Irving E. Vega obtained his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus. He continued his research training in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at the Graduate School of New Brunswick, Rutgers University, earning his PhD. Dr. Vega completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Neuroscience Department at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, where he developed his research career focusing on the pathobiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Vega joined the faculty as an Associate Professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine campus in Grand Rapids, MI in 2014. Here, his research focuses on molecular and biochemical mechanisms that modulate the accumulation of pathological tau proteins in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Dr. Vega is also working on ethnic disparities and the influence of ethnoracial and social factors on blood biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Vega was named MSU Red Cedar Distinguished Faculty in recognition of the integration of bench and community engaged research to dissect the biological and social factors that contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Dr. Vega is thrilled to join the AAN Leadership Fellowship program under the mentorship of Dr. Doug Gage, VP of Research and Innovation. Through this fellowship, he is hoping to contribute to achieve fair and equitable access to resources and opportunities that foster faculty career development and student success, while observing and learning, from a university level perspective, how processes and policies are developed and implemented.