Dr. Zaven Khachaturian, PhD
Senior Alzheimer's and clinical strategist with 40+ years of experience shaping national research programs and scientific policy for neurodegenerative disease and brain aging.
Dr. Zaven Khachaturian brings deep expertise in neuroscience research strategy, biomedical policy, and large-scale program development focused on Alzheimer’s disease and the neurobiology of aging. He has advised government agencies, research institutions, and global health organizations on scientific strategy, research infrastructure, and evidence development, particularly for complex neurodegenerative diseases where coordinated national and international research efforts are required.
Areas of Focus / Expertise
- Strategic planning for large-scale biomedical research programs
- Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative disease research strategy
- Neurobiology of aging, cognition, and neuroplasticity
- Public health policy and science policy development
- Research funding frameworks and program administration
- Scientific publishing and research dissemination
- Systems biology approaches to neurodegenerative disease
Selected Experience & Impact
Over the course of his career, Dr. Khachaturian played a foundational role in establishing the national research infrastructure for Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. At the National Institute on Aging and the National Institutes of Health, he helped design and administer major programs including the Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD), and the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS). He is widely recognized as a founding architect of the NIH extramural research programs focused on the neurobiology of aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
Background & Credentials
Prior to FDA Partners, Dr. Khachaturian served as Director of the Office of Alzheimer’s Disease at the National Institutes of Health and Associate Director for the Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program at the National Institute on Aging. He later held leadership roles across academia and nonprofit research organizations, including Vice President of Research and Interim Director of the Pittsburgh Biotechnology Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Founding Director of the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute for the Alzheimer’s Association, and President and CEO of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute. He currently serves as President of the Campaign to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease by 2020 (PAD2020), Senior Science Advisor to the Alzheimer’s Association, and Editor-in-Chief of Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. He holds a BA from Yale University and a PhD from Case Western Reserve University, with postdoctoral training at Columbia University.
Dr. Khachaturian brings a strategic, policy-informed perspective to biomedical innovation, helping organizations connect scientific discovery, public health priorities, and long-term research investment.