Bruce
Lamb

Bruce Lamb, PhD is staff scientist in the Department of Neurosciences in the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.  Dr. Lamb received his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College and his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, prior to a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. In 1996, Dr. Lamb was recruited to Case Western Reserve University, where he rose from assistant to associate professor and finally moved to the Cleveland Clinic in 2005. Dr. Lamb’s laboratory works on the basic science of AD, with a focus on: 1) genetic modifiers identified from both mouse and human studies, 2) microglia and neuronal-microglial communication in the development and progression of AD pathologies; and 3) traumatic brain injury as an environmental modifier for the development of AD pathologies. In addition, Dr. Lamb is actively involved in advocacy for increased research funding for the disease. Dr. Lamb has received numerous awards and honors, including the Jennifer B. Langston Award from the Cleveland Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Civic Award and Zaven Khachaturian Lifetime Achievement Award form the National Alzheimer’s Association. He is a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council of the National Alzheimer’s Association.

Over the past several years, Dr. Lamb has emerged as a national leader in advocacy to build awareness regarding Alzheimer’s disease (AD); promote the important role of AD research; and support efforts to develop a comprehensive national plan for combating the disease in the coming years. In 2010, Dr. Lamb conceived, organized and executed the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Ride (ABR), a relay-style bike ride involving over 55 Alzheimer’s researchers who rode a total of 4500 miles across the entirety of the United States. The goal of the ride was to garner petition signatures in support of pending Alzheimer’s legislation, including the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), which initiated a national plan for AD, as well as to raise public awareness regarding the disease.

By the time the ABR reached Washington, DC, over 110,000 signatures from individuals all across the United States were delivered to Capitol Hill. In addition, at the end of the ride, researchers met with more than 50 members of Congress and Dr. Lamb attended the first-ever White House briefing on the challenge of AD in the United States. In late 2010, NAPA was unanimously approved by both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011. The NAPA Advisory Council was formed in August 2011, and an initial national plan on AD created in early 2012. Dr. Lamb is also an active member of Leaders Engaged in Alzheimer’s Disease (LEAD), an open coalition of Alzheimer’s research, care and advocacy communities which provides feedback and recommendations to the NAPA Advisory Council.