MIND Leadership

Bradley Hyman, MD, PhD, Alzheimer's Unit director, and Rudy Tanzi, PhD, director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit, together as a Co-Vice Chairs of Research for the Mass General Neurology Department, lead the implementation of new initiatives that enhance translation of Mass General research to new therapies, keep the hospital at the forefront of neuroscience research, promote collaborations between clinicians and researchers and continuously improve the work environment for our researchers.

Dr. Hyman and Dr. Tanzi lead MIND and carry out the original vision of MIND founder Anne Young, MD—to create open laboratory space with a layout that fosters collaboration and discovery. Together they motivate, inspire and lead the MIND team to achieve a singular goal—bench to bedside research resulting in treatments and cures for neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Hyman is a John B. Penney Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, director of the Alzheimer's Unit and the director of the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Since 2012, he has been Research Co-Director for the Department of Neurology, co-chairing the research council, leadership search committees and the research strategy initiative.

Dr. Hyman is a clinical neurologist and Director of the Memory Disorders Unit as well as a bench neuroscientist. His laboratory research program studies the neural system failure that underlies cognitive loss in Alzheimer's, and how genetics impacts pathophysiology. His laboratory uses transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and in vitro systems, as well as advanced imaging and histological techniques including multiphoton microscopy to examine the effect of Alzheimer related processes on normal neural system function. He has received numerous awards, including both the Metropolitan Life Award and the Potamkin Award, and serves on the National Institute of Aging’s council. He has published over 600 papers.

Dr. Tanzi is the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard University and Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Mass General. Since 2012, he has been Research Co-Director for the Department of Neurology, co-chairing the research council, leadership search committees and the research strategy initiative. Together with Dr. Hyman, he leads our department research initiatives as Co-Vice Chair of Research. Dr. Tanzi has been investigating the genetics of neurological disease since the 1980's, when he worked in the laboratory of this doctoral advisor, Dr. Jim Gusella on the localization of the Huntington's disease gene. Dr. Tanzi co-discovered the three familial early-onset Alzheimer's disease (FAD) genes and several other neurological disease genes including that responsible for Wilson's disease. As leader of the Alzheimer's Genome Project, Dr. Tanzi has carried out multiple genome wide association studies of thousands of Alzheimer's families leading to the identification of novel Alzheimer's disease candidate genes including CD33. His research on the role of zinc and copper in Alzheimer's disease has led to ongoing clinical trials at Prana Biotechnology. Dr. Tanzi serves on dozens of editorial and scientific advisory boards, and as Chair of the Cure Alzheimer's Fund Research Consortium. He has received numerous awards, including the two highest awards for Alzheimer's disease research: The Metropolitan Life Award and The Potamkin Prize. Dr. Tanzi has co-authored over 450 research articles, including three of the top ten most cited AD papers. He co-authored the popular trade books "Decoding Darkness" and the instant New York Times Bestseller, "Super Brain."