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 Global Health Equity
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Center MemberCenter for History, Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Ethics in Medicine
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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 -
Westrick AC, Yu X, Gross AL, Wallner LP, Langa KM, Kobayashi LC. Journal of Geriatric Oncology, 2026 Oct 18; 18 (2): 104653 - 104653.Journal ArticleDuration of depressive symptoms prior to a cancer diagnosis and post-cancer memory function and decline: A longitudinal analysis of the US Health and Retirement Study
DOI:10.1016/j.jgo.2026.104653 -
Westrick* AC. Epidemiology, 2026 Oct 14; 37 (S2):Journal ArticleDuration of depressive symptoms prior to a cancer diagnosis and post-cancer memory function and decline
DOI:10.1097/01.ede.0001280740.86952.34 -
Chaitoff A, Kohli-Lynch C, Cameron KA, Maust DT, Langa KM, Levine DA, Wilkins JT, Carnethon MR, Zheutlin AR. American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2026 Oct 14; 102562Journal ArticlePerceived value of antihypertensives for dementia, heart disease, or death: a randomized experiment
DOI:10.1016/j.ajpc.2026.102562 -
Nicholas LH, Halpern SD, Langa KM, Macis M. JAMA Network Open, 2026 Oct 1; 9 (10): e2637691Journal ArticleSurrogate Decision-Making for Older Adults With and Without Dementia
DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.37691 PMID: 42842247 -
Nichols* E, Gao S, Khobragade P, Gross AL, Kobayashi LC, Langa KM, Meijer E, Lee J. Epidemiology, 2026 Oct 14; 37 (S2):Journal ArticleThe effect of informant characteristics on reports of impairment in cognition and daily functioning in India: Findings from a multiple informant, within-person design
DOI:10.1097/01.ede.0001281412.00705.1b -
Elbejjani M, El Asmar K, Chaaya M, Sanjar G, El Sammak A, Langa KM, McCall SJ, Sibai A, Mendes De Leon C. 2026 Sep 10; medRxiv,PreprintImplementation and Evaluation of the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol in an Arabic-Speaking Population: The Lebanon Study on Aging and Health (LSAHA)
DOI:10.64898/2026.09.02.26362058 -
Corzantes K, Choy K, Adar S, Castellanos LF, Gross AL, Langa KM, Rohloff P, Weerman B, Briceno E, Ramirez-Zea M, Behrman J, Flood D. 2026 Sep 2; medRxiv,PreprintDeveloping the Longitudinal Study of Aging in Guatemala (ELEGUA): Rationale and pilot protocol
DOI:10.64898/2026.08.26.26361136
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