The 16th annual inter-institutional meeting of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institutes, McKnight Brain Research Foundation, and University of Miami McKnight Brain Institute, takes place on Miami Beach beginning on Wednesday May 14 through Friday May 16, 2025.

Dr. Yelena Yesha, IDSC Director of Innovation and Knight Foundation Endowed Chair in Data Science and AI, will speak on “Digital Twin Approaches to Cognitive Aging” at 3:15 PM on Thursday, May 15. The session takes place at the Nautilus Sonesta Hotel, 1825 Collins Avenue (Bridge Room). For more information, contact Stacy S. Merritt, MA, CCRP, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute Research Administration Director at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Department of Neurology: s.merritt@med.miami.edu.

 

BRAIN HEALTH: From Discoveries to Community

Day 1 Wednesday, May 14th, 2025

Location: Nautilus Sonesta Hotel, 1825 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Agenda

12:15 – 1:00pm 12:15 – 12:30pm 12:30 – 4:00pm 12:30 – 1:10pm 1:10 – 1:50pm 1:50 – 2:30pm 2:30 – 3:10pm 3:10 – 3:50pm 3:50 – 4:00pm 4:00 – 4:30pm 4:30 – 5:00pm	Buffet Lunch • Bridge Room Welcome and Introduction to Pre-Meetings | Ihtsham Haq and Tatjana Rundek, UM • Bridge Room PRE-MEETINGS • Bridge Room – Neuromodulation | Chairs: John Williamson, UF; Keith McGregor, UAB – Precision Aging | Chairs: Carol Barnes, UA; Ron Lazar, UAB – Metabolism & Cardiovascular Function | Chairs: Sara Burke, UF; Lee Ryan, UA – Neuroinflammation | Chairs: Tom Foster, UF; Meredith Hay, UA – AI & Neuroimaging | Chairs: Ihtsham Haq, UM; Arne Ekstrom, UA BREAK McKnight Brain Aging Registry (MBAR) | Chairs: Kristina Visscher, UAB; Ron Cohen,UF • Bridge Room Inter-Institutional Projects and Collaborations: Cognitive Aging and Memory Intervention (CAMI) Core | Ihtsham Haq, UM; Sara Burke, UF • Bridge Room
5:15 – 7:15pm 5:45 – 6:00pm	Reception and Dinner • Nautilus Lobby Bar Welcome | Tatjana Rundek, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, UM | Guillermo (Willy) Prado Ph.D.,  Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, UM | Michael L. Dockery, M.D., Chair, Board of Trustees, McKnight Brain Research Foundation, UM
6:00 – 7:15pm 7:30 – 9:00pm	Dinner in The Backyard Miami City Ballet Studios, 2200 Liberty Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Day 2 Thursday, May 15th, 2025

Location: Nautilus Sonesta Hotel, 1825 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Agenda

8:00 – 8:45am	Breakfast • Nautilus Cabana Club Terrace
8:00 – 8:45am	YOUNG INVESTIGATORS SESSION: Future Research Directions | Leaders: Tatjana Rundek, UM;  Carole Barnes, UA; Ron Lazar, UAB; Tom Foster, UF
9:00 – 9:30am	Welcome & Introductions • Bridge Room | Tatjana Rundek, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, UM | Henri R. Ford, M.D., MHA, Dean and Chief Academic Officer, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, UM | Jose Romano, FAHA, FAAN, FAAN, Chairman, Department of Neurology, UM McKnight Brain Research Foundation New Direction | Michael L. Dockery, M.D., Chair, Board of Trustees, McKnight Brain Research Foundation (MBRF), UM Introduction to Program and Meeting Overview | Tatjana Rundek, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, UM
SESSION I
9:30 – 10:30am 9:30 – 9:40am 9:40 – 9:50am 9:50 – 10:00am 10:00 – 10:10am 10:10 – 10:30am 10:30 – 10:45am	Biomarkers of Optimal Aging: Potential Intervention Targets | Moderators: Farah Lubin, UAB and Tom Foster, UF -Consequences of Mitochondrial Defects in Aging Neurons: Carlos Moraes, UM -Imaging and Epigenetic Biomarkers of Brain Health: Yenisel Cruz-Almeida, UF -Characteristics of Exceptional Performers and Resilient Individuals: Matt Huentelman, UA -Biomarkers of Sleep in Aging: Christian Agudelo, UM Panel Discussion | Discussion Lead: Farah Lubin, UAB BREAK
SESSION II
10:45 – 11:45am 10:45 – 11:00am 11:00 – 11:15am 11:15 – 11:30am 11:30 – 11:50am 12:00 – 2:00pm 12:45 – 12:55pm	Translation to Practice and Community | Moderators: Ron Lazar, UAB and James Galvin, UM Community Participatory Research: Rosie Curiel, UM Precision Aging in the Community: Education, Engagement, and Participation: Lee Ryan, UA Cognitive Decline Following Transient Ischemic Attack | Victor Del Bene, UAB Panel Discussion (Discussion Lead: Susan Fox-Rosellini, UM Lunch • Nautilus Cabana Club Terrace Introduction of the 1st Ralph L. Sacco Scholars in Brain Health by AAN/AHA | Dr. Patrick Devlin, UT Houston and Dr. Cyprien Rivier, Yale • Bridge Room
1:00 – 2:00pm	Keynote Lecture: Updates on Vascular Cognitive Aging and Risk for Dementia Charles DeCarli, MD, FAAN, FAHA | Victor and Genevieve Orsi Chair in Alzheimer’s Research, Distinguished Professor of Neurology; Co-Director, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Chief, Imaging of Dementia and Aging (IDeA) Laboratory, UC Davis
SESSION III
2:00 – 3:00pm 2:00 – 2:10pm 2:10 – 2:20pm 2:20 – 2:30pm	Environmental Challenges to Brain Health | Moderators: Christian Agudelo, UM and Lee Ryan, UA -Harmful Algal Blooms and Brain Health | Larry Brand, UM -PFAS and Brain Health | Hannah Gardener, UM -Microgravity Effects on the Human Brain and Behavior: Co-occurring Dysfunction and Adaptive Plasticity | Rachael Seidler, UF
2:30 – 2:40pm 2:40 – 3:00pm 3:00 – 3:15pm	Environmental Exposures Accelerate Brain Aging and Influence Cognitive Impairment | Ashley Adamson, UAB Panel Discussion | Discussion Lead: David Davis, UM BREAK
SESSION IV
3:15 – 4:00pm	Machine Learning and Big Data Approaches to Cognitive Aging | Moderators: Ihtsham Haq, UM and Aprinda Queen, UF
3:15 – 3:30pm 3:30 – 3:45pm 3:45 – 3:55pm 3:55 – 4:15pm	-Digital Twin Approaches to Cognitive Aging | Yelena Yesha, UM -Examining the Relationship Between Brain Aging and Cognition With an ML Approach: Junghee Lee, UAB -AI in Oculomics | Jianhua Wang, UM Panel Discussion | Discussion Lead: Ihtsham Haq, UM
SESSION V
4:15 – 5:30pm	Brain Health: Action & Implementation (from pre-meeting groups) Moderators: Carol Barnes, UAB and Ihtsham Haq, UM Pre-Meeting Group Leaders Present Action Items and Next Steps and Discussion
6:00 – 6:15pm 6:30 – 9:00pm	Board buses Dinner (by invitation only)

Day 3 Friday, May 16, 2025

Location: Nautilus Sonesta Hotel, 1825 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Agenda

6:30 – 8:00am 7:00 – 8:00am 8:15 – 8:45am

Breakfast • Nautilus Cabana Club Terrace Leadership Breakfast with MBRF Trustees (by invitation only) Board buses to depart for UM

Location: University of Miami, Bascom Palmer Auditorium, 900 NW 17th Street, Miami, FL 33136

 

SESSION VI
9:30 – 10:30am	Translating Discoveries into Action | Moderators: Carol Barnes, UA and Tatjana Rundek, UM
9:30 – 9:45am	-Effect of Genetic Ancestry on APOE Risk for Dementia on the Aging Population | Anthony Griswold, UM
9:45 – 10:00am	-Vascular Health and HIV: Exercise is Medicine | Raymond Jones, UAB
10:00 – 10:15am	-Studying the Aging Social-Cognitive Brain: Bridging Basic Science and Real-World Impact | Natalie Ebner, UF
10:15 – 10:30am 10:30 – 10:40am	-Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease | Ying-Hui Chou, UA BREAK
SESSION VII
10:40 – 11:45am 10:40 – 10:55am 10:55 – 11:10am 11:10 – 11:20am	Blitz Presentations | Moderators: Christian Agudelo, UM and Natalie Ebner, UF -McKnight Brain Aging Registry (MBAR) Updates | Kristina Visscher, UAB -Cognitive Aging and Memory Intervention (CAMI) Core Updates: Ihtsham Haq, UM and Keith McGregor, UAB -Life Essential 8 and Cognition | Tali Elfassi, UM