Frank LaFerla, PhD

Dean, School of Biological Sciences
Chancellor’s Professor, Neurobiology and Behavior

Frank LaFerla is the Dean of the UCI School of Biological Sciences and a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. He is the Director of the NIH-funded UCI Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Co-Director of NIH-funded MODEL-AD at UCI, a research effort to develop the next generation of model organisms to evaluate and cure Alzheimer’s disease.

Professor LaFerla’s research focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease, the most common form of dementia. His scholarly work has had a global influence on the field, as some of the models he has generated have been distributed to over 150+ researchers in more than 20 countries throughout the world; he has published over 250 original peer-reviewed articles and has been listed among the top 1% cited researchers in his field.

He has received several honors for his research accomplishments including the Ruth Salta Junior Investigator Achievement Award from the American Health Assistance Foundation, Zenith Fellows Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, Distinguished Mid-Career Faculty Research Award, Promising Work Award from the Metropolitan Life Foundation for Medical Research, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and was elected as a Fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Neurological Association.

Maximo Marcuso

Tenor, Maximo Marcuso’s Gala mini concert performance will entertain in a grand manner with a beautiful and diverse repertoire of operatic arias, classical crossovers, Broadway standards and contemporary music. Accompanied by his musicians, guests are sure to be moved by Maximo’s vocal range and personality. Bravo!