Eric D. Vidoni

Eric D. Vidoni is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Kansas Medical Center and serves as the Associate Director of the Clinical Core for the University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. He also co-directs the Brain Health Training Program and holds leadership positions as Core Leader for Outreach and Recruitment and Research Education at the School of Medicine-Kansas City, where he co-directs the Kansas Dementia and Aging Research Training Pipeline.

Dr. Vidoni earned his Bachelor's of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2001. He completed both his Master of Science in Physical Therapy and PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences through a joint curriculum at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2008, followed by a Post Doctoral Fellowship in Neurology at the same institution. He maintains active licensure as a Physical Therapist through the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts.

Dr. Vidoni's research program centers on exercise benefits for the brain and community-engaged dementia research, with particular emphasis on how physical activity influences cognitive function and brain health in aging populations. Through the IGNITE study (Investigating Gains in Neurocognition in an Intervention Trial of Exercise), he has made significant contributions to understanding the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness, cerebrovascular function, and cognitive performance. His work spans multiple domains including socioeconomic status effects on cognitive aging, arterial stiffness interactions with neurofilament light, white matter microstructure changes related to fitness, and sleep patterns' impact on cognitive outcomes.

As a clinician-scientist with dual expertise in physical therapy and neuroscience, Dr. Vidoni brings a unique translational perspective to dementia prevention research. His leadership extends to developing culturally tailored interventions for diverse populations, including the MIND+ SOUL brain healthy diet for older African Americans and the CuidaTEXT text messaging intervention for Latino dementia family caregivers. He is actively involved in the Risk Reduction for Alzheimer's Disease (rrAD) trial and the MyAlliance for Brain Health initiative, which connects community members with research opportunities and brain health resources.