The UCSF Memory and Aging Center (MAC) maintains training programs for many levels and types of learners, ranging from a one-month clinical experience in behavioral neurology to two-year programs providing comprehensive clinical and research training. MAC training is open to students, fellows, and experienced professionals from the US and other countries.
Our program aims to create a workforce of leaders focused on preventing and treating brain disorders that cause cognitive and behavioral difficulties to minimize the impact of these disorders on people and families. We stress that understanding the clinical presentations of brain disorders is a bedrock principle for all other aspects of research and care. Through our extensive clinical and research activities, we provide exposure to a range of patients affected by these disorders and pair this with exposure to multiple approaches for advancing knowledge about diagnosis and care. Below is a listing of our current training programs. Training with specific investigators (e.g., postdoctoral research fellowships) may also be arranged by contacting that investigator directly.
- Behavioral Neurology Training Program
- Atlantic Fellow Program at the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI)
- Postdoctoral Program in Brain Health Equity
- Research Education Component of the UCSF Alzheimer’s Disease Center
- Neuropsychology Training Program
- Neurobehavioral Rotation Program
- International Visiting Scholars
- US Visiting Students
MAC Lecture Series
As part of its commitment to ongoing educational and professional development, the UCSF Memory and Aging Center hosts weekly seminars intended for academics in the Department of Neurology. These seminars feature guest speakers from around the world and our own neurologists, neuropsychologists, and cognitive neuroscientists discussing current and upcoming research, including topics such as brain and behavior, neuropathology, dementia, and cognition.
Community Outreach at the Memory and Aging Center
The MAC has many activities aimed at expanding the scope and impact of its work. We focus on advancing knowledge about threats to brain health and how to mitigate them. At the MAC, we have created programs to bridge the gap between new developments in the academic setting and the broader community. These programs are enabled by partnerships with Bay Area community centers and health providers, and we grow these efforts through continued outreach and by seeking additional funding.
Our center is expanding collaborations with health care providers in the Bay Area and beyond to deliver advanced assessment and care for cognitive and behavioral disorders. Some of these community collaborators include the Neurology program at Kaiser Permanente, the Geriatrics clinic at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the Chinatown Public Health Center, Chinese Hospital, Curry Senior Center, and Mission Neighborhood Health Center. These collaborations also extend to other centers in California, including Fresno and the Greater Los Angeles region, and to collaborators in other states, including Nebraska, New York, and Illinois. These collaborations involve training, clinical assessment, and research. Through large multicenter research projects, we also have partnerships with many academic programs in the U.S. and internationally.
Since 2015, our program’s ability to reach more people facing challenges to brain health has been enhanced through the Atlantic Fellows program at the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI). Through GBHI, we train professionals from a variety of disciplines in the principles of brain health. These trainees bring important perspectives on brain health that influence the viewpoints of the faculty and trainees at our center. Atlantic Fellows also contribute additional knowledge and skills that enhance our ability to reach individuals across the U.S. and internationally. This robust addition to our program is greatly enhancing the relevance of our work for many individuals in the U.S. and around the world.
Training Professionals
Our ability to serve the community is strengthened by the knowledge and perspectives from various disciplines. UCSF, the UCSF Neurology Department, and the MAC foster collaboration among professionals from a wide range of backgrounds in our training programs. The MAC’s leadership role in GBHI has brought new opportunities to enhance its training environment. The categories of professions that can contribute to addressing brain health include physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, therapists, and genetic counselors, but they also go beyond traditional healthcare professions. This is why the MAC established a visiting artist program several years ago, and in designing GBHI in collaboration with colleagues from Trinity College Dublin, we included anthropologists, economists, and artists among the types of learners we would include. This has enriched the environment at our center and helps to ensure that the next generation of leaders dedicated to maintaining brain health throughout the world brings a wide variety of skills. It also helps to make the MAC training an exciting and thought-provoking experience.
