Beau Ances

Beau Ances, MD, PhD is the Daniel J Brennan MD Professor of Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis, with additional appointments as Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering. He serves as Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs in the Department of Neurology and leads multiple research initiatives including the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) site leadership. His academic affiliations span across the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences (DBBS), Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS), Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC).

Dr. Ances' research focuses on developing methods for acquisition, processing and analysis of images from multiple modalities to better understand HIV, Alzheimer's disease, and aging. His work has identified novel neuroimaging methods to assess brain function changes in neuroinfectious diseases, and his laboratory was one of the first to develop positron emission tomography (PET) tau imaging for Alzheimer's disease. His research spans HIV associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), HIV associated peripheral neuropathy, neuroAIDS, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), neurodegenerative diseases, mild cognitive impairment, aging, cognitive function, paraneoplastic disorders, post concussive syndrome, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

His recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on Alzheimer's disease biomarkers, neuroimaging techniques, and the intersection of HIV with aging. His work emphasizes health disparities, diverse populations, and the application of advanced imaging techniques to understand disease progression. His research outputs show a clear trajectory toward integrating multiple biomarker modalities to improve diagnostic and prognostic capabilities in neurodegenerative conditions.

Scientific Awards and Recognition:

• NIH Medical Scientist Training Program Scholarship
• National Research Science Award (1996)
• Eric C. Raps Memorial Prize (top medical student in Neurology at UPenn, 2001)
• Penn Pearl Award for excellence in medical student education (2004)
• Arthur Asbury Neurology Resident Award for Clinical Excellence (2005)
• NIH K23 career development award (2007)
• Dana Foundation Brain Immuno-Imaging Scholarship
• Fellow of the American Neurological Association
• Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology

Dr. Ances has mentored numerous undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral candidates, with many of his mentees securing independent NIH and private foundation funding. He is actively involved in multicenter NeuroAIDS organizations including the Neurologic AIDS Research Consortium (NARC), AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), and CNS HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER). His laboratory maintains strong collaborations both within Washington University and with institutions nationwide and internationally, including University of Missouri Saint Louis, Yale University, University of California San Diego, University of California San Francisco, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, University of Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt University, University of Chicago, University of Hawaii, Capetown University in South Africa, and Monash University in Australia.