Mar. 26, 2025

Colleagues,

It is my distinct honor to share the news that Jeffrey Cummings, MD, ScD(HC), will be recognized as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.

Dr. Cummings joined UNLV in 2019 and is a world-renowned research professor within the department of brain health – now a part of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV – where he has continued to expand his already well-established reputation as a researcher. Ranked in the top 0.01 percent of scientists and #5 in Alzheimer's disease research in a recent publication in PLoS Biology, Dr. Cummings has been previously recognized for his scientific and leadership contributions with the American Geriatrics Society’s Henderson Award (2006), the national Alzheimer’s Association’s Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Award (2008), and the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry’s Distinguished Scientist Award (2010). He has also received the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), the International Society of CNS Drug Development’s Leadership and Achievement Award, the national Alzheimer’s Association’s Bengt Winblad Lifetime Achievement Award (2018), and the Melvin Goodes Prize for Excellence in Drug Development. Additionally, he was featured in Gentleman’s Quarterly (June 2009) as a “Rock Star of Science.”

Along with his work at UNLV as a research professor, the director of the Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience, and the co-director of the Pam Quirk Brain Health and Biomarker Laboratory, Dr. Cummings work focuses on learnings derived from the intersection of clinical trials, drug development, and unmet patient needs.

Today, Dr. Cummings can add the honor of being one of the 471 scientists, engineers and innovators who have been elected 2024 Fellows for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements throughout their careers.

A tradition dating back to 1874, election as a AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor, and all Fellows are expected to maintain the highest standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity. Distinguished past honorees include Ellen Ochoa, Steven Chu, Grace Hopper, Alan Alda, Mae Jemison, and Ayanna Howard.

Dr. Cummings is only the second Fellow from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to have received this incredible honor and one of only 14 from the entire Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE).

“This year’s class of Fellows are the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, Ph.D., AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals.

Learn more about Dr. Jeffrey Cummings.

Marc J. Kahn, MD, MBA
Dean, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV
Vice President for Health Affairs, UNLV