Research Education Component

The Stanford ADRC Research Education Component (REC) will provide a formalized training program to prepare the next generation of researchers for careers in aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease-related disorders.

Stanford ADRC REC Leadership Team

Kathleen Poston, MD, MS
Program Leader

Dr. Poston is the Edward F. and Irene Thiele Pimley Professor of Neurology and the Neurological Sciences and Professor, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery in the Stanford University School of Medicine. She has subspecialty training in engineering, clinical movement disorders (formal fellowship) and dementia, as part of her NIH Career Development Award. She was the Principal Investigator for one of the Projects within the Stanford inaugural P50 ADRC and has been the Principal Investigator for multiple Michael J. Fox foundation awards, all studying cognition and dementia in patients with Lewy Body-spectrum diseases. She is also the Co-Director for the Stanford Lewy Body Dementia Research Center of Excellence.

Kaci Fairchild, PhD, ABPP
Associate Program Leader

Dr. Fairchild is the Associate Director of the Sierra Pacific MIRECC and the Fellowship Training Director for the Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at Sierra Pacific MIRECC. She also holds an affiliate appointment as a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is a board-certified Geropsychologist with an active research program focused on the improving the lives of people affected by late life cognitive impairment through lifestyle interventions. Her work has been funded by the VA Office of Rehabilitation Research and Development and VA Cooperative Studies program, the Department of Defense, the National Institute on Aging, and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Kristen Wheeler, DPT, PT
Research Assistant

Kristen graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian State University where she studied Exercise Science. Following her undergraduate training, she received a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Duke University in 2014. She worked as a physical therapist primarily with the geriatric population in home health and skilled nursing facilities. After working in healthcare for several years, Kristen realized that there is a need for major improvements in diagnosing and treating various conditions. This led to her desire to become involved in research. Kristen hopes to bring her clinical background into the research world to help discover ways of making a greater impact in the lives of the patients she has treated. She recently moved from Colorado to California and joined the Poston Lab in August 2020. Outside of work, she enjoys running, hiking and going on adventures with her husband and golden retriever.