Sayed A. Azizi, MD, PhD

Ausim Azizi, MD, PhD, is the clinical chief of neurodegenerative disorders and specializes in treating patients with cognitive and memory problems.

“More than 20 percent of the U.S. population is over age 65 and given that cognitive and memory disorders are more common in older adults, it’s an important public health issue,” Dr. Azizi says. “Memory and cognition are at the core of one’s personality and there is a stigma and fear attached to dementia. People worry about genetics and transmission, and patients worry about becoming a shell of themselves.”

Dr. Azizi says he focuses on family members and caregivers as well. “Dementia doesn’t just affect the patient. In fact, when a patient stops remembering things, they perhaps suffer the least,” he says. “So, it becomes more about working with family and caregivers to keep patients comfortable and independent and to support the care givers.”

The most rewarding part of his job, he says, is educating patients and families. “I enjoy teaching them about their conditions and how to maintain their independence and give them power to live with their disease and treat the disease as best as we can,” he says.

Dr. Azizi’s research is focused on taking the functional, social, and biological aspects of dementia and determining how to deliver the best quality care to patients, which will also help caregivers, families, and the community.