William R. Shankle, MD

Dr. Shankle is a board certified neurologist, specializing in the diagnosis, treatment and management of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD). He co-founded the Alzheimer’s Research Center at University of California, Irvine, in 1987 and served as its clinical director for 10 years. Following that endeavor, he initiated a community based ADRD program, the Shankle Clinic, in 1997 to deliver his medical knowledge to a broader community of patients and families.

As the director of the Memory and Cognitive Disorders program at Hoag Neurosciences Institute, Dr. Shankle works with and enables primary care physicians to identify and manage an individual’s risk factors for ADRD. Under Dr. Shankle’s guidance, the program also provides the support of a comprehensive triage and clinical research team, utilizing the most sensitive cognitive assessment tool to detect the first stage of mild cognitive decline leading to development of Alzheimer’s disease, and tailors the best possible prevention and treatment options for each individual.

He currently maintains his academic career at the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He also holds additional responsibilities as a member of the grant review committee for the National Alzheimer’s Association, and as a journal reviewer for ADRD related journals.

Dr. Shankle is a recipient of many research grants and awards including the Zenith Fellows Award from the Alzheimer’s Association that is given to those who have contributed significantly to the field of Alzheimer’s disease research. In addition, his findings on human brain development were reported by The New York Times to be one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 1990s. He is also a co-author of various neuroscience textbooks as well as “Preventing Alzheimer’s” (Putnam Press 2004/2007).

Dr. Shankle received his bachelor degree in Biology from Stanford University and his M.D. from Brown University. He trained as a statistician at the University of Southern California with postgraduate studies at Harvard. He completed his internship in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital, and his residency in neurology at LA County/USC Medical Center.