Position Title
Faculty Advisor, Grand Challenges
Rachel Whitmer was named Faculty Advisor for Grand Challenges in March 2026. The Faculty Advisor reports to the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor with a dotted line to the Vice Chancellor for Research.
Whitmer is a scientist with the mission of a lifetime of brain health for all. Her work drives discovery of risk and resilience factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and cognitive aging. Whitmer was the first to identify the contribution of early life cardiometabolic and behavioral factors on risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease:
- Heavy Smoking in Midlife and Long-term Risk of Alzheimer Disease and Vascular Dementia
- 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
In addition, Whitmer was the first to identify the role of acute complications of diabetes mellitus on dementia risk. One of her current primary focuses is on the impact of multidomain lifestyle changes on brain health as one of the leaders of the US POINTER Study, a landmark intervention trial. Whitmer is ranked in the top .05% worldwide for dementia science.
Whitmer is a Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences and Neurology, and Co-Director of the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center.