Rhoda Au, PhD

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Au’s research interests are focused on aging and dementia, and include relating cardiovascular risk factors, brain MRI measures, and neuropathology to cognitive performance. She is also interested in merging research and technology as the path toward innovative science.

Publications

  • Published 8/27/2026

    Kurniansyah N, Tasaki S, Rehman H, Zhu C, Farrell J, Sherva R, Hauger R, Merritt VC, Panizzon M, Zhang R, Gaziano JM, Gim J, Lee K, Lee DY, Nho K, Vialle RA, Mukherjee S, Trittschuh EH, Lee AJ, Brickman AM, Cruchaga C, Risacher S, Greve DN, Crane P, Martin E, Bush WS, Mayeux R, Haines JL, Pericak-Vance MA, Logue M, Bennett DA, Barnes LL, Saykin A, Hohman T, Wang LS, Schellenberg GD, Ang TFA, Au R, Mez J, Lunetta KL, Zhang X, Farrer LA. A multiancestry polygenic risk score for Alzheimer's disease is associated with cognitive decline and neuropathological hallmarks in diverse populations. Nat Genet. 2026 Sep; 58(9):2141-2151. PMID: 42661068.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/14/2026

    Marino FR, Ganglberger W, Sun H, Liu Y, Ding H, Thomas RJ, Au R, Westover MB. Better sleep now, better cognition later? Predicting cognitive function using a machine learning-based sleep EEG brain health score. Sleep. 2026 Aug 14; 49(8). PMID: 41964500.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/7/2026

    He J, Zhang Y, Wang X, Spartano NL, Rong J, Benjamin EJ, Ang TFA, Au R, Lin H, Schramm E, Borrelli B, Liu C, Murabito JM. Associations Between Smartwatch-Derived Measures and Cognitive Function: Findings From the Electronic Framingham Heart Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2026 Aug 18; 15(16):e049284. PMID: 42568104.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/6/2026

    Marino FR, Ganglberger W, Sun H, Liu Y, Ding H, Thomas RJ, Au R, Westover MB. Sleep electroencephalography-derived brain health and long-term cognitive decline in community-dwelling adults. Sleep Adv. 2026; 7(3):zpag089. PMID: 42769852.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/5/2026

    Marino FR, Ding H, Lin H, Au R, Hwang PH. How Life-Course Trajectories of Physical Activity Track With Cognitive Decline. J Phys Act Health. 2026 Aug 05; 1-9. PMID: 42562373.

    Read at: PubMed

Other Positions

  • Professor, Epidemiology
    Boston University School of Public Health
  • Investigator
    Framingham Heart Study
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences
  • Professor, Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Education

  • University of California, Riverside, PhD
  • Boston University, MBA
  • Pomona College, BA