Dr. Judes Poirier

Scientific profile

Dr. Judes Poirier, C.Q., Ph.D., MD (Hon), is a Full Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine at McGill University and a senior scientist at the Douglas Research Centre in Montréal. He is Co-Founder and Deputy Director of the Centre for Studies on the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and Director of the Molecular Neurobiology Unit at the Douglas Research Centre.

For more than three decades, Dr. Poirier has contributed to the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease through pioneering work in neurochemistry, genetics, pharmacogenomics, biomarker science, and translational neurobiology. His early discoveries helped define the role of apolipoprotein E in brain repair and Alzheimer’s disease susceptibility, establishing a foundation for later work on genetic risk, therapeutic response, and precision medicine in neurodegenerative disease.

His current research program focuses on the presymptomatic phase of Alzheimer’s disease, integrating longitudinal biomarkers, inflammatory pathways, tau biology, synaptic integrity, PET/MRI imaging, cognition, and multiomics datasets to identify mechanisms that may be targeted for prevention.

Bridge between discovery and society

Public science and innovation

Dr. Poirier’s career has also included biotechnology creation, patent development, public education, and knowledge translation. His public-facing books and media work have helped communicate Alzheimer’s disease science to patients, families, and the broader community.