Announcement - Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso appointed as inaugural holder of Wolfe Research Professorship in Aging
Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso, MD, PhD, FRCPC, AGSF, FGSA, has been appointed as the inaugural holder of the Wolfe Research Professorship in Aging at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2030. This new Professorship was established through a generous gift from an anonymous donor.
Dr. Montero-Odasso is an internist, geriatrician, and clinician-scientist. In 2006, he was recruited to Western University from McGill University, joining the Division of Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Montero-Odasso currently serves as a Professor in the Departments of Medicine (Geriatric Medicine) and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, and as the Director of the Gait & Brain Lab at Parkwood Institute in London, Ontario.
In 1990, Dr. Montero-Odasso earned his MD Summa Cum Laude from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he also completed his residency training in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires. In December 2003, he completed his PhD in Gerontology at the University of Buenos Aires, where his doctoral thesis was awarded with distinction. Following this, he received a salary award from the Maimonides Foundation-McGill University and pursued a two-year post-doctoral clinical and research fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at McGill University.
Dr. Montero-Odasso has extensive clinical, teaching, and research expertise in caring for older adults who are vulnerable to falls and cognitive impairment. His research at the Gait & Brain Lab focuses on the interaction between cognitive and motor decline with aging and neurodegeneration, particularly in predicting dementia, falls, and frailty. As a team leader of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), he leads clinical trials, including the SYNERGIC Trials (SYNERGIC Trials), which aim to delay dementia and falls in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment through personalized medicine and multidomain lifestyle interventions. Dr. Montero-Odasso has published over 200 articles in high-impact medical journals, has edited and authored 19 books and book chapters, and has secured over $12 million in external peer-reviewed funding. Based on his impactful productivity, he was ranked among the top 2 per cent of scientists in the world in 2023 (Stanford University report).
Dr. Montero-Odasso has received numerous national and international accolades, including the Western Faculty Scholar Award, the American Geriatrics Society New Investigator Award, the Schulich Clinician Scientist Award, the Kaufman Prize from the Canadian Geriatrics Society, the Premier of Ontario Excellence Research Award, and the CIHR New Investigator Award. In 2024, he was elected as a fellow of the prestigious Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He has delivered over 100 international keynote presentations.
In 2019, Dr. Montero-Odasso was recognized as one of the Top 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians by TD Bank for his contributions to medicine and science. He currently serves as the President of the Canadian Geriatrics Society and Vice-President of the World Falls Prevention Society.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso on his appointment as the inaugural holder of the Wolfe Research Professorship in Aging.
John Yoo, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University
