Leah R. Hanson, PhD, is a Senior Research Investigator and Senior Director of Neuroscience Research at HealthPartners Institute Neuroscience Research Center. She is also Co‑Director of Research at the HealthPartners Center for Memory and Aging. Dr. Hanson completed her PhD at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Dr. Hanson is a translational neuroscientist with expertise in Learning Health System–embedded pragmatic clinical trials, dementia care models, caregiver support interventions, mindfulness‑based and other non‑pharmacologic therapies for neurologic disorders, and intranasal drug delivery. For more than two decades, Dr. Hanson has led research focused on improving the diagnosis, treatment, and care of people with central nervous system disorders- particularly Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and neurotrauma.

Research interests:

Advancing dementia caregiver support interventions. Caregivers are critical partners in supporting people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias yet face high burden and limited access to supportive interventions. Dr. Hanson has worked to address this gap through studies of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for caregivers, implementation of the Care Ecosystem support program, and advancing methods of caregiver recruitment.

Transforming dementia diagnosis and care in learning health systems. There are multiple barriers to the detection of cognitive impairment, which leads to delays in the diagnosis of dementia. Dr. Hanson has studied health system interventions to improve dementia diagnosis and care including clinical decision support systems use of the Mini-Cog screen for cognitive impairment.

Furthering non-pharmacologic treatments for neurologic disorders. For many neurologic conditions, pharmacologic options are limited or insufficient. Dr. Hanson and her colleagues have explored innovative, non-pharmacologic strategies including exercise, acupuncture, yoga, and transcranial magnetic stimulation to improve outcomes in disorders such as traumatic brain injury, myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer’s disease, and chronic pain.

Pioneering intranasal delivery to the central nervous system, bypassing the blood-brain barrier.  Across more than two decades, Dr. Hanson’s work has helped establish intranasal administration as a noninvasive route to delivery peptides, proteins, small molecules and genes to the brain. She has contributed foundational mechanistic studies, demonstrated direct nose-to-brain pathways, and advanced multiple therapeutic candidates (insulin, deferoxamine, neurotrophic factors, siRNA, AAV) towards translational readiness. Building on the mechanistic groundwork, she has led and collaborated on clinical studies evaluating intranasal insulin treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Down syndrome, and alcohol use disorder.

Current Job title/position(s): 

• Senior Research Investigator
• Senior Director, Neuroscience Research
• Co‑Director of Research, HealthPartners Center for Memory and Aging
• Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School

Full name:  Leah Ranae Bresin Hanson, PhD

HealthPartners Email: Leah.R.Hanson@HealthPartners.com

Conducting Institute research since:  2000

Located In HealthPartners Neuroscience Center Building | HealthPartners & Park Nicollet

Education and training:

• BS, Biology, Drake University (1994)
• PhD, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota (2001)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Alzheimer’s Research Center, HealthPartners Institute (2001–2002)

Affiliations/other offices held: 

• Member, Board of Directors, Regions Hospital Foundation
• Chair, NIA Data Safety Monitoring Board – Low‑Cost Detection of Cognitive Decline
• Member, Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Navigation Roundtable
• Co‑Leader, Career Development Core, NIA AGING Initiative
• Former Leader, Health Care Systems Core, NIA IMPACT Collaboratory
• Leader, Aging Special Interest Group, Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN)
• Former Member, Board of Directors, HealthPartners Institute

Current research activities and funding: 

• Co-principal investigator of an NIA‑funded trial of a clinical decision support system to improve primary‑care detection and management of cognitive impairment 
• Site PI of an NIA‑funded Care Ecosystem trial evaluating a remotely delivered dementia care model across six health systems
• Career Development Core co‑lead of the NIA-funded AGING Initiative (Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure and Network Growth) developing and implementing the Multiple Chronic Conditions (MCC) Scholars Program
• Co-investigator of a Minnesota Office of Higher Education funded study of personalized transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of mild traumatic brain injury
• Site PI of the NIDILRR-funded Minnesota Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System collecting information about health and psychosocial outcomes after acquired spinal cord injury
• Site PI of a Department of Defense funded study to repurpose intranasal insulin as a therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury
• Former leader of the Health Care Systems Core of the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory

Related websites (e.g., Google Scholar/ResearchGate):

• Neuroscience Research Center - HealthPartners Institute
• Memory loss and dementia care | HealthPartners & Park Nicollet
• Struthers Parkinson's Center
• NeuroWell for neurological conditions | HealthPartners & Park Nicollet
• The AGING Initiative – Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure & Network Growth
• Care Ecosystem | Memory and Aging Center
• Welcome - NIA IMPACT Collaboratory
• Minnesota Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System | Minnesota Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System (MN Regional SCIMS)

Publications:    My Bibliography - NCBI