The Administrative Core of the New Mexico Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center coordinates all center activities and ensures that the seven scientific cores and the research education component work together effectively. Many members of the Administrative Core have collaborated for years through the exploratory phase of the center, building strong partnerships and shared experience.
The Administrative Core has developed essential relationships to improve dementia diagnosis and care in both urban and rural Hispanic and Latino communities and in American Indian communities. Zuni Pueblo, for example, is a rural and medically underserved community located far from major medical centers. To overcome barriers created by distance, the center uses a mobile scanner to conduct on‑site magnetic resonance imaging and partners with Community Health Representatives to complete neuropsychological testing.
The core also collaborates with the New Mexico Aging and Long‑Term Services Department to expand dementia care by training community‑based social workers through telehealth programs. Individuals identified as being at risk for Alzheimer’s disease receive further evaluation at the University of New Mexico Center for Memory and Aging.
The Administrative Core establishes committees and convenes regular meetings of the Executive Committee, which includes leaders from each core. These meetings help identify challenges, coordinate solutions, and maintain smooth operations. The center continues to submit demographic, clinical, biomarker, and imaging data to national repositories as part of its contribution to national research efforts.
The Administrative Core helps train the next generation of Alzheimer’s disease researchers by awarding developmental grants to early‑stage investigators. The core also partners with research centers across the university and throughout the state to strengthen dementia research and expand opportunities for collaboration. It organized a successful statewide research symposium that highlighted work from the New Mexico center and other institutions. Click here to view our seminar series for Spring 2026.
Day‑to‑day operations of the center are managed by the Administrative Core in close collaboration with core leaders. The University of New Mexico is committed to inclusiveness and diversity, and the center follows this model to support the unique needs of minoritized populations across the state.
New Mexico is a frontier state with a large geographic area and a widely dispersed population. The University of New Mexico Center for Memory and Aging is the only dementia care center in the Rocky Mountain region, and the New Mexico Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center is the first such center in the vast area stretching from Mexico to Canada. The center brings advanced dementia research—including plasma‑based biomarkers and advanced magnetic resonance imaging—to rural communities to help identify individuals at risk who may benefit from emerging treatments.
The Administrative Core oversees research on inflammation and on new patient‑classification methods that use machine‑learning approaches. These efforts help introduce precision‑medicine concepts to rural communities and support the center’s mission to improve dementia care and research across New Mexico.
Rachel Whitmer, PhD (Chair, NM ADRC EAC)
Co-Director, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Public Health Sciences and Neurology; Chief, Division of Epidemiology; Director, Population Brain Health Lab, University of California , Davis
Erin Abner, PhD, MPH
Co-leader for Data Management and Statistics Core Co at the University of Kentucky ADRC
Chair and Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, College of Public Health; Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Endowed Chair, University of Kentucky, Lexington
Liana Apostolova, MS, MD, FAAN
Clinical Core Leader, Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center
Associate Dean of Alzheimer's Disease Research and Distinguished Professor, Professor of Neurology, Professor of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Professor of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Pharmacology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
Carey Gleason, PhD, MS
Core Leader: Inclusion of Under-represented groups, Wisconsin ADRC
Professor of Geriatrics and Gerontology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, School of Medicine & Public Health
Julia Kofler, MD
Co-director and Neuropathology Core Leader, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh
Associate Professor of Pathology & Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs & Director, Division of Neuropathology, University of Pittsburgh
