Joey Contreras, PhD

Dr. Joey Contreras is a data scientist and early-career investigator specializing in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarker research, with a focus on neuroinflammatory processes and early detection of disease vulnerability. She received her PhD in Medical Neuroscience from Indiana University before joining the University of California, San Diego as a research scientist.

Her work integrates blood-based biomarkers, neuroimaging, and longitudinal cognitive data to identify biologically meaningful pathways of neurodegeneration prior to clinical symptom onset. Dr. Contreras has demonstrated that peripheral inflammatory markers are associated with disrupted brain network connectivity and accelerated progression to cognitive impairment.

Through the CLEAR-AD Scholars Program, she will examine sex-specific associations between inflammatory biomarkers, plasma phosphorylated tau species, neuroimaging phenotypes, and longitudinal cognitive trajectories. Her research aims to develop scalable, precision medicine frameworks that improve early detection and individualized risk stratification in Alzheimer’s disease.