Joanne Norton, MSN, RN, PMHCNS-BC (retired), was the Genetic Studies Coordinator at the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (Knight ADRC), part of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Working within the Knight ADRC Genetics Core, Joanne focused on participant recruitment and data and sample coordination for family-based and genetic studies of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Her work included conducting in-person and phone assessments; organizing and maintaining biological samples collected from study participants; developing familial pedigrees and health histories; and coordinating the autopsy program. She was also the study coordinator for projects such as Washington University’s Biobank Project, which collects and manages biospecimens for genetic and other research.

The Knight ADRC is one of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging. It plays a major role in genetic and multi-omic research, which combines genetic information with other molecular data to better understand the risk factors and biological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Over decades, its Genetics and High-Throughput Omics (GHTO) Core has collected tens of thousands of DNA, RNA, plasma, and other samples, supporting large-scale analyses aimed at identifying risk and protective genetic variants and biomarkers.

Joanne is also a contributing author on peer-reviewed genetic studies of Alzheimer’s disease from Washington University, including a 2018 publication on the discovery and validation of autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease mutations through large family-based studies.