Revolutionizing Dementia Care: Verghese Research Recognized by NIH

Over 6 million older adults in the U.S. live with dementia, yet signs of cognitive impairment are often missed in busy primary care settings, particularly among older Black and Hispanic Americans. Early diagnosis is vital for treatment and safety planning, but traditional cognitive tests can be lengthy, expensive, and culturally biased.

To address these challenges, Joe Verghese, chair of the Department of Neurologyin the Renaissance School of Medicine(RSOM) at Stony Brook, and his former team at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine developed 5-Cog, a brief, culturally unbiased cognitive assessment tool, to evaluate memory recall, cognition-gait connection, and symbol-picture matching in just five minutes. If cognitive issues are detected, 5-Cog triggers electronic health record notifications, providing tailored recommendations to health care providers.

Joe Verghese, chair of the Department of Neurology in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook.

The study was named one of the top five research highlights in human health advancesby the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for 2024.

In an NIH-funded study published in June in Nature Medicine, 5-Cog was tested in 1,200 older adults from disadvantaged neighborhoods in the Bronx, 94 percent of whom identified as Black or Hispanic. Almost 20 percent of patients using 5-Cog received improved dementia care, compared to less than 7 percent in the control group. Improvements included diagnoses, specialist referrals, and follow-up assessments.

"We're hopeful that the findings from this study could promote changes in primary care practice so that more older people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia will benefit from getting diagnosed and treated for their conditions," Verghese said.

A Leader in Geriatric Neurology

Verghese, a nationally recognized expert in the areas of gait and cognition in aging, joined the RSOM in October, bringing a distinguished career in geriatric neurology. At Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he founded the Division of Cognitive & Motor Aging and served as its inaugural chief. He also led the Montefiore Einstein Center for the Aging Brain, a clinical dementia and cognitive assessment center named a Center of Excellence in Alzheimer's Disease by the New York State Department of Health in 2016.

He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and chapters. Since 2002, he has secured over $200 million in research funding from the NIH and currently serves as principal investigator on five active NIH grants. His contributions to the field have earned him numerous accolades, including the Beeson Award from the National Institute on Aging, the Outstanding Scientific Achievement for Clinical Investigation Award from the American Geriatrics Society, and the Joseph T. Freeman Award from the Gerontological Society of America.

When Verghese joined Stony Brook as the chair of the Department of Neurology, his decision was guided by both professional ambition and a deep sense of purpose.

"The opportunity to expand my leadership roles and make a positive impact was compelling," he said. The move also addressed a critical need: providing neurological care in a region with high demand.

Transitioning from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Verghese wasn't alone; his wife, Anne Felicia Ambrose, joined Stony Brook as the chief of a new Division of Neuro-Rehabilitation. "Having my wife by my side and several colleagues from Einstein join us made Stony Brook feel like a homecoming," he added.

Verghese credits the visionary leadership at Stony Brook for inspiring his work. "Dean [Peter] Igarashi and Carol Gomes [CEO of Stony Brook University Hospital] have been incredibly supportive and forward-thinking," he said. Their collective goal is to enhance clinical services while building specialized programs for conditions such as head and spinal cord injuries, dementia, and headaches.

Stony Brook's innovative stroke service is a cornerstone of its neurological care. "The mobile stroke unit is a game-changer, and we're excited to expand it further," Verghese added. Additionally, plans to establish a Cognitive Neurology program and a neurorehabilitation program are well underway, with efforts to recruit top talent in the field.

Verghese sees the connection between clinical practice, education, and research as integral to the department's success. "We're working to build stronger ties with the medical school, increase student and resident engagement in neurology, and create nationally recognized research opportunities," he explained.

Community engagement is of particular interest for Verghese. "We're focusing on underserved minority populations and collaborating with other departments like neurosurgery, psychiatry, and geriatrics, to address major disabilities," he said.

Research remains central to Verghese's mission at Stony Brook. The next phase of the 5-Cog study, 5-cog 3.0, will integrate management tools like dementia navigators to guide families. Other research includes studying the cognitive effects of migration among individuals from India, and an exploration of "super movers," older adults who maintain youthful walking speeds.

"Our goal is to meet the community's neurological needs while building meaningful connections in the community," Verghese said. "This is about more than medicine; it's about making a lasting impact."

- Beth Squire

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