Rachel Whitmer, PhD

People

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research
2000 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 891-3400 (phone)
rachel.whitmer@kp.org

Rachel Whitmer, PhD, is a Senior Research Scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. Dr. Whitmer received her BS in Psychology/Neuorscience Magna Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, her PhD in Human Development from the University of California, Davis, and Fellowship in Cardiovascular Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Whitmer was a K12 scholar through the NIH Office of Research in Women's Health Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) program, administered by the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente and the University of California, San Francisco, from 2003-2005. She was a Fulbright Faculty Mentor in 2010-11.

Dr. Whitmer leads a laboratory of population-based science in brain aging. Her group focuses on three major themes: 1) Ethnoracial disparities and diversity in cognitive aging and dementia outcomes; 2) Early-life contributions to brain health and dementia risk; and 3) Metabolic and vascular influences on brain aging. Her group utilizes lifecourse methods to address these themes. Dr. Whitmer is Principal Investigator of several studies, among them the SOLID (Study of Longevity in Diabetes), a cohort study of 1200 individuals with diabetes mellitus; KHANDLE (Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences), a multiethnic cohort of 1,800 elderly individuals; and Kaiser STAR (Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans), a cohort of 700 African Americans age 50 and older. The primary objective of her research program is to identify and understand risk and protective factors for cognitive and brain aging in populations at high risk for dementia, including ethnic minority groups and those with chronic disease such as diabetes mellitus.

Dr. Whitmer is also on the faculty at University of California, San Francisco, in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and is core faculty on the department's Chronic Disease and Aging Epidemiology T32, and the PhD program in Epidemiology and Translational Sciences. Multiple mentoring opportunities exist through this and other mechanisms.

Current Position(s):

Research Scientist III, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Adjunct Professor, University of California, San Francisco, Department of Epidemiology

Section Affiliations:

Primary Research Interests:

Racial/ethnic disparities in cognitive aging and dementia
Lifecourse epidemiology and methods
Diabetes mellitus and brain aging
Alzheimer's disease
Brain health and cognitive resilience
Aging in type 1 diabetes
Oldest-old

Related Website(s):

Studies

Epidemiology of Age-related Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Brain Pathology in a Multiethnic Cohort of Oldest-Old

Alzheimer's disease and other dementias affect 15 percent of those aged 65 and up; by age 90 and up, this number increases to a startling 40 to 50 percent. The oldest-old, people aged 90 and -older, are the fastest-growing segment of the elderly population in the U.S., currently comprising 4.7 percent and expected to increase to almost 10 percent of the elderly population by 2050. Yet there is an enormous dearth of information on mild cognitive impairment and age-associated dementias in the oldest-old, particularly in non-whites and those from lower socioeconomic classes. The overall objectives of this project are to determine if in the oldest-old there are ethnoracial differences in the incidence of mild cognitive impairment and dementia, to quantify mid- and late-life risk and protective factors for these conditions, and to understand the burden of cerebral and brain pathologies in this population.
Investigator: Whitmer, Rachel
Funder: National Institute on Aging

Early Vascular Contributions to Dementia Risk in African-Americans

This is a lifecourse study of vascular risk and brain aging in a well-characterized population of 1,200 elderly African-Americans that will close the gap in knowledge regarding midlife risk and protective factors for cognitive decline. The data collected, in conjunction with extensive electronic medical records spanning decades, will allow for a cost-effective, efficient approach for an observational study of cumulative vascular risk and brain aging. Our overall objective is to understand the magnitude of cognitive decline and long-term contributions of vascular disease on cognitive impairment and brain injury in African-Americans, an understudied and rapidly expanding segment of the elderly population.
Investigator: Whitmer, Rachel
Funder: National Institute on Aging

Lifecourse Health, Cerebral Pathology and Ethnic Disparities in Dementia

Although there are marked ethnic disparities in rates of dementia, almost nothing is known about early life contributors to dementia in ethnic minority groups, nor if the trajectory of cognitive decline or transition to cognitive impairment varies across ethnic groups. This lifecourse study of ethnic disparities in the epidemiology of dementia will use over five decades of data in relation to cognitive decline and brain pathology. The overall objectives are to define ethnic disparities in dementia incidence and to advance our understanding of such disparities by assessing early and midlife risk factors for cognitive impairment and MRI markers of brain injury.
Investigator: Whitmer, Rachel
Funder: National Institute on Aging

Predictors of Late-Life Cognitive Health in Type 1 Diabetes

There is evidence that middle aged-adults with Type 1 diabetes have deficits in cognitive function and are more likely to be diagnosed with depression . Although it is well established that elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes are at double the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, it remains unknown whether elderly individuals with Type 1 diabetes are also at greater risk for accelerated cognitive aging. The goal of this study is to characterize the extent of cognitive decline in a cohort of elderly individuals with Type 1 diabetes. Aims will focus on examining the role of insulin, depression, and hyper/hypoglycemic events on cognitive decline.
Investigator: Whitmer, Rachel
Funder: National Institute on Aging

Highlighted Publications

Inequalities in dementia incidence between six racial and ethnic groups over 14years

Author(s): Mayeda ER; Glymour MM; Quesenberry CP; Whitmer RA

Alzheimers Dement. 2016 Feb 10.

Current Position(s):

Section Affiliations:

Primary Research Interests:

Related Website(s):

Studies

Epidemiology of Age-related Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Brain Pathology in a Multiethnic Cohort of Oldest-Old

Early Vascular Contributions to Dementia Risk in African-Americans

Lifecourse Health, Cerebral Pathology and Ethnic Disparities in Dementia

Predictors of Late-Life Cognitive Health in Type 1 Diabetes

Highlighted Publications

Inequalities in dementia incidence between six racial and ethnic groups over 14years

Risk score for prediction of 10 year dementia risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a cohort study

Heavy smoking in midlife and long-term risk of Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia

Hypoglycemic episodes and risk of dementia in older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Obesity in middle age and future risk of dementia: a 27 year longitudinal population based study

Publications

Depression in type 1 diabetes and risk of dementia

Manuscript title: Can survival bias explain the age attenuation of racial inequalities in stroke incidence? A simulation study

Early Midlife Pulmonary Function and Dementia Risk

Diabetic Retinopathy and Dementia in Type 1 Diabetes

The Bidirectional Association Between Depression and Severe Hypoglycemic and Hyperglycemic Events in Type 1 Diabetes

Statin use and risk of Alzheimer disease: A new view on an old relationship

Female sex, early-onset hypertension, and risk of dementia

Association Between Birth in a High Stroke Mortality State, Race, and Risk of Dementia

Post-traumatic stress disorder and risk of dementia among members of a health care delivery system

Heterogeneity in 14-year Dementia Incidence Between Asian American Subgroups

Changes in Medication Use After Dementia Diagnosis in an Observational Cohort of Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus

A call for comparative effectiveness research to learn whether routine clinical care decisions can protect from dementia and cognitive decline

First translational 'Think Tank' on cerebrovascular disease, cognitive impairment and dementia

Inequalities in dementia incidence between six racial and ethnic groups over 14years

Association Between Lifetime Marijuana Use and Cognitive Function in Middle Age: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study

Feasibility study for remote assessment of cognitive function in multiple sclerosis

Effect of Early Adult Patterns of Physical Activity and Television Viewing on Midlife Cognitive Function

Ethnic Differences in Geriatric Conditions and Diabetes Complications Among Older, Insured Adults With Diabetes; The Diabetes and Aging Study

Genotyping Informatics and Quality Control for 100,000 Subjects in the Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging (GERA) Cohort

Automated Assay of Telomere Length Measurement and Informatics for 100,000 Subjects in the Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging (GERA) Cohort

Characterizing Race/Ethnicity and Genetic Ancestry for 100,000 Subjects in the Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging (GERA) Cohort

Cardiorespiratory fitness and brain volume and white matter integrity: The CARDIA Study

Diabetes and Cognition

Midlife risk score for the prediction of dementia four decades later

Cognitive impairment in ORIGIN: timing is everything

Cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive function in middle age: The CARDIA Study

Early adult to midlife cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive function

Racial/ethnic differences in dementia risk among older type 2 diabetes patients: The Diabetes and Aging Study

Dementia and cognitive decline in type 2 diabetes and prediabetic stages: towards targeted interventions

Severe Diabetic Retinal Disease and Dementia Risk in Type 2 Diabetes

Risk score for prediction of 10 year dementia risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a cohort study

An update on type 2 diabetes, vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Hormone therapy and Alzheimer disease dementia: New findings from the Cache County Study

Symptom Burden of Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Across the Disease Course; Diabetes & Aging Study

Central Obesity, Leptin and Cognitive Decline: The Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging

Midlife vs Late-Life Depressive Symptoms and Risk of Dementia: Differential Effects for Alzheimer Disease and Vascular Dementia

Association of Depression With Increased Risk of Dementia in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: The Diabetes and Aging Study

Design and coverage of high throughput genotyping arrays optimized for individuals of East Asian, African American, and Latino race/ethnicity using imputation and a novel hybrid SNP selection algorithm

Next generation genome-wide association tool: design and coverage of a high-throughput European-optimized SNP array.

Heavy smoking in midlife and long-term risk of Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia

Timing of hormone therapy and dementia: the critical window theory revisited

Commentary on 'Developing a national strategy to prevent dementia: Leon Thal Symposium 2009.' Dementia risk indices: A framework for identifying individuals with a high dementia risk

Psychiatric disorders and cognitive dysfunction among older, postmenopausal women: results from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study

Use of angiotensin receptor blockers and risk of dementia in a predominantly male population: prospective cohort analysis

Midlife serum cholesterol and increased risk of Alzheimer's and vascular dementia three decades later

Predicting risk of dementia in older adults: The late-life dementia risk index

NSAID exposure and risk of Alzheimer disease: is timing everything?

Hypoglycemic episodes and risk of dementia in older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Central obesity and increased risk of dementia more than three decades later

Childbearing may increase visceral adipose tissue independent of overall increase in body fat

Statin use and risk of prostate cancer in the California Men's Health Study cohort

Type 2 diabetes and risk of cognitive impairment and dementia

Metabolic syndrome and cognitive decline in elderly Latinos: findings from the Sacramento Area Latino Study of Aging study

The epidemiology of adiposity and dementia

Body mass index in midlife and risk of Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia

Lactation and changes in maternal metabolic risk factors

Homocysteine, B vitamins, and the incidence of dementia and cognitive impairment: results from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging

Physical activity and dementia: The need for prevention trials

Midlife obesity and long-term risk of nursing home admission

Obesity in middle age and future risk of dementia: a 27 year longitudinal population based study

Midlife cardiovascular risk factors and risk of dementia in late life

Hormone replacement therapy and cognitive performance: the role of homocysteine