Meet the Team

Emily Paolillo, PhD, is an assistant professor and neuropsychologist at the UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center, part of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. Her clinical and research work is dedicated to enhancing the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Jessica Pasqua, MD, completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical-Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. There she was part of an advocacy and support group for former foster youth which inspired her to pursue a career in medicine with a focus on serving those with limited access to medical care due to poverty and social inequity. She then completed her Medical Degree (MD), her Adult Neurology residency, and her Epilepsy fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Bettina Pedemonte completed a PhD degree in mathematics in Italy at Genoa University and a PhD degree in mathematics education in France at Grenoble University. She has experience in teaching mathematics, in particular to students with learning disorders. She designed technological environments to support mathematical learning. Her research interests include understanding cognitive processes involved in solving mathematical problems and finding new teaching methods to support mathematical learning. Bettina joined UCSF in March 2018, specializing in designing a battery for dyscalculia.

In addition to her doctorate degree in Developmental Neuroscience from the University of Pisa, Francesca Pei brings over 20 years of leadership, operational management and strategic planning in a variety of health care, research, academic and education settings. She joined UCSF in 2022 as the Chief Operating Officer for Applied Neuroscience projects in the ALBA Lab at the MAC.

Christa Pereira, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in neuropsychology and learning differences. She is an assistant professor at the UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center and the UCSF Dyslexia Center. Dr. Pereira is dedicated to helping individuals and families gain a deeper understanding of their learning challenges and strengths, offering personalized neuropsychological assessments and practical recommendations to enhance educational and daily outcomes.

David Perry, MD, is a neurologist and associate professor of neurology at the UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center, part of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. He specializes in the care of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and other conditions that cause cognitive impairment. Dr.

Stefania Pezzoli completed her PhD degree in Neuroscience at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Her research aimed to investigate the neural and cognitive correlates of visual hallucinations in Lewy body disease and Alzheimer’s disease by integrating multimodal neuroimaging and neuropsychological measures.

Albert is a data engineer working on the Brain Aging Network for Cognitive Health study building reproducible data pipelines. He graduated with a BA degree in Computer Science from UC Berkeley in 2017.

Hieu Pham received his BA degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology with an emphasis on Neurobiology from UC Berkeley. He is from Sacramento, California, and plans to pursue medical school in the future. At the Memory and Aging Center, Hieu is part of the team working on the frontotemporal dementia program project grant, Frontotemporal Dementia: Genes, Images and Emotions.

Marcus is a recent Loyola University Chicago graduate who majored in Neuroscience and minored in Bioethics.

Stefanie Piña Escudero is a geriatrician working to understand and reduce the impact of social vulnerability on older adults with cognitive impairment. She is collaborating with the Multi-Partner Consortium to Expand Dementia Research in Latin America to develop a better understanding of dementia in the region with a special focus on social factors such as mistreatment.

Stefanie received her medical school training from the National University of Mexico where she completed her training in Geriatrics. She received her Internal Medicine training from La Salle University.;