Henry L Paulson

Henry L. Paulson serves as the Lucile Groff Chair of Neurology for Alzheimer's Disease, Research Professor at the Michigan Neuroscience Institute, and Professor of Neurology with Co-Division Chief responsibilities for Cognitive Disorders at the University of Michigan Medical School. He directs the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center and holds memberships in the Taubman Institute and Center for Cell Plasticity and Organ Design.

His educational background includes MD and PhD degrees from Yale University, residency and fellowship training at the University of Pennsylvania, and prior faculty positions at the University of Iowa. Key areas of expertise encompass movement disorders and neurogenetics.

Dr. Paulson's research investigates age-related neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and dementia, alongside hereditary movement disorders such as ataxias. His laboratory focuses on molecular mechanisms to identify therapeutic targets for fatal neurodegenerative conditions, with emphasis on repeat expansion diseases and cerebrocerebellar degeneration patterns.

His 2025 publications reveal strong trends in Alzheimer's disease genetics (multi-ancestry GWAS studies), neuroimaging biomarkers for ataxia and vascular cognitive impairment, and cellular stress mechanisms involving endogenous retroviruses. This work bridges basic molecular biology with clinical applications in dementia research.

• Landis Outstanding Mentor Award (NIH)
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Member of the National Academy of Medicine

As Director of the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Dr. Paulson oversees extensive research projects supporting cognitive impairment studies and mentors junior researchers, evidenced by his NIH mentorship award. His center coordinates multi-institutional grants focused on dementia risk reduction and diverse population studies.

He leads the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center which supports wide-ranging research initiatives, while his laboratory investigates molecular pathways in neurodegeneration. Current projects include the Diverse VCID Study examining vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and ENIGMA-Ataxia consortium research on structural brain changes in spinocerebellar disorders.