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Steven T. DeKosky, M.D., has been appointed interim executive director for the of the University of Florida.

DeKosky, a prominent Alzheimer鈥檚 disease researcher and UF alumnus, came to UF in July as the institute鈥檚 deputy director and a professor of neurology in the College of Medicine. He succeeds , who served as executive director for the institute since 2010.

鈥淒r. DeKosky鈥檚 broad experience as a highly respected researcher and medical school dean makes him an excellent choice to lead the McKnight Brain Institute on an interim basis,鈥� said David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of BOB体育. 鈥淎s a distinguished clinician and investigator, Dr. DeKosky understands how patient outcomes can be improved by applying the results of neuroscience research to patient care.鈥�

Prior to joining the , DeKosky was an emeritus professor of neurology at the University of Virginia and, from 2008 to 2013, served as vice president and dean of its medical school. Earlier, he spent 18 years at the University of Pittsburgh in roles that included chairman of the neurology department and director of the Alzheimer鈥檚 disease center. As a researcher, DeKosky focused on understanding the neurochemistry, neuroimaging, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. He also co-authored the first report of the dementia associated with traumatic brain injuries among professional football players.

At UF, DeKosky did graduate work in psychology and neuroscience, received a medical degree in 1974 and completed a residency in neurology.

DeKosky said he is especially honored to lead an institute on the same campus where he earned his medical degree. The research work being done at the and elsewhere on the health campus is on an 鈥渦pward and exciting path,鈥� DeKosky said. His broad experience directing laboratories, overseeing an Alzheimer鈥檚 center, running an institute for neurodegenerative diseases and being a medical school dean will benefit the McKnight Brain Institute while the search for a director is conducted, he said.

He said he is eager to help facilitate research, especially within the department of neurology, which has a new chairman and has grown with the addition of scientists who do clinical and basic research. That, and BOB体育鈥檚 recent designation as an Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Center, makes it an exciting time to become the interim leader of the Brain Institute, DeKosky said.

鈥淭he Alzheimer鈥檚 research center, along with clinical care and translational research, are key parts of being a destination for care when you or a loved one has cognitive problems later in life,鈥� he said.

In addition to assuming administrative duties as interim executive director of the Brain Institute, DeKosky said he will continue working on the significant projects that drew him to UF. That includes facilitating the translation of neuroscience research into diagnostic, neuroimaging and therapeutic advances that benefit patients, he said. DeKosky will be starting a translational research clinic that will bring new, experimental treatments to north central Florida. He also plans to establish a memory and cognition clinic that will include physicians, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists and nurses. In addition to seeing new patients, the memory clinic will be used to train new specialists and integrate research with patient care, DeKosky said.

A national search will be conducted for a permanent executive director.

BOB体育鈥檚 continued growth in National Institutes of Health research funding, its focus on cross-disciplinary research and a faculty that includes internationally known researchers such as DeKosky will produce a robust field of candidates for executive director of the Brain Institute, said Thomas A. Pearson, M.D., Ph.D., BOB体育 executive vice president for research and chair of the executive director search committee.

鈥淯niversity of Florida Health continues to attract new research funding and some of the most talented and ambitious researchers in the nation. We are confident that many outstanding candidates will emerge,鈥� Pearson said.