The Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium (TARCC) Steering Committee (SC) was established to advise the Council on consortium matters, as defined in Chapter 154, Consortium of Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, Section 154.004, Texas Education Code. Each participating TARCC institution has one Steering Committee member as appointed by their respective institution and approved by the Council.
Responsibilities
Each SC member provides expertise, input and guidance on the following key issues through quarterly conference calls and annual scientific meetings:
- TARCC scientific direction
- Enhancing awareness of TARCC resources and activities
- Fostering collaborative TARCC data-use projects
- Helping to generate local interest in collaborative projects and grant opportunities
- Encouraging and tracking TARCC grant applications from home institution
- Regular monitoring of progress of each site's TARCC grants and providing semi-annual summary reports to Steering Committee
- Identifying and recruiting external reviewers for TARCC grant applications
- Reviewing TARCC sample / data requests
- Reviewing abstracts and proposals for TARCC scientific meetings
- Interacting with institutional legislative personnel to promote TARCC
- Preparing their respective institution’s presentation to the External Advisory Committee during biannual reviews
The Steering Committee, acting through the Scientific Director, Dr. Munro Cullum at UT Southwestern, advises the Council on consortium activities, including the setting of research priorities and policies, appropriate use of resources, project progress, and reporting of findings among the participating medical schools and health science centers.
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
C. Munro Cullum, Ph.D., ABPP is Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurological Surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he holds the Pam Blumenthal Distinguished Professorship in Clinical Psychology, is Department Vice Chair and Chief of the Division of Psychology, and the senior neuropsychologist in the O’Donnell Brain Institute. Dr. Cullum is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist who has been active in research, education, clinical practice, and leadership for many years. He is a Past-President of the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (APA Division 40), the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and the Sports Neuropsychology Society. Dr. Cullum serves as the Scientific Director of TARCC and Chair of the TARCC Steering Committee.
Primary Research Interests: Neuropsychological aspects of neurodegenerative disorders, including early detection, differential diagnosis, risk factors; short and long-term outcomes following concussion; neuropsychological assessment; telehealth applications of neuropsychology.
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
Rodrigo Morales, Ph.D., is a Professor of the Department of Neurology, and Co-Director of the Neuroscience Graduate Program. Dr. Morales obtained his BSc degree (biochemistry) from Universidad de Chile. His Ph.D., also from Universidad de Chile, included all thesis work done at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He joined UTHealth in 2009 as a post-doctoral fellow and was appointed as Assistant Professor in 2012. Dr. Morales has active research programs in Alzheimer’s and prion diseases. Dr. Morales serves as the Co-Chair of the TARCC Steering Committee.
Primary Research Interests:
Dr. Morales' main research topics involve the strain and species barrier phenomena in prion diseases, the prion-like nature of Aß aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease and the pathological interaction between these disorders.
University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth
Robert C. Barber, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Director of the Genomics Core in the Institute for Translational Research at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. He received his PhD in Genetics from Texas A&M University in 1997.
Primary Research Interests:
Identification of genetic and epigenetic risk factors for dementia and neurodegeneration as well as the influence of ancestry on disease risk and progression. Ongoing projects include efforts to identify patterns of differential DNA methylation that predict the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration.
The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School
Jared Benge, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Neurology at UT Austin Dell Medical School where he also serves as clinical research director and director of the adult neuropsychology program. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Houston in 2008.
Primary Research Interests: Technology to improve assessment and treatment of cognitive decline amongst older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.
Dr. Benge's Publications on PubMed
Faculty Profile
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock
John A. Bertelson, M.D. FAAN, is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He earned dual bachelor degrees from Rice University, his MD from the UT McGovern School of Medicine in Houston, and completed his neurology residency at the Mayo Clinic. He is UCNS certified in both behavioral neurology and neuroimaging. Dr. Bertelson also has faculty appointments in neurology and psychiatry at the UT Austin Dell Medical School. Between his clinics in Austin and Lubbock, he routinely sees patients from throughout Central Texas and the panhandle.
Primary Research Interests: Dr. Bertelson has served as an investigator on numerous clinical trials for disease modifying compounds for Alzheimer's Disease. He is interested in developing novel clinical pathways for the evaluation and management of person with cognitive disorders.
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
Valory Pavlik, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, Texas in 1994.
Primary Research Interests: Risk factors for cognitive decline and AD with a focus on cognitive reserve as a moderator of Alzheimer’s disease risk, racial/ethnic group differences AD biomarkers, and predictors of progression in clinical populations with MCI and AD. Dr. Pavlik is also active in the management of AD treatment and prevention trials carried out in the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center at Baylor College of Medicine.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
Ihsan Salloum, MD, MPH is a Professor of Neuroscience and the Director of the Institute of Neuroscience in the Department of Neuro-Behavioral Integrated Service Unit at UT Health Rio Grande Valley. He received a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Bologna and a Master of Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. Dr. Salloum is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He’s also an honorary member of the World Psychiatric Association.
Primary Research Interests:
Developing effective interventions for comorbid mood and addictive disorders and on addressing the diagnostic complexity of comorbidity. Additional interests include neuromodulation and neurophysiological biomarkers of brain diseases as well as introducing novel person-centered approaches to care.
The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center
Andrew Schmitt, PhD received his undergraduate degree in Toxicology from Clarkson University in New York in 1986. He received a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1994 and received his doctorate in clinical psychology from UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2000. His primary area of expertise is in neuropsychological assessment and he obtained training at Terrell State Hospital, Parkland Hospital, Sprague Hospital, UT Southwestern Medical Center, and the Dallas VA. He has published numerous articles and book chapters in the area of neuropsychology. Dr. Schmitt served as a Professor in the Department of Psychology at UT Tyler from 2004-2017. In 2018, he accepted a position as the Director of Neuropsychology at UT Health Science Center and is now also serving as Psychology Section Chief.
Primary Research Interests:
Neuropsychological correlates of neurodegenerative disorders, early detection and progression of MCI and dementia.
Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan
Matthew Lee Smith, PhD, MPH,is a Professor in the Texas A&M School of Public Health. As an evaluator and interventionist, his research addresses health risk across the life-course, chronic disease management, and the dissemination of evidence-based solutions for older adults. Dr. Smith’s translational work bridges research and practice issues across the health care sector, aging services network, and public health system. His research efforts have been funded by organizations including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Administration for Community Living (ACL), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium (TARCC). Dr. Smith’s research efforts have been supported by over $97M in extramural funding, and he has published over 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Primary Research Interests: Evidence-based interventions for older adults and their caregivers; Social and behavioral aspects of ADRD and caregiving; Risk assessment; Social connectedness; Linkages between community and clinical care.
University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
Giulio Taglialatela, Ph.D., is the UTMB Vice President for Brain Health, Professor in the department of Neurology and the Director of the Moody Brain Health Institute. He earned a MS (1984) and a PhD (1988) from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” continuing to postdoctoral training at UTMB (1988-1990). After returning to UTMB in 1993 as an Assistant Professor, he rose through the rank to his current leadership position within the UTMB neuroscience community. Throughout the years, Dr. Taglialatela has maintained a continually NIH-funded research group, contributing to our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying progressive physiopathology in Alzheimer’s Disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.
Primary Research Interests: Molecular neuropathology underpinnings in AD and related disorders, with particular focus on determining the events associated with cognitive resilience to AD dementia and the long term goal of developing innovative therapeutic concepts centered on inducing resistance to dementia in anyone challenged with AD neuropathology.
Giulio Taglialatela's publications on PubMed
Faculty Profile
The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio
Amy Werry, PsyD is a clinical neuropsychologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She completed her graduate degree at Pacific University in Oregon, internship at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, and postdoctoral training at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Primary Research Interests The relationship between sociocultural determinants of cognitive health and resilience to cognitive decline in the context neurological disease. Her greatest interest in neuropsychology is building empirical support for efficacious utilization and development of assessment and therapeutic practices for broadly diverse individuals.