Kenneth M Langa, MD, PhD
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About
Dr. Langa is the A. Regula Herzog Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Institute for Social Research, and an Associate Director of the Institute of Gerontology, all at the University of Michigan. He is also Co-Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) International Network, both funded by the National Institute on Aging.
Dr. Langa received an MD and PhD in Public Policy at the University of Chicago as a Fellow in the Pew Program for Medicine, Arts, and the Social Sciences. He is a General Internist and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
Dr. Langa’s research focuses on the epidemiology and costs of chronic disease in older adults, with an emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed articles on these topics and is currently studying population trends in dementia prevalence, and the relationship of common cardiovascular risk factors, as well as acute illnesses such as sepsis and stroke, to cognitive decline and dementia. Dr. Langa has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge, the World Health Organization, the University of California-San Francisco, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Otago where he continued work on cross-national comparisons of the epidemiology and outcomes of dementia in countries around the world.
Links
Kenneth M. Langa, MD, PhD, Physician-Researcher MiCDA
Qualifications
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Robert Wood Johnson Clinical ScholarUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
1997 - 1999
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Internship and ResidencyUniversity of Michigan, United States
1994 - 1997
Center Memberships
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Center MemberCenter for History, Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Ethics in Medicine
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Center MemberCenter for Global Health Equity
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Center MemberCaswell Diabetes Institute
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Center MemberInstitute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
Research Overview
I study the epidemiology and costs of chronic health conditions that affect older adults, with a focus on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. I am the Co-Director of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a National Institute on Aging funded longitudinal study of 20,000 adults in the United States ( http://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu ), and the Co-Director of the HCAP International Network of dementia studies. I am a General Internist and I have published more than 400 peer-reviewed research articles. I have been a Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge, the World Health Organization, the University of California-San Francisco, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Otago where I collaborated on cross-national comparisons of the epidemiology and outcomes of dementia in countries around the world.
Recent Publications
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Saczynski JS, Rosen AB, McCammon RJ, Zivin K, Andrade SE, Langa KM, Vijan S, Pirraglia PA, Briesacher BA. American Journal of Medicine, 2015 Jul 1; 128 (7): 739 - 746.Journal ArticleAntidepressant use and cognitive decline: The health and retirement study
DOI:10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.01.007 PMID: 25644319 -
Chaitoff A, Taunque A, Langa KM, Maust DT. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2026 Jun 15;Journal ArticleAre Large Language Models Good or Bad for Brain Health?
DOI:10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.2212 -
Lee H, McEvoy CT, Steele EM, Khandpur N, Heeringa SG, Ryan LH, Langa KM, Wolfson JA, Leung CW. Am J Public Health, 2026 Jun 3; e1 - e12.Journal ArticleUltraprocessed Foods and the Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Older US Adults: 2013-2020 Health and Retirement Study.
DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2026.308505 PMID: 42233196 -
Hartman N, Briceño EM, Mehdipanah R, Chang W, Levine DA, Garcia N, Gonzales XF, Langa KM, Zahuranec DB, Morgenstern LB, Heeringa SG. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res, 2026 Jun; 35 (2): e70087Journal ArticleRecruitment Mode Selectivity and Interview Mode Measurement Effects in a Population-Based Assessment of Cognitive Performance.
DOI:10.1002/mpr.70087 PMID: PMC13267149 -
Yelton B, Workman L, Schaurer L, Riccardi N, McCollum Q, Belza B, Ory MG, Thorpe RJ, Wheeler SB, Trinh-Shevrin C, Kreps GL, Langa KM, Friedman DB. Gerontologist, 2026 Apr 26;Journal ArticleGuiding Approaches to Studying Alzheimer's Disease: A Scoping Review of Community Engagement, Health Communication, and Implementation Science Research.
DOI:10.1093/geront/gnag056 PMID: 42036812 -
Guo M, Mani SS, Gross AL, Karvonen-Gutierrez CA, Reeves A, Langa KM, Kobayashi LC. Maturitas, 2026 Apr 1; 207:Journal ArticleAge at natural menopause and cognitive aging in U.S. women: Educational attainment as a modifiable resilience factor
DOI:10.1016/j.maturitas.2026.108884 -
Walsh S, Röhr S, Mígeot J, Bodryzlova Y, Ma'u E, Salemme S, Marshall CR, Daly T, Cheung G, Stephan BCM, Kalaria R, Langa KM, Mukadam N, Grasset L, Cullum S, Govia I, Wilson N-A, Urso D, Peters R, Wang J, Richard E, Logroscino G, Giannoni-Luza S, Lautenschlager NT, Prynn JE, Ferri CP, Yates S, Wolters FJ, Wallace L, Brayne C, Anstey KJ. PLoS Med, 2026 Apr; 23 (4): e1005059Journal ArticleThe principles of Population-Level Approaches to Dementia Risk Reduction (PLADRR).
DOI:10.1371/journal.pmed.1005059 PMID: PMC13123963 -
Salemme S, Mukadam N, Bodryzlova Y, Blossom SCM, Brayne C, Richard E, Seshadri S, Ma'u E, Akinyemi RO, Urso D, Wolters FJ, Grasset L, Dufouil C, Ferri CP, Langa KM, Kalaria R, McKenzie BL, Röhr S, Ibáñez A, Lautenschlage NT, Cullum S, Bobrow K, Anstey KJ, Wallace L, Walsh S, PLADRR Research Group . Lancet Public Health, 2026 Mar 24;Journal ArticleOperationalising dementia prevention as a measurable NCD priority.
DOI:10.1016/S2468-2667(26)00028-9 PMID: 41895305
Featured News & Stories
Dr. Kenneth Langa Named Distinguished University Professor
Four U-M faculty elected to National Academy of Medicine