Nancy A Kerner, MD

Dr. Nancy Kerner is a physician-scientist who has clinical and research expertise in the intersection of sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances and cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Her clinical background is in geriatric psychiatry. She is board certified in General Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry. Her clinical practice has focused on healthy aging and late-life neuropsychiatric disorders, encompassing sleep and behavioral disturbances, depression, anxiety, and psychosis in older adults with stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. Dr. Kerner also received fellowship training in research, supported by a NIH-funded T32 Late-life Neuropsychiatric Disorders research training program, with a focus on studying the association between vascular depression, cognitive impairment, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In recent years, Dr. Kerner has assembled a multi-disciplinary team with renowned research investigators in an older adult population, including (1) Davangere Devanand MD, an expert in geriatric depression and cognitive impairment diagnosis and treatment, (2) Jose Luchsinger MD, MPH, an expert in dementia risk factor research, (3) Terry Goldberg, PhD, an expert in cognitive diagnostic instruments, and (4) sleep and circadian rhythm research experts (e.g., Johns Hopkins University). I have also established a consultant team, including Yaakov Stern, Ph.D., an expert in neuropsychology and cognitive reserve, and Mitchell Elkind, MD, MPH, an expert in cerebrovascular disease associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. Her projects include implementing early screening and diagnosing cognitive decline and sleep/circadian rhythm disturbance in clinical and community settings. Dr. Kerner’s optimal goal is to develop a novel diagnostic matrix and treatment for sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances among older adults with cognitive concerns, MCI, and dementia in order to optimize their quality of life and improve long-term cognitive outcomes.