Goodes Prize Recipient Dr. Miia Kivipelto Expands Global Precision Prevention Efforts with New Yale Center for Aging Well

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) celebrates the opening of the Center for Aging Well at the Yale School of Nursing, a first-of-its-kind hub dedicated to advancing precision prevention and wellness across the lifespan. The center will be led by Goodes Prize recipient and global expert on Alzheimer’s prevention Miia Kivipelto, MD, PhD, modeled after her signature program at the Karolinska Institutet, where patients can receive an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in just five days.

“We are moving closer to the day when we will be able to use each patient’s unique biomarker profiles to tailor prevention approaches specifically to them, combining lifestyle interventions with drugs to slow – or even stop – Alzheimer’s before it begins,” said Howard Fillit, MD, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of the ADDF. “Dr. Kivipelto is at the forefront of this movement, leading the field in defining the evolving landscape of precision prevention. The opening of this new center expands the footprint of that critical work in the United States.”

Dr. Kivipelto – who serves as Professor of Clinical Geriatrics at the Karolinska Institutet, Rodman Family Endowed Professor of Gerontology at the Yale School of Nursing, Professor of Gerontology at Yale School of Medicine, and a member of the ADDF Board of Governors – is internationally recognized for her landmark FINGER trial, the first to demonstrate that a combination of lifestyle interventions, including diet and exercise, can help prevent cognitive decline by up to 40%.

“Incredible strides have been made in Alzheimer’s diagnosis and treatment over the past few years, but with prevention we’ve only scratched the surface,” said Dr. Kivipelto. “Now is the time to look ahead and think about how we can reduce our risk before Alzheimer’s ever takes hold. With the launch of the Center for Aging Well at Yale, we are taking an important step toward catalyzing a new era of precision prevention globally.”

The opening of the new center reflects the increasing rise of the precision prevention movement catalyzed by Dr. Kivipelto’s leadership. In 2023, the ADDF launched a first-of-its-kind Precision Prevention Partnership with Dr. Kivipelto and her team at the FINGERS Brain Health Institute, designed to look at therapeutic and lifestyle interventions in tandem, tailoring combinations to each patient to maximize effects and revolutionize the way we treat and prevent Alzheimer’s.

“Dr. Kivipelto’s pioneering approach to precision prevention aligns perfectly with Yale Nursing’s mission to advance health equity and improve outcomes across the lifespan,” said Azita Emami, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean of the Yale School of Nursing. “Precision care is transforming the future of healthy aging – recognizing each individual’s unique biology, environment, and life experience. By bringing together global expertise across disciplines, the Center for Aging Well will accelerate innovation, advance care delivery, and empower people to live longer, healthier lives.”

To mark the center’s opening, Yale hosted a Distinguished Panel Discussion exploring the future of precision prevention and data-driven discovery in brain health. Panelists included Dr. Howard Fillit; Matthew Clement, PhD, Director of Health & Life Sciences at Gates Ventures and Director of Scientific Strategy at the Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative; Rachel Whitmer, PhD, Chief of the Division of Epidemiology and Co-Director of the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center; and Tatiana Sadak, PhD, Deputy Dean and Professor at the Yale School of Nursing.