Dr. Jessica L. Zwerling, MD, MS

Dr. Zwerling is a Professor, in  The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, and the Director of the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease. She received her medical degree with research and thesis honors from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo and completed her residency and fellowship training in neuromuscular disease/EMG as well as receiving a NIH T32 in Aging at Montefiore Einstein. She has additional training in behavioral neuroscience through her role at Bronx Psychiatric Center. Zwerling is board certified in neurology as well as the subspecialty of neuromuscular medicine by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She is a member of the American Geriatrics Society and a Fellow in the American Academy of Neurology.

A nationally recognized expert in aging and dementia, Dr. Zwerling’s clinical focus is on identifying risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia, as well as factors that promote successful aging. She conducts research on optimizing healthcare delivery systems and promoting healthy equity, the results of which have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals.  Her pioneered community based organization integrated model of care has been replicated across other health care systems. She is an international expert and serves as an advisor on many panels focused on neurodegenerative disease recognition and management, as well as clinical trials. 

Dr. Zwerling developed the clinical and didactic programs used to enhance health professionals’ ability to screen, diagnose, and develop personalized plans of care for Montefiore Health System patients with Alzheimer disease and related dementias. In addition, she pioneered Montefiore’s age-friendly initiatives as well as the integration of the GUIDE model for comprehensive dementia care. She is the Montefiore lead with the Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure (BOLD) public health program partnering with the New York State Department of Health. 

Additionally, she has been named “2020 Health Care Hero” by the Westchester magazine, and was named one of the New York Super Doctors in The New York Times from 2016 to 2025. She is a fellow at the New York Academy of Medicine. She currently serves as Chair of Faculty Development and Strategic Affairs in the Department of Neurology.