Brian Downer, PhD is an Associate Professor in the School of Public and Population Health (SPPH) at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). He received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Aquinas College (Grand Rapids, MI) and a PhD in Gerontology from the University of Kentucky. He also completed an NIA T32 postdoctoral fellowship on Hispanic Health and Aging at the UTMB Sealy Center on Aging.

Dr. Downer studies the influence of social and cultural context on life course pathways for dementia and cognitive decline in diverse older adult populations. He also investigates healthcare utilization by older adults, focusing on the quality and outcomes of post-acute care and differences in healthcare utilization by older adults with and without dementia.

• Grant# K01 AG0587892018 - 2023
  Source: NIH National Institute on Aging
  Study: Improvement in Patients’ Cognition and Relationship with SNF Quality Measures
  Role: Principal Investigator
• Grant# RF1 AG0689882021 - 2024
  Title: The Influence of Social and Cultural Context on Life Course Pathways for Alzheimer’s Disease, Related Dementias, and Care Resources for Older Mexican Adults
  Source: NIH National Institute on Aging
  Role: Principal Investigator
• Grant# P30 AG0248322020 - 2025
  Source: NIH National Institute on Aging
  Study: UTMB Claude Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC)
  Objective: The goal is to assemble a comprehensive map of the molecular changes that occur in response to movement and relate these changes to the benefits of physical activity.
  Role: Co-Leader Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core (PI: Volpi)

Quality and outcomes of post-acute care; Epidemiology of dementia and cognitive decline in diverse populations; Hispanic health and aging

• Downer B, Pritchard K, Thomas KS, Ottenbacher K. Improvement in Activities of Daily Living during a Nursing Home Stay and One-Year Mortality among Older Adults with Sepsis.J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Apr;69(4):938-945. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16915. 
  
• Downer B, Reistetter TA, Kuo YF, Li S, Karmarkar A, Hong I, Goodwin JS, Ottenbacher KJ. Relationship between Nursing Home Compare Improvement in Function Quality Measure and Physical Recovery after Hip Replacement.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2021 Apr 1;. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2021.03.012. [Epub ahead of print]
  
• Downer B, Al Snih S, Chou LN, Kuo YF, Raji M, Markides KS, Ottenbacher KJ. Changes in Health Care Use by Mexican American Medicare Beneficiaries Before and After a Diagnosis of Dementia. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2021 Feb 25;76(3):534-542. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glaa236. 
  
• Downer B, Al Snih S, Raji M, Chou LN, et al. Healthcare utilization of Mexican-American Medicare beneficiaries with and without Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. PLoS One. 2020;15:e0227681.
  
• Downer B, Garcia MA, Raji M, Markides KS. Cohort Differences in Cognitive Impairment and Cognitive Decline Among Mexican-Americans Aged 75 Years or Older. Am J Epidemiol. 2019;188:119-129.PMC6321807

Note: A complete list of all publications can be found on the UTMB Research Experts web page.