Deborah Gustafson, PhD MS, is a Professor at the State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, Department of Neurology, Director of NeuroEpidemiology; and guest professor at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Prof Gustafson is Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded, multicenter MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study, Brooklyn Clinical Research Site, and co-chairs the Aging Working Group, leading in cognition and frailty. She is the current chair of The International Society of Vascular Behavioural and Cognitive Disorders. Prof Gustafson has researched the epidemiology of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) for over 20 years with a focus on adiposity, vascular risk factors and Neuroendocrine aspects of brain health. She is the 2022 recipient of the American Academy of Neurology’s Neuroendocrine research award. Deborah received her educational training from the University of Minnesota (PhD, MS, BA), held an NIH postdoctoral fellowship in Genetic Epidemiology, and a mid-career research award from the Swedish Research Council. She attained docentur at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.