Memory and Aging Center: Administrators and Technical Professionals

Kathleen Drew joined the Memory and Aging Center in October 2005 as a Financial Analyst. Prior to joining the MAC staff she has worked in a wide range of positions including EEOC program analyst at IBM, software quality engineer at PeopleSoft and the truck boss for a gasoline jobber in Colorado.

After hours she takes classes in mathematics and art trying to get the better of both. UP

Ken Edwards has held various administrative positions at UCSF and the UC Office of the President. He joined the MAC in 2005 as the assistant on the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center project entitled New Approaches to the Heterogeneity of Dementia.

She is a Media Producer/Director at the Memory and Aging Center studying normal aging and early predictors of dementia. Part of her scope of work includes cognitive testing for patients in the MAC clinic as well as for other research projects. UP

Joe Hesse

Joe Hesse received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Connecticut College.

He joined the Memory and Aging Center in 2002 and serves as the center’s Finance and Technology Manager. Prior to coming to MAC, Joe managed technology and finances for an education research project at the University of Michigan.

Over his career, Joe has enjoyed working in a variety of roles, including software development, database/systems administration, technical consulting, nonprofit technology planning, and business/financial analysis.

Outside of work, Joe enjoys reading, sports, and walks with his retired racing greyhound, Maeve. UP

Natalie Kliper received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from San Francisco State University. She joined Dr. Michael Geschwind’s team at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center in February of 2005. Some of her primary responsibilities are: coordinating patients' travel to UCSF for research visits, analyzing financial issues and monitoring funds for the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Rapidly Progressive Dementia, and Quinacrine studies. UP

Caroline Latham received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Davidson College and postbaccalaureate premedical training from Goucher College. She enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Texas Medical Branch, but withdrew to join a commercial research startup developing high resolution EEG. She has also worked in clinical labs learning about language and memory in patients with temporal lobectomies, written medical articles, and helped launch an educational website about improving cognitive skills.

In 2007 she joined the Memory and Aging Center as an Information/Data Analyst, where she focuses on communication via internet and intranet as well as data quality. UP

Hugo Perez

Hugo Perez is in the B.A. program of the School of Business at the University of San Francisco.

With an interest in learning administration in a medical environment, Mr. Perez is assisting the Memory and Aging Center administrative team including much of the data entry. UP

Tami Scott

Tami Scott is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology. Her professional background is in office administration, including post-award grant management at San Francisco State University.

She joined the Memory and Aging Center in 2004 and serves as the Practice Manager, overseeing Clinic and Center Operations, Education Programs, and administration of the Behavioral Neurology Fellowship Training Program. UP

Lorraine Shea

Lorraine received an AA in Medical Assisting and worked in a doctor’s office before venturing into self-employment in retail sales.

In 1996, she joined the UCSF Memory Disorders Clinic, later changing it’s name to the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. Lorraine performs administrative functions including report and medical record coordination, as well as patient and office related functions. UP

Charlie Toohey received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.

He joined the Memory and Aging Center in 2005 and serves as the center's Web and Database Developer. His background is in software architecture and design with a focus on enterprise-class applications. Prior to coming to MAC, Charlie worked at a number of Internet startups, including Affinity Expeditions, Grassroots Enterprise, Moai Technologies, and more.com. Prior to that he worked for the biotech firm Genencor International. UP

Charles Torres-Chae is a research coordinator in the UCSF Department of Neurology’s Memory and Aging Center. He graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He currently works with Dr. Michael Geschwind on his rapidly progressive dementia team. While learning about the clinical presentations and symptoms of all types of neurodegenerative disorders, he has focused most of his time towards caring for patients suffering from prion disease, particularly sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (sCJD). Charles’ research interests are in analyzing the utility of surrogate cerebral spinal fluid markers currently used to help diagnosis sCJD, the differential diagnosis of sCJD and MRI imaging. He hopes to continue to contribute towards research that seeks to cure and manage symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders and rapidly progressive dementias. UP