Bryan K. Woodruff, M.D.

Location

SUMMARY

Dr. Woodruff maintains a clinical practice with an emphasis on memory and other cognitive disorders. Practicing at the Mayo Clinic affords him the opportunity to see a diverse population of patients with cognitive disorders ranging from common conditions such as Alzheimer's disease to rare entities such as prion disease. He actively participates in the multi-center Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, recruiting many patients for longitudinal study. He has experience as a site principal investigator for multiple clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease. He also recently received funding for an intramural career development award to characterize cognitive, psychosocial and occupational outcomes for autistic adults.

Focus areas

• Improved recognition of the various degenerative dementia syndromes in their earliest stages, including Alzheimer's disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia.
• Improved understanding of the factors determining optimal occupational and psychosocial outcomes for autistic adults.
• Identification of factors that underlie atypical presentations of neurodegenerative disorders, such as "visual variant" Alzheimer's disease.

Significance to patient care

Earlier recognition of the various degenerative dementia syndromes will be essential in the future as therapeutic advances will eventually allow us to slow or potentially even halt progression of these disorders. The earlier such interventions can be implemented the better, as the degree of disability impacting the affected individual can be minimized. Better understanding of the factors that promote optimal outcomes for autistic adults will ideally improve treatment approaches across the lifespan for this growing group of individuals who unfortunately are currently underserved.