Zaven S. Khachaturian, Ph.D.

Zaven Khachaturian, PhD, is the President of the Campaign to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease 2020 [PAD2020] www.pad2020.org. He is the Emeritus Founding Editor-in-Chief of Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Former Director, Office of Alzheimer's Disease Research, National Institutes of Health [NIH].

His career spans several major positions requiring high level strategic decision making regarding public policies and program development. He is generally acknowledged as the ‘Founder – Chief Architect’ of the extramural research programs on Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer supported by the National Institution on Aging (NIA) / National Institutes of Health [NIH].

During his tenure at NIH he served the dual role of Director, Office of Alzheimer’s Disease, responsible for coordinating all Alzheimer’s disease related activities NIH-wide; as well as the Associate Director for the Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program (NNA) at the NIA/NIH. In these positions he was responsible for planning, developing and administering major national programs of research on Alzheimer’s disease and brain aging e.g., Alzheimer’s Centers, CERAD, ADCS, and other.

Outside government he has served as: Vice President of Research, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center [UPMC]; Professor, Health Services Research , Gradual School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh; and Interim-Director for Pittsburg Biotechnology Center, University of Pittsburgh; Founding Director, Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute/Alzheimer’s Association; President & CEO, Lou Ruvo Brain Institute [now the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health].

His experiences in critical assessment of strategic needs have led to the creation of several important national programs of neuroscience related research that include:

• NIA/NIH extramural program of national research on Brain Ageing & Alzheimer’s Disease
• Ronald & Nancy Reagan Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s disease
• Lou Ruvo Brain Research Institute [Now Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health – Cleveland Clinic in Las Vegas]
• Alzheimer Study Group [Chaired by Speaker Newt Gingrich & Senator Bob Kerry]
• Series of Research Planning Think-Tank meeting [aka Leon Thal Symposia [LTS’07-LTS’10]
• Scientific Agenda Recommendations re: NAPA – National Plan to Address Alzheimer's
• The Campaign to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease by 2020 [PAD2020] [a 301 [c] 3 organization for strategic planning
• Founding Editor-in-Chief, Alzheimer’s & Dementia [Highest ranking impact factor among neurology journals devoted to dementia].

His academic training includes:

BA Yale 1961 / PhD Case-Western Reserve 1967 / Post-doctoral College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia 1967-1968. His research interests include: : neurobiology-neurophysiology of neuroplasticity-cognition / systems biology / calcium homeostasis – ‘Calcium Hypothesis’ / neurobiology of aging & dementia / public policy / politics of sciences / strategic planning & program development / research funding.