معرفی
Cierra Keith, Ph.D., serves as an Assistant Professor at West Virginia University School of Medicine with triple appointments in the Department of Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry, the Department of Neuroscience, and the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. As a licensed Clinical Neuropsychologist, she provides specialized cognitive assessments and contributes to the Memory Clinic's diagnostic and therapeutic services, focusing on complex neurodegenerative cases within West Virginia's healthcare system.
Her research program centers on the neuropsychological characterization of Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment, with particular emphasis on differentiating amyloid-positive and amyloid-negative patient populations. She investigates neural correlates of memory consolidation, executive functions, and procedural learning through multimodal approaches combining structural MRI, PET imaging, and comprehensive cognitive testing. Her work examines cortical thickness patterns, glucose metabolism, and regional atrophy in temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes to identify diagnostic biomarkers and track disease progression.
Analysis of her 14 recent publications (2022-2025) reveals consistent focus on biomarker-guided dementia classification, with significant contributions to understanding insula function in memory, early-onset AD signatures, and metabolic predictors of treatment response. Her collaborative work spans neurology, psychiatry, and neurosurgery departments, often involving interdisciplinary teams at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Keith also addresses healthcare system challenges through research on optimizing primary-specialty care coordination for neurocognitive disorders.
While no scientific awards or major grants are documented in the provided materials, her clinical-academic role bridges patient care and translational research. There is no indication of graduate student mentorship or dedicated laboratory facilities in the available information, though her publications suggest active participation in the university's broader neuroscience research infrastructure.
