James E. Galvin, M.D., M.P.H. is the Alexandria and Bernard Schoninger Endowed Chair for Memory Disorders and Professor of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is Division Chief for Cognitive Neurology, Director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health, and Director of the Lewy Body Dementia Research Center of Excellence. Dr. Galvin has authored over 400 scientific publications (h-index=77) and has received over $120 Million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health, including two of the largest grants awarded for DLB clinical trials. Dr Galvin’s research has long focused on Lewy body dementia with studies ranging from basic science investigations to clinical and biomarker characterization, innovative clinical trials, and caregiver research. He served on the Board of Directors for the Lewy Body Dementia Association for 16 years, helping to initiate its Research Center of Excellence program and now serves on its Steering Committee. Dr Galvin’s vision for the IC-DLB is to help build a robust organization that could provide the conceptual, aspirational, and strategic direction towards a global consortium of researchers and centers focused on the treatment and ultimately, the prevention of DLB, benefiting patients living with disease, their families, and society.

Dr Jennifer G. Goldman, MD, MS, is a Movement Disorders neurologist with specialty certification in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry. She is internationally recognized for her clinical, research, and educational work in Lewy body dementia (LBD), focusing on neuropsychiatric aspects, improving treatments, and advancing multidisciplinary care. Dr. Goldman is an adjunct Professor at Barrow Neurological Institute and provides expert consulting through JPG Enterprises LLC. She previously served as the inaugural Section Chief for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and held professorships at Northwestern and Rush University.

With over 130 publications and numerous research grants, Dr. Goldman has led key initiatives to develop consensus guidelines and outcome measures in Parkinson’s disease and LBD. She currently serves as Secretary-Elect for the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society and Chair of the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) Industry Advisory Council. She also serves on the LBDA Board of Directors.

As a candidate for Executive Committee Member-at-Large for the International DLB Consortium, Dr. Goldman aims to foster collaboration among scientists, clinicians, and stakeholders to accelerate treatment advances. She brings extensive leadership experience and a commitment to excellence, education, and advocacy to support the consortium’s mission.

Dr Annegret Habich is a postdoctoral researcher at Karolinska Institute, Sweden. Her research revolves around trajectories of healthy and pathological ageing, with a focus on DLB. Using a multimodal approach, she investigates progression of brain network alterations to explore targets for future interventions. As an emerging leader in the field, she is actively engaged in the global research community and contributing to international initiatives in the field. As such, she coordinates transfer and sharing of MRI data for the European DLB consortium. Through her engagement in initiatives like the NextGen DLB webinars, the Alzheimer Association’s LBD PIA, and her work with the Lewy Body Association, she is dedicated to creating opportunities for early career researchers to showcase their work and expand their professional networks. As a board member of IC-DLB, she will continue these efforts to create a supportive, innovative, and globally connected research network that accelerates the progress toward effective treatments and inspires and promotes the next generation of DLB researchers.

Dr Shady Rahayel: I’m a clinical sleep psychologist and neuropsychologist focusing on aging-related neurocognitive disorders, and a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Montreal (Canada). My research focuses on the preclinical phases of dementia with Lewy bodies, using brain imaging and computational tools to uncover early biological signatures, particularly through the lens of isolated REM sleep behavior disorder. My goal is to contribute to the development of reliable biomarkers that can change the course of disease before it fully manifests.

The IC-DLB has a role to play in shaping the future of synucleinopathy research. If elected to the Executive Committee, my vision is clear: we must bring together clinical, fundamental, and translational expertise to address the evolving and complex nature of dementia in synucleinopathies. No single domain holds the key: we move forward by aligning insights across disciplines, centers, and countries. I see the IC-DLB not just as a consortium, but as a platform with the potential to amplify ideas, strengthen collaborations, and push our understanding forward, for the benefit of those affected by this disease. I would be proud to help shape that vision as an at-large Member (four-year term) of the Executive Committee.

Dr Jon Toledo: I have been a physician involved in translation research in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) research for over 10 years. As part of my commitment to DLB, I have participated in the International Lewy Body Dementia Conferences (ILBDC) in 2015, 2019, 2022, and 2025. I am also an active member of the International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) and the Lewy Body Dementia Professional Interest Area. I have actively contributed to several manuscripts. I am an Assistant Professor at Houston Methodist’s Nantz National Alzheimer Center, where I direct the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) Research Center of Excellence (RCOE), offering clinical care and research opportunities to individuals with DLB. I would be delighted to help initiate and develop the IC-DLB with the DLB community.

Jon emphasizes the need for inclusivity and global representation, fostering connections with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s communities, encouraging public engagement, and, importantly, prioritizing the growth and support of early career researchers as future leaders in the field.

Members-At-Large (2-Year Term)

Dr Joe Kane: In recent years, I have complemented my clinical and research work with leadership and ambassadorial roles in our field. In addition to my research focus on LBD care, epidemiology, and biomarkers, I have played leading roles in global collaborative projects developing the DLB Core Outcome Set (COS) and LBD Domain Rating Scale.

As Chair of the ISTAART LBD Professional Interest Area (PIA), I have expanded our network through webinars, podcasts, publications, and social media, and have demonstrated my passion for welcoming and supporting early career researchers (ECRs). Through ISTAART and my role on the AAIC Scientific Committee, I have ensured LBD is represented in the world’s largest global dementia research community.

If elected, I will aim to continue expanding the LBD network beyond its traditional borders, making it more inclusive and interdisciplinary, and to develop closer relationships between our diverse medical and scientific disciplines. I will work to create platforms that amplify the work of ECRs and researchers from low- and middle-income countries and strive to find ways to attract and retain ECR talent in our field. I will also support the integration of the voices of patients, care partners, funders, and voluntary sector organisations into the work of IC-DLB.

Dr John O’Brien: As an academic old age psychiatrist who has worked in London, Melbourne, Newcastle and now Cambridge (UK), DLB is the main focus of my research. I have had the privilege of attending every International DLB Consortium meeting since the first in 1994. 

There has been much progress and growth in the field, but there is so much more to do. My vision for IC-DLB is that it will provide the key international focus and authoritative voice for DLB by bringing the scientific community together, championing greater research and, through translation, better clinical care. In doing so it will liaise with many other key stakeholders, including other professional and governmental organisations, guideline groups, other DLB consortia and industry. Importantly, IC-DLB will provide the strong framework necessary for ensuring continuity of the excellent International Conferences and tackle key initiates as necessary, for example leading revisions to the DLB Consensus Diagnostic Criteria and catalysing other workstreams, workgroups and activities. The consortium needs to be inclusive and embrace global diversity, through broad membership and geographical coverage and in interactions with others, most obviously the Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease communities, and through public engagement. Growing and supporting early career researchers should be a major priority.

I am Dr Arvid Rongve, a geriatric psychiatrist and professor with 20 years of research experience in Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). I currently lead the ANeED study testing Ambroxol and the ANeED Joint Effort21 study focused on developing digital biomarkers.

My vision aligns closely with the IC-DLB’s mission to advance knowledge, research, and care for DLB and related conditions. I am committed to identifying disease-modifying treatments and creating practical tools to support daily life for people living with DLB. My work includes digital clinical decision support systems, memory aids, and exploring technologies like humanoid robots to help individuals with dementia remain at home longer.

As an at-large member of the Executive Committee, I would bring a strong, ongoing research background, active involvement in clinical studies, and a forward-thinking mindset focused on innovation and practical impact. I am eager to support the IC-DLB’s efforts in developing research proposals, validating outcome measures, and conducting clinical trials.

I am also committed to expanding global collaboration by engaging new members from underrepresented regions. My experience and dedication will support the consortium’s mission and help advance care and research for people living with DLB worldwide.

Dr Sonja Scholz is a physician-scientist specializing in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Lewy body dementia, multiple system atrophy, and related syndromes. She earned her MD from the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, and her PhD in Neurogenomics from University College London, UK. Following adult neurology residency training at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Scholz joined the U.S. National Institutes of Health, where she serves as a tenured Lasker Clinical Research Scholar and Chief of the Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Section. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Scholz’s research employs advanced genomic techniques to uncover genetic mechanisms of neurodegeneration, aiming to identify novel therapeutic targets. Her vision for joining the IC-DLB Executive Committee is to build an international networking forum, promote collaborations, accelerate discoveries in disease mechanisms, and advance the development of symptomatic and disease-modifying therapies to improve patient outcomes worldwide.