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Ryan O'Dell, MD, PhD

he/him/his
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
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Contact Info

Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit

Yale School of Medicine, One Church Street

New Haven, CT 06510

United States

About

Titles

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Biography

My passion for the pursuit of knowledge and scientific research has been a consistent and deep-rooted journey. As an undergraduate at the University of Rochester my scientific inquires took shape as a four-year research project in which I investigated how the primate brain coordinates complex muscle sets to achieve delicate hand and finger movements. As an MD/PhD candidate at SUNY Upstate, I used multiphoton live imaging techniques in an ex utero explant mouse model, investigating the role of the extracellular matrix protein Reelin in the dynamic properties of the emerging neurite arbor in early cortical development.

As a current PGY4 in the Yale Neuroscience Research Training Program, it is my ultimate goal to pursue a fellowship and eventual career in Geriatric Psychiatry, with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease and related neurocognitive disorders. Although it was my passion for the science that initially captivated me, it was not until I spent time in a Neurocognitive Clinic as a medical student and first sat with patients and their loved ones as they learned of this life-altering diagnosis, that I came to appreciate how the bench connects to the bedside.

To that end, throughout my time in the NRTP I have been working with Christopher van Dyck, MD and Adam Mecca, MD/PhD at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit (ADRU), a clinical research unit specializing in Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive disorders, and aging research. Under this dual mentorship I have subsequently accumulated the technical tools, skills, and knowledge base necessary to collect, analyze, and interpret data gathered from the variety of ongoing multimodal neuroimaging studies (PET, MRI, fMRI) and clinical trials at the ADRU. Generally, I am interested in the investigation of novel neuroimaging biomarkers across the continuum of Alzheimer’s disease, spanning the preclinical to clinical stages of dementia. Such studies are essential for not only a more comprehensive understanding of disease pathogenesis and progression, but for the development of novel neuroimaging biomarkers for earlier diagnosis and intervention, tracking of disease progression, and monitoring of therapeutic efficacy in treatment studies.

I am currently involved in a variety of ongoing cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease using a promising PET biomarker of synaptic density, [11C]UCB-J, which binds synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 (SV2A). Our goals include not only characterizing the spatiotemporal distribution of synaptic alterations across the continuum of disease (including preclinical, i.e. cognitively unimpaired but biomarker positive, cohorts), but determining the relationship of said synaptic alterations with other neuroimaging markers of disease progression, including amyloid/tau accumulation and glucose hypometabolism, respectively assessed by [11C]PiB, [18F]MK6240, and [18F]FDG PET.

My long-term career goals include becoming not only a competent and compassionate practicing Geriatric Psychiatrist, but an independently funded investigator in the fields of Alzheimer’s disease molecular neuroimaging and clinical trial design. In my free time I enjoy hiking the Connecticut trail systems and exploring the myriad craft breweries our state has to offer.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Geriatric Psychiatry Fellow
Yale University School of Medicine (2022)
Psychiatry Resident
Yale University School of Medicine (2021)
MD
SUNY Upstate Medical University (2017)
PhD
SUNY Upstate Medical University (2017)
BS
University of Rochester, Neuroscience (2007)
BA
University of Rochester, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures/Spanish (2007)

Research

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Ryan O'Dell's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    Yale Medicine and Yale-New Haven Health Lecanemab Program Clinical Workup

  • activity

    Yale Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program Evaluation Committee

  • activity

    Neurobiology of Aging

  • activity

    Nature Reviews

  • activity

    American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

Clinical Care

Overview

Ryan O’Dell, MD, PhD, is a geriatric psychiatrist who specializes in the evaluation and management cognitive disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.

He says he was drawn to the field of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias because there is still much to learn about them. Recent breakthroughs, such as the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of lecanemab (brand name: Leqembi), a medication shown to slow the progression of the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, has been an exciting new development in this field, he adds.

Dr. O’Dell says he practices a family-centered approach. “I think the involvement of families and their support systems in the evaluation and management of cognitive disorders is a very important part of the process, whether it’s a spouse or an adult child, or whoever the patient is comfortable bringing to an appointment,” he says. “Another important aspect of the evaluation of cognitive disorders is addressing any changes in mood and behavior, such as anxiety and depression, which are frequently seen with advancing neurodegenerative disease, and sometimes may even precede cognitive or functional decline.”

He says it’s also important for him to take things slow and develop rapport when he first meets a patient and their family.

“Unless someone is coming to me who is transferring care and there’s a clear-cut, pre-established workup, we don’t jump to conclusions surrounding a diagnosis,” he says. “If someone is experiencing new memory changes, we need to first do a comprehensive diagnostic workup. I am transparent and take a gentle approach. I do share what I’m worried about and keep everyone in the loop. I might say, ‘We don’t have a diagnosis yet, but here’s what we have to do to get one.’”

In addition, Dr. O’Dell says he keeps the patient’s and family’s perspectives, values, and goals of care in mind throughout the evaluation and treatment process.

“It’s important to consider that some diagnostic procedures may be too invasive or not tolerated because of age, active medical conditions, or even significant anxiety or agitation, and we should therefore take a different approach to the workup, one that both the patient and their family feel most comfortable with,” he says.

Dr. O’Dell’s research interests include using brain imaging (PET and MRI) to study the underlying pathophysiological changes in people with symptomatic and pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease. He is also involved in several Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials through the Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit (ADRU). For more information surrounding ongoing clinical trials and observational neuroimaging studies in Alzheimer’s disease, call (203) 764-8100.

Clinical Specialties

Geriatric Psychiatry; Memory Disorders & Cognitive Neurology

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number
Office Fax Number
Appointment Number
Mailing Address

Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit

Yale School of Medicine, One Church Street

New Haven, CT 06510

United States

Locations

  • Yale Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit

    Academic Office

    1 Church Street, Fl 8th Floor

    New Haven, CT 06510

  • Patient Care Locations

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