McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarship Winners
Meet the scholarsThe McKnight scholars represent the best and brightest early career physician scientists, and their projects have been vetted and selected by the American Academy of Neurology’s Science Committee and three Donor Trustees of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation.
Meet the 2024 Scholar

Haopei Yang, PhD
Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Project: Investigating age-related memory decline through computational modelling of perceptual changes and preclinical-AD biomarkers
Aging is often accompanied by cognitive decline, including memory deficits. The extent of memory decline varies widely among individuals and we do not fully understand why these changes occur.
Dr. Yang’s project will use memory tests and brain scans to study the memory precision and visual perception of young and older adults and will explore the link between amyloid-beta (A𝛽) in the brain and memory.
The results of his research may help us understand why memory worsens with age and how A𝛽 affects memory, ultimately contributing to better understanding age-related memory problems and identifying potential treatments.
Past Recipients

2023 Recipient
Eva Klinman, MD, PhD
Washington University, St. Louis, MO

2023 Recipient
Sheena Baratono, MD, PhD
Beth Israel Deaconess Harvard Medical Center, Boston, MA
Project: Using Atrophy Patterns to Better Understand and Diagnose Visuospatial Dysfunction

2022 Recipient
Michael Kleinman, PhD
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL

Sarah Szymkowicz, PhD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

Reem Waziry, MBBCh, MPH, PhD
Columbia University, New York, NY

Wai-Ying Wendy Yau, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Brian Baxter, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital, Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Sarah Getz, PhD
University of Miami Department of Neurology, Instructor of Neuropsychology

Christian Camargo, MD
University of Miami Department of Neurology, Assistant Professor of Clinical

Sanaz Sedaghat, PhD
Northwestern University, Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology

Kimberly Albert, PhD
Vanderbilt University, Research Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Brice McConnell, MD, PhD
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, Assistant Professor of Neurology