New Vice President and Dean

Focusing on translational research for patients, school

Steven T. DeKosky, M.D., an internationally recognized Alzheimer’s disease clinician and researcher, became Dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine on August 1.
DeKosky comes to UVA from the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as Chair of the Department of Neurology and Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, one of 30 centers funded nationally by the National Institute on Aging. He has also served as Chair of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council and the American Academy of Neurology’s Practice Parameters Committee for Early Detection, Diagnosis and Management of Dementia. He is a member of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
As DeKosky guides the School of Medicine – where he plans to expand efforts in translational research – he will continue seeing patients and conducting his research, which has included clinical trials of medications for Alzheimer’s disease and the link between brain trauma and Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Building on UVA’s outreach and research activities in southwest Virginia, DeKosky will continue his research into developing effective methods of screening the elderly for Alzheimer’s, dementia and other signs of cognitive impairment.
DeKosky has been working with colleagues to develop an assessment program that utilizes a user-friendly, tablet-size computer to guide patients through a cognitive evaluation and produces an automated printout for review by physicians. The tablet computer (called the Computerized Assessment of Mild Cognitive Impairment or CAMCI) evaluates patient’s cognitive abilities in part by having them perform simulations of everyday tasks, such as transferring money between savings and checking accounts at an ATM. He believes the tablet could help enhance care for the elderly, especially in medically underserved areas, in part by freeing doctors from having to perform lengthy neurological assessments.
“With the tablet PC, it’s something that could be done while a patient sits in the waiting room,” he says. “We are in the process of validating the results of the tablet testing, using the ‘gold standard’ of full evaluation in the Alzheimer’s Center Memory Disorders Clinic. We will continue this work at UVA, as well as work in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh. ”
To consult with or refer a patient to Dr. DeKosky, call UVA Physician Direct at 800-552-3723.