Roger A. Dixon

RAD, Photo: John Ulan

Contact Information:

Mailing Address

Department of Psychology
P-217 Biological Sciences Bldg
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB
Canada T6G 2E9

Email

rdixon@ualberta.ca

Biographical Background

Current Positions

Department of Psychology (Science)
Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (FoMD)
University of Alberta

U of A Logo

Previous Positions

University of Victoria
Max Planck Institute, Berlin
Äldrecentrum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Visiting)
Stanford Center for Advanced Study (Visiting)

Advanced Degrees

University of Chicago
Penn State University

Research and Opportunities

Victoria Longitudinal Study (VLS)

Role: Director and Principal Investigator
VLS Headquarters and Lab: University of Alberta
Satellite Lab: University of Victoria
Overview: A long-term (20+ years) and large-scale longitudinal and epidemiological investigation of biomedical, health, genetic, biological, metabolic, lifestyle, reserve/resilience, demographic, and environmental risk and protective factors influencing brain and cognitive trajectories toward and away from decline, impairment, and neurodegenerative disease.
Funding: National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Aging) and other partners.
Website: https://sites.ualberta.ca/~vlslab/

Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA)

Roles: Co-Lead Biomarkers Team and Biosamples Platform, CCNA Research Executive Committee
Overview: Cross-national observational study deeply phenotyping older adults with multiple types of complaints, impairment, neurodegenerative disease, and dementia. Important goals are to understand how neurodegenerative diseases develop and what can be done to delay or prevent them.
Biomarker Data: Includes clinical, core biomarkers, neuro-imaging, genetics, cognitive battery, neurophysiological, functional, dementia risk, and derived omics panels.
Cohorts: Cohorts include Cognitively Normal, Subjective Cognitive Impairment, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Vascular Disease, Mild Alzheimer's Disease, Mixed Etiology, Lewy Body/Parkinson's Disease, and Frontotemporal Dementia.
Biomarkers Team Funding: Alberta Innovates in partnership with Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Website: https://ccna-ccnv.ca/

Brain Resilience and Diversity in Aging and Dementia

Roles: Drs. Natasha Rajah (NPI; McGill/TMU), Roger Dixon (PI; Alberta), Gillian Einstein (PI; Toronto), Yaakov Stern (PI; Columbia)
Two-year Program of Activities: Year 1 – A "collaboratory" held at McGill University (May 2024) featuring Knowledge Synthesis Symposium (Day 1) and Knowledge Mobilization Workshop (Day 2); Year 2 – Developing a consensus article for publication and an edited special issue of a journal.
Funding Source: CIHR Knowledge Synthesis and Mobilization Program
Partners: CIHR Institute on Aging, Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (Knowledge Translation and Exchange; Biomarkers Team 9), Alzheimer Society Canada, Canadian Brain Research Strategy
Website: https://resilienceandaging.com/

SynAD: Promoting Synergies in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias at the University of Alberta

Role: Principal Investigator
Team: Co-PIs: Drs. Jack Jhamandas, Satya Kar, Simonetta Sipione, David Westaway; Co-Is: Drs. Richard Camicioli, Elena Posse de Chaves, Valerie Sim
Program: Three main initiatives for enhancing research in ADRD: Catalyst Grants, Equipment Grants, and Trainee Funding
Funding: Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories, University Hospital Foundation
Institutional Partner: Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute
National Partners: Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, Campus Alberta Neuroscience
Website: https://sites.psych.ualberta.ca/SynAD/

Selected Professional Activities and Recognitions

Endowed Chair: Canada Research Chair in Cognition and Aging (Tier 1)
Co-Lead: Biomarkers Team, Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA)
Research Executive Committee: Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA)
Steering Committee: Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (NMHI), University of Alberta
Co-Lead: Neuroinformatics Initiative, NMHI, University of Alberta
Conference Co-Organization: Collaboratory on Brain Resilience and Diversity in Aging and Dementia (Montréal, 2024)
Conference Co-Organization: Banff (Alberta) Conferences on Promoting Healthy Brain Aging and Preventing Dementia (2016, 2018, 2021)
Conference Co-Organization: U.S. National Academies of Science Medicine (Alternatives to Alzheimer’s)
Conference Co-Organization: STINT Conference Series on Epidemiological Approaches to Aging and Dementia (Stockholm, Victoria, Umeå, Whistler, Tuscany)
Conference Co-Organization: Program Chair, APA Division of Adult Development and Aging
Invited Talks: Australia, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Sweden, UK, USA
Baltes Award: Distinguished Career Research in Aging, American Psychological Association
NIH MERIT Award: U.S. National Institutes of Health (Two Five-year Terms)
Outstanding Alumnus Award: Penn State University
President: Division of Adult Development and Aging, American Psychological Association
Tenure: Research Scientist, Max Planck Institute (Berlin)
Visiting Professor: Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm)
Visiting Fellow: Stanford Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Science (Stanford, CA)
Co-Chair: Research Ethics Committee, University of Victoria
Chair: Section on Adult Development and Aging, Canadian Psychological Association
Review Boards: US National Institutes of Health; Canada Research Chairs (and others)

Colleagues and Contexts

Mentors

Paul B. Baltes (Max Planck Institute)
John R. Nesselroade (University of Virginia)

Active or Long-term Collaborators

Melissa K. Andrew (Dalhousie University)
Shea Andrews (University of California, San Francisco)
Kaarin Anstey (University of New South Wales, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA))
Lars Bäckman (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden)
Pierre Bellec (Université de Montréal)
Richard Camicioli (University of Alberta)
Jeremy Caplan (University of Alberta)
Florin Dolcos (Beckman Institute, University of Illinois)
Sanda Dolcos (Psychology, University of Illinois)
Cindy de Frias (University of Texas)
Christopher Hertzog (Georgia Institute of Technology)
David F. Hultsch (University of Victoria)
Jack Jhamandas (University of Alberta)
Margie Lachman (Brandeis University)
Liang Li (University of Alberta)
Stuart MacDonald (University of Victoria)
Mario Masellis (Sunnybrook Hospital/University of Toronto)
Jack McArdle (University of Southern California)
G. Peggy McFall (University of Alberta)
Lars-Göran Nilsson (Stockholm University)
M. Natasha Rajah (McGill/Toronto Metropolitan University)
Shraddha Sapkota (University of California, Davis)
Brent Small (University of South Florida)
Esther Strauss (University of Victoria)
Åke Wahlin (Jönköping University, Sweden)
David Westaway (University of Alberta)
Sandra Wiebe (University of Alberta)

Photos

Photo Collection (click to view a small collection of photos, including people, the local area, and the Rocky Mountains.)