Dr. Lopez is professor of Neurology, Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Sciences, the Levidow-Pittsburgh Foundation Endowed Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Disorders, and chief of the Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Division. In addition, he is currently the director of the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

His primary research interest has focused on the distribution (incidence and prevalence), behavioral symptoms, risks and long-term outcomes of dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Lopez has conducted large-scale studies in the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia and multiple studies on the refinement of the clinical criteria for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

In addition, he has conducted large-scale studies in the clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and is co-author of the 2017 American Academy of Neurology Practice Guidelines for MCI. Dr. Lopez is currently conducting studies, as principal investigator and co-investigator, of the factors that modulate the transition from normal to MCI and to dementia in relationship to cerebral amyloid deposition.

Dr. Lopez created The Brain Training and Exercise (BRiTE) Wellness Program, a novel integrated, non-pharmacological, multimodal program to promote brain health in cognitively impaired individuals. It incorporates a model of access to non-pharmacological interventions to individuals in the greater Pittsburgh community who would otherwise not be able to participate in such a program due to either limited finances or the need to continue working past retirement age.