Kejal Kantarci, M.D., leads Alzheimers prevention project for Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Research Center

Kejal Kantarci, M.D.

Kejal Kantarci, M.D. (R-D ’04, CTSC ’09), Department of Radiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, will lead a project, “Prevention of Alzheimers Disease in Women: Risks and Benefits of Hormone Therapy,” for Mayo Clinic’s Women’s Health Research Center.

The center was awarded a $10.6 million grant from the National Institute of Aging to study the effects of menopausal hormone use and risk of Alzheimers disease in women. The project is based on findings from women who participated in the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS) conducted at Mayo Clinic’s Specialized Center for Research on Sex Differences. The newly funded project is a continuation of KEEPS, examining the long-term brain effects of menopausal hormone therapies in women approximately eight years after they completed the clinical trial in eight academic centers across the country. Findings from the new research will provide critical safety data on cognitive health and inform millions of peri- and post-menopausal women as they consider whether to use menopausal hormone therapy to treat their menopausal symptoms.

Dr. Kantarci is a professor of radiology in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.