Tre (2017). She completed postdoctoral training at UTMB from 2019-2023.

Her publications predominantly explore neuropathological changes in Alzheimer's, synaptic integrity, and microglial activation, with recent work emphasizing cognitive resilience biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Awards include multiple Excellence in Research awards and an Alzheimer’s Association fellowship.

Research grants include a 3-year project on microglia and cognitive resilience (Alzheimer’s Association) and an R21 grant from the National Institute of Aging.