Grammas named neuroscience institute director at URI

PAULA GRAMMAS has been named director of the University of Rhode Island's  neuroscience institute. / COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND/NORA LEWIS
PAULA GRAMMAS has been named director of the University of Rhode Island's neuroscience institute. / COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND/NORA LEWIS

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Paula Grammas, an international leader in the study of Alzheimer’s disease, has been named director of the neuroscience institute at the University of Rhode Island.
The George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience was established in November 2013 with a $15 million gift from former CVS Health Chairman and CEO Thomas M. Ryan, a 1975 URI pharmacy graduate, and his wife Cathy.
Grammas, former executive director of the Garrison Institute on Aging at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, will also become the Thomas M. Ryan Professor of Neuroscience at URI.
Best known for her pioneering research into the role that blood vessels and inflammation play in the development of diseases, including Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, Grammas has received numerous awards for her research.
“Dr. Grammas is a highly accomplished scientist who has made outstanding contributions to the field of neuroscience,” said URI President David M. Dooley. “She is a respected leader, an enthusiastic educator and the ideal person to serve as the first director. I look forward to working with her as we build an international reputation for the institute.”
Grammas has a “demonstrated ability to collaborate” and bring a variety of perspectives to bear on the search for a cure for these diseases, added Thomas Ryan.
Grammas said she is excited to lead the institute in a state that has partners in neuroscience at Brown University, Lifespan and Care New England. She noted that Tom Ryan’s vision for advancing research on causes and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases represents a major commitment.
“Without his foresight and generosity, this special opportunity to pull together all of these talented people and dedicated organizations might never have happened,” she said. “A lot of different talented players with complementary expertise and perspectives are going to come together at URI, and from that we’re going to get new approaches to treatments. I can’t wait to get started.”

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