Jeanne Y. Wei

Jeanne Y. Wei, M.D., Ph.D., serves as the Jackson T. Stephens Professor of Geriatrics, Chair of the Reynolds Department of Geriatrics, and Executive Director of the Reynolds Institute on Aging (RIOA) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine. She provides clinical care at the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic at RIOA and maintains board certification in internal medicine, geriatrics, and cardiovascular medicine.

Dr. Wei earned her dual M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois. Her postgraduate training included an internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital, followed by a staff fellowship in Gerontology at the NIH/NIA in Baltimore. She previously served as Director of the Division on Aging at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Gerontology Division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center before joining UAMS in 2002.

Her research program centers on the aging cardiovascular system, with particular focus on molecular mechanisms of cardiac aging, mitochondrial dysfunction, and age-related heart failure. Current investigations explore the role of serum response factor in transcription regulation, nutritional interventions for physical function preservation, and biomarkers for chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. She also examines neuroinflammation links between periodontal disease and neurodegenerative conditions.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals strong thematic continuity in mitochondrial biology across cardiac and neurological aging research, alongside translational work on nutritional interventions for elderly patients with heart failure and dementia. Her work increasingly integrates multi-omics approaches to identify biomarkers for age-related pathologies.

Dr. Wei has received significant recognition including:

• Outstanding Clinical Educator Award from Harvard Medical School (2000)
• Outstanding Woman Faculty Award from UAMS College of Medicine (2005)

With over 35 years of academic experience, she has mentored numerous geriatric fellows and junior faculty while securing continuous NIH funding for more than 30 years. Current major grants include the PREVENTABLE study (a large pragmatic trial on lipid-lowering in older adults), Escitalopram for Agitation in Alzheimer's Disease (S-CitAD), and research on nutritional therapies for heart failure. She serves on national advisory boards for the NIH/NIA and FDA.

As Executive Director of the Reynolds Institute on Aging, Dr. Wei leads a comprehensive research and clinical enterprise encompassing the Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic, multiple NIH-funded research programs, and initiatives focused on translating basic aging research into clinical practice for Arkansas' elderly population.