American College of Physicians honors Ott with lifetime achievement award for Alzheimer’s research

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Chapter of the American College of Physicians has awarded Dr. Brian Ott, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center at Rhode Island Hospital, the Milton Hamolsky Lifetime Achievement Award for his leadership in pursuit of an end to Alzheimer’s disease.

Ott has served as director of the center, the largest memory diagnostic and treatment center in Rhode Island, since 2005, dividing his time between clinical care and research. He has been affiliated with Rhode Island Hospital since 1995.

“This recognition of Dr. Ott’s decades of patient care and research in pursuit of an end to Alzheimer’s disease is befitting of his status in medical circles and in the Alzheimer’s research and patient/caregiver communities,” said Dr. Margaret M. Van Bree, president of Rhode Island Hospital.

The Milton Hamolsky Lifetime Achievement Award is given each year “in recognition of academic, clinical, research and administrative excellence to a physician who epitomizes the attributes of the award’s namesake, Dr. Milton Hamolsky.”

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The late Hamolsky was an endocrinologist who came to Rhode Island Hospital in 1963 and served as the first full-time physician-in-chief. Hamolsky served as the chief administrative officer of the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline and was a noted pioneer of medical education in Rhode Island.

Ott is a professor of neurology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and adjunct professor of neuroscience and pharmacy practice at the University of Rhode Island. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association and the American College of Physicians. He has received excellence-in-teaching awards for his work with both medical students and geriatric psychiatry fellows. He is the director of the Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital Aging and Dementia Fellowship.

Ott has been principal investigator or co-investigator on more than 80 research grants, from policy and advocacy groups, foundations and pharmaceutical companies, totaling more than $19 million in funding. Ott contributed to the pivotal clinical trials that led to the approval of tacrine, the first drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as other cholinesterase inhibitor drug trials. Later, he was an investigator and author on reports for clinical trials of memantine, the most recent drug approved for Alzheimer’s. Currently, he leads six clinical trials for the treatment of early Alzheimer’s and two clinical trials for the prevention of Alzheimer’s.

Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.