Lisa Barnes, PhD

Dr. Barnes is a cognitive neuropsychologist at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. She has a joint academic appointment as an assistant professor in the departments of Neurological Sciences and Psychology. Dr. Barnes received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Clark Atlanta University in 1990. She earned her doctorate in biopsychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1996. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Davis in the field of cognitive neuroscience. During her training as a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow, her work focused on identifying neural mechanisms mediating high level visual cognition and memory. She used methods from both traditional cognitive psychology as well as experimental cognitive neuroscience to understand the brain mechanisms mediating memory and attention in patients with lesions due to stroke.

Her current research interests involve the examination of environmental and genetic risk factors that account for individual differences in loss of function within different cognitive systems. Dr. Barnes is also interested in racial disparities in health, particularly in Alzheimer’s Disease, and in identifying factors that may reduce or eliminate those disparities. Dr. Barnes is very committed to increasing minority participation in research and frequently gives educational workshops within minority communities to increase awareness of age-related cognitive health issues. She is also the principal investigator for a longitudinal community-based study of older African Americans entitled "Risk factors for cognitive decline in African Americans."

Dr. Barnes has received numerous awards and honors, and has several publications in Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related issues. She is an active member of the Gerontological Society of America, the American Psychological Society, and the American Psychological Association.

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