Theodore Zwang, Ph.D

Assistant Professor of Neurology

Dr. Theodore Zwang is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS).

Dr. Zwang obtained his Ph.D in Chemistry from Caltech where he made electrochemical devices to study biological processes. He was a postdoctoral scholar at Harvard University, where he developed biomimetic neurotechnology that allows for persistent recording of activity across brain regions. He then received a Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the National Institute on Aging and joined the faculty at MGH and HMS to translate his technology towards the study of aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Zwang currently runs a research program to understand how aging neural systems fail and cause cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease. He is using his extensive experience with chemistry and bioelectronics to develop new methods for observing and predicting the trajectory of changes that happen in the brain as we age. He tries to understand these changes in the context of both healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease, with the goal of determining which changes trigger the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. These methods include the use of advanced imaging techniques, brain machine interfaces, and virtual reality.

Dr. Zwang participates in numerous outreach programs to educate the public about science and to share his hope and excitement for the ways that scientists are trying to help patients with Alzheimer’s disease. He can present on topics related to diagnosis, research, and reasons to be optimistic about the future of Alzheimer’s disease treatment. He also has prepared presentations about 1) Myths/misconceptions about healthy aging and how to differentiate it from Alzheimer’s disease, 2) How do scientists make and test treatments for Alzheimer’s disease? 3) Digitizing dementia: How we can use virtual reality and gaming to understand Alzheimer’s disease.