History of the Mass General Memory Disorders Division

The Memory Division was established in 1982 when Dr. John H. Growdon first joined the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Neurology and officially organized the current structure of the Division. Our main mission is to improve the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related forms of dementias -- with primary goals of finding effective treatments and eventual cures for these neurodegenerative diseases, and providing comprehensive care to patients and loved ones affected by such devastating disorders.

In 1984, Dr. Growdon also established our Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. The Center, a collaborative effort between Mass General and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, brings together a multidisciplinary team of biomedical, clinical science and behavioral scientists to conduct cutting-edge research in state-of-the-art settings, train the next generation of clinician-scientists, and conduct educational outreach to the public and underserved communities.

The current Director of the Memory Division and the Memory Disorders Unit is M. Teresa Gomez-Isla, MD, PhD. Dr. Gomez-Isla is the Anne B. Young, MD, PhD Endowed Chair in Neurodegenerative Diseases at MGH & Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.

The current Director of the Frontotemporal Disorders Unit is Bradford C. Dickerson, MD, MMSc. Dr. Dickerson is the Tom Rickles Chair in Progressive Aphasia Research at MGH & Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.

The current Director of the Lewy Body Dementia Unit is Stephen N. Gomperts, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.

The current Director of the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center is Bradley T. Hyman, MD, PhD. Dr. Hyman is the John B. Penney, Jr. Professor of Neurology at MGH & Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.