Ihab Hajjar, M.D.
Principal Investigator
Ihab Hajjar, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Neurology and the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in geriatric medicine, Alzheimer's disease, and hypertension. He holds the Pogue Family Distinguished University Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Research and Care, in Memory of Maurine and David Weigers McMullan.
Dr. Hajjar earned his medical degree at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio and gained advanced training through a fellowship in geriatric medicine and dementia at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Meghan Leak, MBA
Research Program Manager
Meghan Leak is our newly appointed Research Program Manager for Dr. Ihab Hajjar, Section Head of the Department of Neurology specializing in Cognitive & Memory Disorders. Meghan states that she is “proud to apart a research team that is providing a space for all people to represented in research and its findings.”
Meghan is a proud graduate of Spelman College where she obtained her degree in Psychology. She then went on to do clinical research in pain management for 6 years. With a desire to understand the business of healthcare, she completed her MBA in public administration. Following her master’s, she completed additional training as a Project Management Professional and earned her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
Malik Obideen, M.D.
Lab Manager
Dr. Obideen is an accomplished physician and dedicated clinical researcher. After earning his medical degree from the University of Aleppo School of Medicine, he embarked on a career specializing in neurology. Driven by a passion for clinical research, Malik made a bold move to the United States and joined the Emory University Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit in 2012.
During his eleven-year tenure, he worked closely with the cardiology and neurology departments, focusing his research on mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia, dementia, and memory and cognitive impairment. Malik's expertise and contributions to the field led to his appointment as a lab manager at UT Southwestern in 2023, where he continues his journey in clinical research. His unwavering dedication to advancing medical knowledge and improving patient outcomes has earned him respect in the research community and beyond.
Montrianna Greene
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Montrianna supports the Cognitive and Memory Section of the Neurology Department and has been with UT Southwestern since 2023. She previously worked as a social worker with a focus on Alzheimer’s care.
Danny Dabroy, MPH
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Danny was born in Garland, TX and has an interest in clinical research and epidemiology. He graduated with his Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology (MPH) in 2023 and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health in 2021 from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Prior to arriving at UTSW, he previously researched the effects and impact of human health rising from tobacco and emerging nicotine devices at UTA since 2019. He is a current Clinical Research Coordinator II and started his position in January of 2024.
Kyle Krautkramer
Clinical Research Coordinator II
Kyle Krautkramer
Reem M. Neal, MD
Post Doctoral Researcher
Dr. Reem M. Neal, MD, is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Hajjar’s AD/ADRD Clinical Research program at UT Southwestern. She earned her MD from the University of Damascus in 2019, and then completed a Clinical Pharmacology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. Currently she is learning how to conduct Clinical Trials that study cognitive and memory disorders, particularly Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.
Brandon Henley, PhD.
Research Scientist
Dr. Brandon Healey, PhD
Joey Yang
Biostatistician Consultant II
Joey received his Master of Science in Applied Statistics from Pennsylvania State University. He serves as the Sr. Biostatistician for providing statistical support and expertise at Emory for three years before moving to UTSW. He assists with study design, data collection and management, and statistical analyses related to study reporting and hypotheses. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to music and traveling.
Jordan Hughes
Psychometrist I
Brenda Thomas
Sr Administrative Assistant II
Brenda supports faculty and research staff in the Cognitive and Memory Section of the Neurology Department. She has worked in hospital administration since 2002 and has been with UT Southwestern since 2019. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from the University of Texas.