Russell Swerdlow, M.D., Gene and Marge Sweeney Professor in the Department of Neurology and co-director of the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, has been appointed to a 4-year term on the National Advisory Council on Aging. 

The council is the advisory body for the National Institute on Aging, the federal agency dedicated to advancing research on aging and age-related diseases. The National Institute on Aging is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health.  

The council advises and consults with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the directors of the National Institutes of Health and National Institute on Aging. Swerdlow, alongside his fellow council members, will also review requests and recommend funding for applications supporting research on basic science and clinical studies of aging. 

“I am honored to receive this appointment,” Swerdlow said. “The National Advisory Council on Aging advocates for and guides research initiatives intended to yield a better understanding of and more effective treatments for age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. This is a subject which certainly is near and dear to my heart and the focus of my own research program.” 

With over 30 years of experience as a neurologist and Alzheimer’s specialist, Swerdlow is a leading expert in Alzheimer’s research and treatment. For over 25 years he has co-directed the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, one of only 38 National Institute on Aging-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers in the country.