July 16, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Erik Roberson, M.D., Ph.D., a top physician-scientist in the field of memory disorders, has joined the UAB faculty as the Virginia B. Spencer Scholar in Neuroscience. Roberson's primary appointment is in the Department of Neurology as an assistant professor. He also holds a secondary appointment in the Neurobiology Department.

Roberson will be a core faculty member of the UAB Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics (CNET). His outstanding research in neurodegeneration earned him the prestigious S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Young Investigator Award while at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).

Roberson's primary interest is to uncover the causes of age-related memory disorders. His goal is to develop appropriate therapeutic interventions to aid patients and families dealing with these conditions. His time will be split between an active clinical schedule and disease-related laboratory research. 

After graduating summa cum laude from Princeton University, Roberson earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine. At Baylor he studied under David Sweatt, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurobiology at UAB.

Roberson then served a residency at UCSF, followed by a clinical fellowship there in cognitive and behavioral neurology.  Before joining UAB, Roberson served at UCSF as an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Neurology and worked as a scientist at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease.