Bio

Dr. Ganesh Babulal is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine, and Director of two laboratories, The DRIVES Project and ARCHES. He is also a faculty member at the Institute of Public Health at Washington University and a research associate at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.

Dr. Babulal’s research seeks to understand the relationship between cognition and mental health and its impact on instrumental activities of daily living, such as driving, in healthy older adults and those with chronic neurological diseases. There is an intentional focus on healthy aging, protective factors that support brain health, and risk factors for dementia among older adults. The overarching research program among older adults has investigated and connected biomarkers and complex functional outcomes like driving, mental health, and health disparities as risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia while also identifying points of intervention, especially for minoritized populations.

He has published eight book chapters and over 100+ scientific peer-reviewed research articles in high-impact journals, including Neurology, Journal of the American Medical Association, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Annals of Neurology, Sleep, and the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institutes on Aging, Alzheimer’s Association, and BrightFocus Foundation. He serves as an ad hoc reviewer for over 45 journals, serves on the editorial board of 6 journals, and as the principal investigator alone, he has secured over $25.7 million in extramural funding since 2014.

Dr. Babulal holds dual bachelor's (Biology; English), dual master's (Occupational Therapy; Clinical Investigation), and dual doctorates (OTD, PhD Health Sciences).