3 Case Western Reserve faculty ranked amongst the world's top Alzheimer's disease investigators

March issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease ranks the top 100 international researchers: professor of pathology ranks 3rd in the world

13 mar 2009--Three Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers were listed in the Top 100 Alzheimer's disease investigators according to a study conducted by Collexis Holdings Inc. published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. The Top 100 list was released in the journal's March edition (Volume 16, Issue 3).

The researchers, Mark A. Smith, Ph.D., professor of pathology, ranked #3 in the world, Xiongwei Zhu, Ph.D. assistant professor of pathology, ranked #48, and Peter Whitehouse, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurology, ranked #69, represent the pinnacle of a rich vein of excellence in Alzheimer's disease research and clinical expertise at the university. Case Western Reserve School of Medicine was the only academic institution in the state of Ohio to be ranked in this historic study.

Working at Case Western Reserve University since 1992, Dr. Smith currently serves as the director of Basic Science Research of the University Memory and Cognition Center and is also the executive director of the American Aging Association. "I am deeply passionate about my research and that of my colleagues here at Case Western Reserve," said Dr. Smith. "This acknowledgement speaks to the impressive and dynamic group of researchers we have at our institution and our collective dedication to finding 'A Cure From Cleveland.'" Dr. Smith added that he and others are working with pharmaceutical companies throughout the world, to translate the School of Medicine's discoveries into something tangible for patients and caregivers.

"I am delighted three School of Medicine Alzheimer's disease researchers are recognized in this landmark study of the field's Top 100 investigators," said Pamela B. Davis, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president, Medical Affairs for Case Western Reserve University. "We take great pride in our legacy of world-class Alzheimer's translational research and look forward to continuing our leading role."

The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, published by Netherlands-based IOS Press, is an international multidisciplinary journal, which helps researchers understand the etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, genetics, behavior, treatment and psychology of Alzheimer's disease. The journal publishes research reports, reviews, short communications, book reviews and letters to the editor and is recognized as the leading journal in the field.

According to the IOS Press, the field of Alzheimer's disease research, which celebrated its centennial in 2006, has progressed rapidly since the 1970s. Of the 135,000 actively publishing neuroscience researchers across the world, approximately 18 percent have one or more Alzheimer's disease papers to their credit.

Aaron A. Sorensen of Life Sciences Solutions Leader, Switzerland-based Collexis Holdings Inc. conducted the milestone analysis, which focused on three areas of measurement: total citations, total publications and H-index. The H-index, a statistic named after physicist Jorge Hirsch that is used more widely in Europe than in the United States, is a quantifiable measurement of a scientist's or group's productivity and the impact of that research. The Collexis study is the first objective analysis of Alzheimer's disease research through scientometrics, a field of study that measures scientific impact using a variety of measurement tools.

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About Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Founded in 1843, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is the largest medical research institution in Ohio and 15th largest among the nation's medical schools for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Eleven Nobel Laureates have been affiliated with the school.