S. Ahmad Sajjadi MD, PhD

Biography

S. Ahmad Sajjadi, MD, PhD, MRCP, FAAN, is Chief of the Memory Disorders Division and a Professor of Neurology and Pathology at the University of California, Irvine, where he also serves as a faculty member at the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (MiND). He received his MD from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and his PhD from the University of Cambridge, where his thesis focused on primary progressive aphasia. Sajjadi's research centers on limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) and hippocampal sclerosis of aging, conditions that mimic Alzheimer's disease in the oldest-old population.

Sajjadi serves as Principal Investigator on multiple NIH grants totaling over $4.9 million in annual funding, including two R01 awards focused on the diagnosis, identification of risk factors, and establishing trial-ready cohorts for LATE and hippocampal sclerosis of aging. His work has established the clinical and pathological characteristics of these conditions in the oldest-old, particularly through his involvement with The 90+ Study at UCI. He is the clinical core leader of UCI Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC) where he directs the clinical operations of ADRC. He also serves as Site Co-PI for the Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) and has led multiple clinical trials investigating therapies for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Sajjadi has authored over 65 peer-reviewed publications in journals including Neurology, Brain, Acta Neuropathologica, and Annals of Neurology. He serves as Chair of the Scientific Programs Committee at the Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium and Vice Chair of the LATE Professional Interest Area of the Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment. He is Associate Editor of Alzheimer's Research and Therapy and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Sajjadi previously served as Chair of the UCI School of Medicine Post-Graduate Clinical Programs Committee from 2021 to 2024.

Education

• MD, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 2002
• MRCP (UK), London, UK, 2008
• PhD in Primary progressive aphasia, University of Cambridge, 2013
• MRCP Neurology, London, UK, 2014

Distinctions

• Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN)
• Winner of the first prize in the Neurology section at the British Medical Association (BMA) book awards for Oxford Textbook in Clinical Neurology: Cognitive Neurology and Dementia, 2017
• Honorable Mention for outstanding mid-career faculty research award, UCI School of Medicine, 2025