trees with fall yellow leaves and students on bikes
Whitmer Lab

Leveraging population science and epidemiology to inform brain health and lower risk of cognitive impairment and dementia

Professor Rachel Whitmer

Rachel Whitmer

Professor Rachel Whitmer is an epidemiologist with a passion for identifying modifiable risk factors for brain health and dementia in diverse populations which have previously been underrepresented in population-based research.

She is a professor in the UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences and Chief of the Division of Epidemiology and Associate Director of the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center.

News

Researchers Explain Why Black Americans Are At Higher Risk For Alzheimer's

The Alzheimer's epidemic no one is talking about

Originally published by Oprah Magazine June 24, 2020 authored by Meghan Rabbitt

Six years ago, Veronica Shanklin showed up at her childhood home in DeSoto, Texas, expecting a typical visit. Shanklin’s grandmother, who’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at age 82, had moved in with Shanklin’s mom a few years earlier. Shanklin, a marketing executive in Chicago, wanted to spend some time with them and was also eager to help with caretaking for a few days; she was sure her mom, then 66, could use a break.