Elizabeth Rose Mayeda (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Dr. Mayeda's research focuses on identifying modifiable determinants of cognitive decline and dementia among older adults. Her research program has both applied and methodological themes. Her research focuses on identifying effective population-level strategies to promote late-life cognitive and brain health. She also leads work addressing methodological challenges in longitudinal studies of cognitive aging and dementia risk. Her long-term research goals are to: (1) identify effective population-level strategies to prevent dementia and (2) develop research tools to strengthen causal inference in dementia research and lifecourse epidemiology.

Dr. Mayeda is recognized as an expert in dementia epidemiology and epidemiologic methods. She gave an NIH Rising Star Invited Lecture in 2019, received the Society for Epidemiologic Research Brian MacMahon Early Career Award in 2020, and was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award in 2025. She holds multiple national and international professional leadership and service roles related to advancing the application of rigorous quantitative methods in applied research, including serving on the leadership committees of the Methods in Longitudinal Research on Dementia (MELODEM) Initiative and the Advanced Psychometrics Methods in Cognitive Aging Conference.

Dr. Mayeda received her BA in Integrative Biology and Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, her MPH in Epidemiology from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and her PhD in Epidemiology and Translational Science from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Before joining the faculty at UCLA in 2018, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UCSF.

Joseph completed his MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Arizona in 2020. His research interests include social determinants of health and their impact on aging, especially among minority populations. His previous research experience includes work with the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center in Sacramento, CA as well as the Imaging of Dementia and Aging (IDeA) Lab in Davis, CA. In his free time, Joseph enjoys photography and baking bread. 

Paloma’s work focuses on how to extend the target trial framework and causal inference methods to study social determinants and cardiometabolic disorders in aging related outcomes, with a special interest in selection bias and competing events. She received her PhD degree in Epidemiology at Erasmus MC in the Netherlands, her MSc in Clinical Research at the Instituto Universitario del Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires and her Specialization in Statistics for Health Sciences at Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina. She is originally from La Paz - Bolivia, where obtained her medical degree in Universidad Mayor de San Andrés. 

Ryo is currently a PhD student in Epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. He obtained his MD degree from the University of Tokyo, Japan. His research interests include causal inference, social determinants of health, and health services research.

Taylor is a PhD student in Epidemiology at UCLA. He is broadly interested in understanding mechanisms through which structural factors such as social policies impact health across the lifecourse. Since joining the Mayeda Research Group in 2018, his work has focused on the effect of early and mid-life social exposures on mid- and late-life mental and cognitive health. Taylor holds an MPH in Epidemiology from UCLA.

Yingyan is currently a PhD student in Epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She is interested in causal inference and cognitive aging, especially the effects of social factors and co-morbidity on dementia. She obtained her BMS degree in Preventive Medicine from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2019 and MS degree in Epidemiology from UCLA.

Yixuan is currently a PhD student in Biostatistics at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Her  research interests include clinical study design, survival analysis, and Bayesian methods. Before coming to UCLA, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Statistics at University of Toronto in 2020.

Gina is a PhD student in Epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Her current research focuses on understanding the association between cancer and Alzheimer’s disease in racially and diverse populations. Gina received a BS in biochemistry and a BA in Japanese from the University of Utah. She completed her MPH in Epidemiology at UCLA FSPH. In her spare time, she explores the LA and Irvine restaurant scene with her food club members.

Yodit is a PhD student in Epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Her research interest includes healthy aging outcomes among underrepresented populations and its relation to social determinants of health. Yodit received her BS in Health Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from Howard University in May 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys working out, kayaking and trying new cuisines

Layla is an undergraduate student majoring in Biology and minoring in Chicana and Chicano Studies. She hopes to attend medical school in the future and complete a dual degree through an MD/MPH program. In her free time Layla enjoys long distance running with UCLA Club Track  & Field, participating in the Student Wellness Commission BruiNecessities, and watching movies with friends. 

Ruby is an undergraduate student in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and is majoring in Chemical Engineering. She hopes to become involved in resarch regarding sustainable energies during her sophmore year and eventually build a career in this field. In her free time Ruby enjoys traveling, reading outdoors, cooking, and spending time with loved ones. She is also the Outreach Representative for her housing community and is passionate about organizing and advertising community events.