Dr. Neelum Aggarwal

Dr. Neelum T. Aggarwal is a Professor of Neurological Sciences and a cognitive neurologist at Rush University Medical Center, where she also serves as Senior Neurologist for the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center (RADC) and Research Director at the Rush Heart Center for Women. A nationally recognized expert in brain health, she leads and collaborates on multiple NIH-funded clinical trials exploring how sex, gender, cardiovascular disease, and social determinants of health influence risk, detection, and treatment of dementia.

Her research focuses on the heart-brain connection—examining how factors such as vascular health and lifestyle, including dietary interventions, can improve cognition and help prevent decline. She is also a co-lead of the Advisory Group on Risk Evidence Education for Dementia (AGREEDementia.org), shaping best practices for how physicians and care teams communicate complex biomarker, genetic, and neuroimaging results to diverse patient populations.

Beyond her scientific contributions, Dr. Aggarwal is a long-standing voice for community-based research, clinical trial participation, and public health initiatives in Chicago and across the country. She was the first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), where she now serves as AMWA’s delegate to the American Medical Association House of Delegates. A dedicated mentor and advocate, she is also a Strategic Advisor for CHI’s Science Runway and a Chicago Innovation Mentor (CIM), supporting the next generation of innovators in medicine, life sciences, and STEM.

Dr. Aggarwal completed her medical degree at Rosalind Franklin University – Chicago Medical School, her neurology residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and a fellowship in aging and neurodegenerative disorders at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center.