Bio

Dr. Mortimer was the Co-Principal Investigator of the Nun Study, a landmark research study focused on Alzheimer's disease, as well as principal investigator, investigator and consultant on many other regional, national and international studies related to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. In 1983, he was the first to report a link between severe head injury and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. His more recent research addresses the issue of early detection and prevention of dementia in populations.

After completing a three-year Staff Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in 1973, Dr. Mortimer became a faculty member at the University of Minnesota and Director of Research of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center at the Minneapolis V.A. Medical Center. In 1994, he was the Executive Convener of the Fourth International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease. Dr. Mortimer has served as Chair of the Mental Disorders of Aging Study Section at NIH and as a member of the Policy Boards of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging and the Honolulu Heart Program. From 1996 to 2003, he was the Director of the Institute on Aging at the University of South Florida.