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CJD Clinical Staff
Kelly Creighton
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Autopsy Coordinator
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Kelly Creighton coordinates the Brain Autopsy Program at the Memory and Aging Center.
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It´s a privilege to work with the families in the autopsy program to provide their future generations with the gift of knowledge.
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Kelly Creighton completed her Bachelor of Arts at Stony Brook University in 2005. Kelly was involved in behavioral medicine research in New York, first with a project examining the coping patterns of chronic pain patients and later with a study of the physiological and psychological risk factors of masked hypertension.
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Kelly joined the dynamic team at the Memory and Aging Center (MAC) in 2007 to pursue her interest in aging studies and end-of-life care. As coordinator of the Autopsy Program, she educates patients and families involved in the MAC clinic and research. Kelly helps families plan for autopsy and coordinates the autopsy process at the time of passing. She maintains a profound respect for those who choose to make this invaluable contribution to further knowledge of the mechanisms of healthy aging and neurodegenerative disease. In her time away from the MAC, Kelly is a classically-trained pianist, experimental cook and beach lover.
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Rosalie Gearhart, RN, MSN
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Administrative Nurse
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Ms. Gearhart is the Administrative Nurse for the Memory and Aging Center and a Geriatric Nurse Specialist.
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I appreciate working with so many people who work selflessly around the issues we care about: family, health, education, peace and the rights of older people.
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Ms. Gearhart received her undergraduate degree in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. She began her nursing career at Johns Hopkins Hospital where she worked in acute care on Osler 4 General Medicine. Ms. Gearhart continued working in general medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center where she was nurse manager. She received her Master's in Nursing Administration at UCSF and is certified as a Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialist by the American Nurses Association Credentialing Center.
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Ms. Gearhart is the Administrative Nurse for the Memory and Aging Center and oversees center operations. She is also Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Physiology in the School of Nursing. Ms. Gearhart works with families during the comprehensive diagnostic visits and cares for patients in the follow-up clinic. Ms. Gearhart focuses on optimizing the functional status of each patient and maintaining the quality of life for both the patient and caregivers.
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In addition to her clinical work, Ms. Gearhart has coordinated the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) prevention drug trial and focuses her research interests on the study of people at risk for dementia and prevention of decline. She currently administrates center-wide programs including the state Alzheimer's Disease Center of California (ARCC), the federal Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and the Consortium for Frontotemporal Dementia (CFR). Ms. Gearhart has been instrumental in program development since her start at the MAC in 1998.
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Michael Geschwind, MD, PhD
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Associate Professor of Neurology
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Dr. Geschwind assesses and treats people with rapidly progressive dementias, including prion diseases such as CJD.
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We are approaching the era of treatment for CJD and other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Dr. Geschwind received his MD and PhD in neuroscience through the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Medical Scientist Training Program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He completed his internship in internal medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, his neurology residency at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and his fellowship in behavioral neurology at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center (MAC). He has been at the Memory and Aging Center since 2003.
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Dr. Geschwind evaluates patients in the MAC new patient clinic and participates in the management and care for these patients in the MAC continuity clinic. He is active in the training of medical students and residents at UCSF. Dr. Geschwind teaches a national course and lectures, both nationally and internationally, on the assessment of rapidly progressive dementias, including human prion diseases.
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Dr. Geschwind's primary research interest is the assessment and treatment of rapidly progressive dementias, including prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Dr. Geschwind helped establish an inpatient hospital program for the assessment of rapidly progressive dementias at UCSF, one of the first of its kind in the country. He ran the first ever US treatment study for CJD. He also has an active research interest in cognitive dysfunction in movement disorders, such as Huntington's disease, corticobasal degeneration (CBD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and other Parkinsonian dementias.
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Bruce L. Miller, MD
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Center Director
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Dr. Miller is the clinical director of the Memory and Aging Center at UCSF.
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We used to think dementias hit the brain diffusely. We now realize that if one part of the brain is compromised, another part can remodel and become stronger.
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Dr. Miller is Professor of Neurology at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) where he holds the A.W. & Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Chair. Dr. Miller is the clinical director of the Memory and Aging Center (MAC) at UCSF, which is funded through the State of California, the Koret Foundation and the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation.
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The busy UCSF dementia center links comprehensive patient evaluations to basic research in neuropsychology, neuropsychiatry, neuroimaging and genetics. Dr. Miller's goal is the delivery of model care to all of the patients who enter the clinical and research programs at the MAC.
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Dr. Miller is a behavioral neurologist with a special interest in brain and behavior relationships and has focused his work in the area of dementia. He has many years of experience directing pharmaceutical trials for patients with Alzheimer's disease and directed the UCSF treatment trial for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with quinacrine in conjunction with Drs. Stanley Prusiner and Michael Geschwind.
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At UCSF, Dr. Miller directs an NIH-funded program project on frontotemporal dementia (FTD) called <a href="/ftd/research/clinical/ppg/multiple" title="Frontotemporal Dementia: Genes, Images and Emotions"><i>Frontotemporal Dementia: Genes, Images and Emotions</i></a>. His work with FTD has emphasized both the behavioral and emotional deficits that characterize these patients, while simultaneously noting the visual creativity that can emerge in the setting of FTD. The recognition that dementia patients have many strengths is a guiding principle of the Memory and Aging Center.
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Dr. Miller is author of the book <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=hBcPYvqE19QC&dq=The+Human+Frontal+Lobes&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPP1,M1" title="The Human Frontal Lobes by Bruce L. Miller" target="_blank"><i>The Human Frontal Lobes</i></a> and has extensive publications regarding dementia diagnosis and treatment. For nearly two decades, Dr. Miller has been the scientific director for the philanthropic organization The John Douglas French Foundation for Alzheimer's Disease. He is actively involved in patient care at the UCSF clinics and hospital and teaches extensively in the medical school. Dr. Miller runs the Behavioral Neurology Fellowship at UCSF.
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Dr. Miller was recently featured on <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec08/dementia_11-12.html" title="The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" target="_blank"><i>The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer</i></a>.
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Tricia See, ScM
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Genetic Counselor
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Tricia provides genetic counseling to those affected with or at-risk for degenerative brain diseases.
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It is inspiring to hear the stories of families who find the strength and courage to face the everyday challenges presented by a neurodegenerative disease.
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Tricia received her Bachelor's degree in biology with a concentration in genetics from Cornell University, followed by a Master's degree from The Johns Hopkins University/National Human Genome Research Institute Genetic Counseling Training Program in 2005. Tricia is a board certified genetic counselor.
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Tricia joined the Memory and Aging Center in August 2008 and is delighted to be part of such a knowledgeable and dynamic team. Her responsibilities include providing genetic counseling to individuals and families affected with or at-risk for degenerative brain diseases and working in conjunction with the team to better understand the underlying genetic factors.
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Julie N. Thai, MPH
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Research Coordinator
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Julie is responsible for patient intake, conducting caregiver questionnaires and performing MRI scans for RPD and CJD patients.
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When I pick up a phone call from a distressed caregiver or when I see a patient returning a smile, I feel gratified knowing that what I am doing is touching lives in minute ways.
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Julie Ngoc Thai came to the Memory and Aging Center after receiving her MPH with a concentration in Aging from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Julie's academic and professional interests lie in working with geriatric populations in social and clinical settings. She has previously worked as a nursing home volunteer to train socially isolated older adults in the use of computers and the Internet and has worked with Global Action on Aging, a United Nations NGO, to disseminate information on aging issues and elder rights to a global population. Currently, her involvement in coordinating the <a href="/cjd/research/current/assessingRPD/multiple" title="Early Diagnosis of Human Prion Disease"><i>Early Diagnosis of Human Prion Disease</i></a> study for patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) at the Memory and Aging Center denotes her transition into the clinical setting. Julie is responsible for patient intake, conducting caregiver questionnaires and performing MRI scans for rapidly progressive dementia (RPD) and CJD patients.
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