Dr. Sanz Simon is an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University – Department of Psychiatry, New Jersey Medical School (Newark, NJ). She is also a core member of the Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center, Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
She earned a Ph.D. in Psychiatry from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, with a concentration in Geriatric Psychiatry and emphasis in Neuropsychology. Dr. Sanz Simon also completed a graduate research fellowship in Neuropsychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and a postdoctoral research fellowship in Cognitive Aging/Neuroscience at Columbia University, under the mentorship of Prof. Yaakov Stern.
Her research endeavors include identifying factors of reserve and resilience to cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (AD/ADRD) in diverse, underrepresented, and underserved populations, with a keen focus on Brazilian/Latino communities. Dr. Sanz Simon’s research has also focused on developing culturally informed non-pharmacological interventions to boost cognitive and brain health, promote health-related behaviors, and ultimately promote AD/ADRD prevention. In her intervention studies, she has been dedicated to integrating technology into clinical trials considering the needs of different populations. Additionally, Dr. Sanz Simon is committed to empowering communities and promoting health equity through community-engaged research and innovative community-academic partnerships.
Currently, Dr. Sanz Simon is the principal investigator of the BRAINY-NJ Study (Brazilian Aging in New York-New Jersey Study), funded by the Alzheimer’s Association. The BRAINY-NJ investigates AD/ADRD risk and protective factors among the Brazilian immigrant population living in the New York City metropolitan area (NY and NJ states). She is also the principal investigator of an NIA-funded digital clinical trial aimed at enhancing multitasking abilities in older adults (K99-R00 Award). While living in the U.S., Dr. Sanz Simon continues to contribute to Brazilian research, as she is currently funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPQ-Brazilian Government) in collaboration with Maranhão Federal University, investigating aging in AfroBrazilian-Quilombola communities.
Dr. Sanz Simon’s work has been recognized with honors and awards, as she is a recipient of two awards from the International Neuropsychological Society (Laird S. Cermak and Nelson Butters Awards) and is a recipient of competitively funded career development awards on aging research (i.e., Butler-William Scholars Program – NIA; DMCDTaW – Gerontological Society of America), and clinical trials methodology (i.e., IMPACT-AD).
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center