Roles
BMHA Training Faculty, HALO Faculty
Dr. Caitlin S. Latimer is a physician-scientist whose work focuses on the biological mechanisms of brain aging and age-related neurodegenerative disease. She is an Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Director of the Division of Neuropathology at the University of Washington (UW), and directs the UW BioRepository and Integrated Neuropathology (BRaIN) Laboratory. She also leads the Neuropathology Cores for the UW Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Adult Changes in Thought Study.
As a board-certified neuropathologist, Dr. Latimer specializes in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases and participates in clinical neuropathology service at UW Medicine. Her research centers on the complex, multi-pathology nature of the aging brain, with particular emphasis on interactions between tau and TDP-43 proteinopathies in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. A major focus of her work is to understand how these co-occurring pathologies shape cognitive outcomes in aging. While some individuals develop dementia, others remain cognitively resilient despite substantial neuropathologic burden. By integrating studies of well-characterized human aging cohorts with experimental models of proteotoxicity, her research seeks to define the mechanisms by which interacting pathologies drive neurodegeneration, or, alternatively, permit resilience. Through this work, Dr. Latimer aims to advance a more complete understanding of brain aging and to identify pathways that may be leveraged to promote healthy cognitive aging and longevity.
