Notable Alums
Specialty: Radiology
Graduation Year: 1979
Clifford Jack, Jr.
Since 1985, Clifford Jack Jr., M.D., has been a member of the staff at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where his is a professor of Radiology and the Alexander Family Professor of Alzheimer’s Disease Research.
After graduating from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1979, he performed a residency in diagnostic radiology at Henry Ford Hospital, and a fellowship in neuroradiology at the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Jack’s laboratory is engaged in brain imaging research in cognitive aging, Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. His team employs magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography to study the biology of brain aging and causes of cognitive impairment, and develops image-processing algorithms for quantitatively measuring the information obtained from brain imaging. They employ a variety of MRI-based brain imaging modalities, including structural MRI, spectroscopy, functional connectivity and brain water diffusion.
One of his major research foci is modeling the temporal trajectory of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in relation to clinical symptoms. His research group serves as the central MRI lab for a number of national and international observational and therapeutic studies in brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease. The lab’s clinical imaging research is integrated into the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Patient Registry (Mayo Clinic Study of Aging) and Mayo’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, which conduct National Institutes of Health-funded longitudinal clinical and epidemiological research projects investigating normal aging, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
“I received a solid grounding in clinical medicine from Wayne State and this led to recognition of the importance of a patient-centric approach to medical research,” he said.
Dr. Jack has received the Potamkin Prize from the American Academy of Neurology, the American Society of Neuroradiology Award for Outstanding Contributions in Research, the International Society for Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Medicine Gold Medal, the MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research, the Radiological Society of North America’s Outstanding Researcher Award and a Method To Extend Research in Time Award from the National Institute on Aging. He is a member of the Association of American Physicians and the American Academy of Medicine.
After graduating from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1979, he performed a residency in diagnostic radiology at Henry Ford Hospital, and a fellowship in neuroradiology at the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Jack’s laboratory is engaged in brain imaging research in cognitive aging, Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. His team employs magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography to study the biology of brain aging and causes of cognitive impairment, and develops image-processing algorithms for quantitatively measuring the information obtained from brain imaging. They employ a variety of MRI-based brain imaging modalities, including structural MRI, spectroscopy, functional connectivity and brain water diffusion.
One of his major research foci is modeling the temporal trajectory of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in relation to clinical symptoms. His research group serves as the central MRI lab for a number of national and international observational and therapeutic studies in brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease. The lab’s clinical imaging research is integrated into the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Patient Registry (Mayo Clinic Study of Aging) and Mayo’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, which conduct National Institutes of Health-funded longitudinal clinical and epidemiological research projects investigating normal aging, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
“I received a solid grounding in clinical medicine from Wayne State and this led to recognition of the importance of a patient-centric approach to medical research,” he said.
Dr. Jack has received the Potamkin Prize from the American Academy of Neurology, the American Society of Neuroradiology Award for Outstanding Contributions in Research, the International Society for Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Medicine Gold Medal, the MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research, the Radiological Society of North America’s Outstanding Researcher Award and a Method To Extend Research in Time Award from the National Institute on Aging. He is a member of the Association of American Physicians and the American Academy of Medicine.