News

We are pleased to announce that Thomas Karikari, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Dr. Karikari earned his PhD in life sciences/neuroscience from the University of Warwick, Coventry (UK). Upon receiving his doctorate, he received a Royal Society of Chemistry fellowship to conduct postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Karikari completed further postdoctoral training at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden). 

Dr. Karikari is an internationally recognized expert in plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. His research focuses on improving our understanding of the mechanistic and biochemical basis of neurodegenerative proteinopathies in the human brain and biofluids, and applying this knowledge to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools for clinical use. Dr. Karikari has developed multiple methods for using noninvasive blood biomarkers to measure neurodegenerative disease including a patented method to measure phosphorylated tau.

Dr. Karikari is principal investigator (PI) of a National Institute on Aging (NIA) R01 focused on improving the specificity and accuracy of Alzheimer's disease blood biomarkers. He is PI of the Biomarker Core of the University of Pittsburgh’s NIA-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and co-leads a multisite U24 grant, a national consortium of investigators developing evidence-backed strategies for the use, interpretation, and implementation of biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia in older patients with multiple chronic conditions. Highly collaborative, he serves as co-investigator on more than 10 additional grants.

Dr. Karikari has published his research in top journals, and in 2024 was named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher. In 2025, the journal Nature named Dr. Karikari one of three Rising Stars in Aging Research. He is an invited member of a World Health Organization (WHO) panel focused on developing clinical guidelines for biomarker use, and he serves as a standing member of the NIA CNTN Clinical Neuroscience and Neurodegeneration Panel. Dr. Karikari is co-chair of the National Alzheimer Coordinating Council’s Best Practices Workgroup, leading the development of first-ever guidelines and recommendations for blood biomarkers, for use across the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers and beyond, and he serves on an Alzheimer's Association committee panel to develop guidelines for the clinical use and interpretation of blood biomarkers. He has been invited to speak at meetings nationally and internationally, hosted by organizations including the NIH/NIA National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, the Mayo Clinic, the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, and the International Brain Health Symposium.

Dr. Karikari is a superb research teacher and mentor and has worked with undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars. In addition, he has provided medical and graduate student lectures on blood biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases and immunoassay development. Dr. Karikari has also organized and taught workshops aimed at improving research capacity in developing countries with funding and collaborative support from multiple international organizations.

“Dr. Karikari’s pioneering work in blood biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease represent landmark contributions to the field. He is a widely recognized leader in this area and is playing key roles in developing guidelines for the use of blood biomarkers. Dr. Karikari is also a superb teacher and mentor, currently guiding numerous trainees, and an outstanding citizen of the scientific community,” said David Lewis, MD (Chair, Department of Psychiatry).

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Karikari!