Emily Paolillo, PhD
Assistant Professor
Neurology
School of Medicine

Emily Paolillo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and neuropsychologist at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. She obtained her PhD degree in Clinical Psychology (emphasis in Neuropsychology) from the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in 2021, which included a predoctoral clinical internship at VA Palo Alto Health Care System.

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Her program of research focuses on advancing real-world assessment of cognitive and everyday functioning in older adults in naturalistic settings, with the goal of improving early and sensitive detection of change in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. This work often involves the development and validation of digital health tools.

Education & Training

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• PhD Clinical Psychology SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology 08/2021
• BS Psychology CUNY Brooklyn College 06/2014

Grants and Projects

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• Passive digital phenotyping for capturing real-world neurobehavior in neurodegenerative disease, NIH, 2024-2029
• Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Improve Self-Reported Cognitive Functioning among Adults with Comorbid HIV/AIDS and Heavy Alcohol Use, NIH, 2018-2020

Publications (63)

Top publication keywords:
Amphetamine-Related DisordersExecutive FunctionCerebrovascular DisordersCognitive DysfunctionAlcoholismNeuropsychological TestsSmartphoneFrontotemporal DementiaNeurocognitive DisordersCognitionActigraphyBinge DrinkingEcological Momentary AssessmentHIV InfectionsFrailty

• Brain aging rejuvenation factors in adults with genetic and sporadic neurodegenerative disease.
  Brain communications 2025 Casaletto KB, Saloner R, Kornak J, Staffaroni AM, Villeda S, Paolillo E, VandeBunte AM, Cadwallader CJ, Lario Lago A, Webb J, Chen C, Rascovsky K, Miyagawa T, Ramos EM, Masdeu JC, Pantelyat A, …
• Feasibility and psychometric quality of smartphone administered cognitive ecological momentary assessments in women with metastatic breast cancer.
  Digital health 2025 Henneghan AM, Paolillo EW, Van Dyk KM, Franco-Rocha OY, Bang S, Tasker R, Kaufmann T, Haywood D, Hart NH, Moore RC
• Characterizing Performance on a Suite of English-Language NeuroUX Mobile Cognitive Tests in a US Adult Sample: Ecological Momentary Cognitive Testing Study.
  Journal of medical Internet research 2024 Paolillo EW, Bomyea J, Depp CA, Henneghan AM, Raj A, Moore RC
• Characterizing cancer-related cognitive impairments and impact on quality of life in women with metastatic breast cancer.
  Breast cancer research and treatment 2024 Henneghan AM, Van Dyk KM, Haywood D, Patel M, Franco-Rocha OY, Bang S, Longley T, Tasker R, Kaufmann T, Paolillo EW, Moore RC, Hart NH
• Better cardiovascular health is associated with slowed clinical progression in autosomal dominant frontotemporal lobar degeneration variant carriers.
  Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association 2024 VandeBunte AM, Lee H, Paolillo EW, Hsiung GR, Staffaroni AM, Saloner R, Tartaglia C, Yaffe K, Knopman DS, Ramos EM, Rascovsky K, Bozoki AC, Wong B, Domoto-Reilly K, Snyder A, Pressman P, Mendez MF, …

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• Predicting brain atrophy and cognitive aging trajectories with baseline subjective cognitive concerns in cognitively normal older adults.
  Neurobiology of aging 2024 You M, Lindbergh CA, La Joie R, Paolillo EW, Saloner R, Diaz V, Cotter DL, Walters S, Altendahl M, Staffaroni AM, Kramer JH, Gaynor LS, Casaletto KB
• Examining Associations Between Smartphone Use and Clinical Severity in Frontotemporal Dementia: Proof-of-Concept Study.
  JMIR aging 2024 Paolillo EW, Casaletto KB, Clark AL, Taylor JC, Heuer HW, Wise AB, Dhanam S, Sanderson-Cimino M, Saloner R, Kramer JH, Kornak J, Kremers W, Forsberg L, Appleby B, Bayram E, Bozoki A, Brushaber D, …
• Associations of cerebrovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease pathology with cognitive decline: Analysis of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set.
  Neurobiology of aging 2024 Chatterjee A, Lee S, Diaz V, Saloner R, Sanderson-Cimino M, deCarli C, Maillard P, Hinman J, Vossel K, Casaletto KB, Staffaroni AM, Paolillo EW, Kramer JH
• Large-scale network analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid proteome identifies molecular signatures of frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
  Research square 2024 Saloner R, Staffaroni A, Dammer E, Johnson ECB, Paolillo E, Wise A, Heuer H, Forsberg L, Lago AL, Webb J, Vogel J, Santillo A, Hansson O, Kramer J, Miller B, Li J, Loureiro J, Sivasankaran R, …
• Neuropsychiatric Profiles and Cerebral Amyloid Burden in Adults without Dementia.
  Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders 2024 Gontrum EQ, Paolillo EW, Lee S, Diaz V, Ehrenberg A, Saloner R, Mundada NS, La Joie R, Rabinovici G, Kramer JH, Casaletto KB
• Multimodal lifestyle engagement patterns support cognitive stability beyond neuropathological burden.
  Alzheimer's research & therapy 2023 Paolillo EW, Saloner R, VandeBunte A, Lee S, Bennett DA, Casaletto KB
• The clinical utility of three frailty measures in identifying HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.
  AIDS (London, England) 2023 Moore DJ, Sun-Suslow N, Nichol AA, Paolillo EW, Saloner R, Letendre SL, Iudicello J, Morgan EE
• Plasma phosphorylated tau-217 exhibits sex-specific prognostication of cognitive decline and brain atrophy in cognitively unimpaired adults.
  Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association 2023 Saloner R, VandeVrede L, Asken BM, Paolillo EW, Gontrum EQ, Wolf A, Lario-Lago A, Milà-Alomà M, Triana-Baltzer G, Kolb HC, Dubal DB, Rabinovici GD, Miller BL, Boxer AL, Casaletto KB, Kramer JH
• Assessing cancer-related cognitive function in the context of everyday life using ecological mobile cognitive testing: A protocol for a prospective quantitative study.
  Digital health 2023 Henneghan AM, Van Dyk KM, Ackerman RA, Paolillo EW, Moore RC
• Moderating role of physical activity on hippocampal iron deposition and memory outcomes in typically aging older adults.
  Neurobiology of aging 2023 Lee SY, Paolillo EW, Saloner R, Cobigo Y, Diaz VE, Gontrum EQ, VandeBunte A, Chatterjee A, Tucker M, Kramer JH, Casaletto KB
• Data-driven physical actigraphy patterns relate to cognitive and vascular health in older adults.
  Experimental gerontology 2023 Paolillo EW, Lee SY, VandeBunte A, Saloner R, Gaynor LS, Djukic N, Tsuei T, Cobigo Y, Kramer JH, Casaletto KB
• Neuropsychiatric predictors of cognitive functioning over a one-year follow-up period in HIV.
  Journal of affective disorders 2023 Sundermann EE, Tang B, Kim M, Paolillo EW, Heaton RK, Moore RC
• A longitudinal study of cannabis use and risk for cognitive and functional decline among older adults with HIV.
  AIDS and behavior 2023 Watson CW, Sundermann E, Helm J, Paolillo EW, Hong S, Ellis RJ, Letendre S, Marcotte TD, Heaton RK, Morgan EE, Grant I
• Remote Digital Technologies for the Early Detection and Monitoring of Cognitive Decline in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Insights From Studies of Neurodegenerative Diseases.
  Journal of diabetes science and technology 2023 DuBord AY, Paolillo EW, Staffaroni AM
• Sex-specific effects of SNAP-25 genotype on verbal memory and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in clinically normal older adults.
  Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association 2023 Saloner R, Paolillo EW, Wojta KJ, Fonseca C, Gontrum EQ, Lario-Lago A, Rabinovici GD, Yokoyama JS, Rexach JE, Kramer JH, Casaletto KB
• Regional Vulnerability of the Corpus Callosum in the Context of Cardiovascular Risk.
  Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology 2023 VandeBunte AM, Fonseca C, Paolillo EW, Gontrum E, Lee SY, Kramer JH, Casaletto KB
• Impact of PTSD and Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Cognition in Older Adult Veterans.
  Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology 2023 Noland MDW, Paolillo EW, Noda A, Lazzeroni LC, Holty JC, Kuschner WG, Yesavage J, Kinoshita LM
• Association of Physical Activity With Neurofilament Light Chain Trajectories in Autosomal Dominant Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Variant Carriers.
  JAMA neurology 2023 Casaletto KB, Kornack J, Paolillo EW, Rojas JC, VandeBunte A, Staffaroni AS, Lee S, Heuer H, Forsberg L, Ramos EM, Miller BL, Kramer JH, Yaffe K, Petrucelli L, Boxer A, Boeve B, Gendron TF, Rosen H, …
• Sex Differences in the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Cognitive Trajectories.
  The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry 2022 Paolillo EW, You M, Gontrum E, Saloner R, Gaynor LS, Kramer JH, Casaletto KB
• Combined Effects of Synaptic and Axonal Integrity on Longitudinal Gray Matter Atrophy in Cognitively Unimpaired Adults.
  Neurology 2022 Saloner R, Fonseca C, Paolillo EW, Asken BM, Djukic NA, Lee S, Nilsson J, Brinkmalm A, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Kramer JH, Casaletto KB
• Cognitive and Physiologic Reserve Independently Relate to Superior Neurocognitive Abilities in Adults Aging With HIV.
  Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2022 Saloner R, Lobo JD, Paolillo EW, Campbell LM, Letendre SL, Cherner M, Grant I, Heaton RK, Ellis RJ, Moore DJ, CHARTER Study Group
• Initial Psychometric Properties of 7 NeuroUX Remote Ecological Momentary Cognitive Tests Among People With Bipolar Disorder: Validation Study.
  Journal of medical Internet research 2022 Moore RC, Parrish EM, Van Patten R, Paolillo E, Filip TF, Bomyea J, Lomas D, Twamley EW, Eyler LT, Depp CA
• Wearable Use in an Observational Study Among Older Adults: Adherence, Feasibility, and Effects of Clinicodemographic Factors.
  Frontiers in digital health 2022 Paolillo EW, Lee SY, VandeBunte A, Djukic N, Fonseca C, Kramer JH, Casaletto KB
• Higher Comorbidity Burden Predicts Worsening Neurocognitive Trajectories in People with Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
  Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2022 Ellis RJ, Paolillo E, Saloner R, Heaton RK
• Social Contact Frequency and Pain among Older Adults with HIV: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.
  Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine 2022 Herbert MS, Wooldridge JS, Paolillo EW, Depp CA, Moore RC
• Identification of Youthful Neurocognitive Trajectories in Adults Aging with HIV: A Latent Growth Mixture Model.
  AIDS and behavior 2021 Saloner R, Lobo JD, Paolillo EW, Campbell LM, Letendre SL, Cherner M, Grant I, Heaton RK, Ellis RJ, Roesch SC, Moore DJ, CHARTER Study Group
• Relationships between daily mood states and real-time cognitive performance in individuals with bipolar disorder and healthy comparators: A remote ambulatory assessment study.
  Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology 2021 Bomyea JA, Parrish EM, Paolillo EW, Filip TF, Eyler LT, Depp CA, Moore RC
• Use of digital health technologies to examine subjective and objective sleep with next-day cognition and daily indicators of health in persons with and without HIV.
  Journal of behavioral medicine 2021 Sun-Suslow N, Campbell LM, Tang B, Fisher AC, Lee E, Paolillo EW, Heaton A, Moore RC
• Binge Drinking Relates to Worse Neurocognitive Functioning Among Adults Aging with HIV.
  Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS 2021 Paolillo EW, Saloner R, Kohli M, Watson CW, Moore RC, Heaton RK, Moore DJ
• Chronically elevated depressive symptoms interact with acute increases in inflammation to predict worse neurocognition among people with HIV.
  Journal of neurovirology 2021 Saloner R, Paolillo EW, Heaton RK, Grelotti DJ, Stein MB, Miller AH, Atkinson JH, Letendre SL, Ellis RJ, Grant I, Iudicello JE, Moore DJ
• Increased Social Interactions Reduce the Association Between Constricted Life-Space and Lower Daily Happiness in Older Adults With and Without HIV: A GPS and Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.
  The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry 2020 Kamalyan L, Yang JA, Pope CN, Paolillo EW, Campbell LM, Tang B, Marquine MJ, Depp CA, Moore RC
• Validation of the mobile verbal learning test: Illustration of its use for age and disease-related cognitive deficits.
  International journal of methods in psychiatric research 2020 Moore RC, Paolillo EW, Sundermann EE, Campbell LM, Delgadillo J, Heaton A, Swendsen J, Depp CA
• Daily Activities Related to Mobile Cognitive Performance in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: An Ecological Momentary Cognitive Assessment Study.
  JMIR mHealth and uHealth 2020 Campbell LM, Paolillo EW, Heaton A, Tang B, Depp CA, Granholm E, Heaton RK, Swendsen J, Moore DJ, Moore RC
• Lower CSF homovanillic acid relates to higher burden of neuroinflammation and depression in people with HIV disease.
  Brain, behavior, and immunity 2020 Saloner R, Cherner M, Grelotti DJ, Paolillo EW, Moore DJ, Heaton RK, Letendre SL, Kumar A, Grant I, Ellis RJ
• Brief Report: Frailty and HIV Disease Severity Synergistically Increase Risk of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders.
  Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2020 Sun-Suslow N, Paolillo EW, Morgan EE, Letendre S, Iudicello J, Moore DJ
• Cumulative Burden of Depression and Neurocognitive Decline Among Persons With HIV: A Longitudinal Study.
  Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2020 Paolillo EW, Pasipanodya EC, Moore RC, Pence BW, Atkinson JH, Grelotti DJ, Grant I, Heaton RK, Moore DJ
• Informing Informed Consent for HIV Research.
  Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE 2020 Campbell LM, Paolillo EW, Bryan R, Marquie-Beck J, Moore DJ, Nebeker C, Moore RC
• The Effects of Low-Risk Drinking on Neurocognition Among Older Persons Living With HIV as Compared to Those Without HIV.
  Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research 2020 Kohli M, Paolillo EW, Saloner R, Umlauf A, Ellis R, Moore DJ
• Smartphone-Based Measurement of Executive Function in Older Adults with and without HIV.
  Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists 2020 Moore RC, Campbell LM, Delgadillo JD, Paolillo EW, Sundermann EE, Holden J, Schweitzer P, Heaton RK, Swendsen J
• Genetic variation in alcohol dehydrogenase is associated with neurocognition in men with HIV and history of alcohol use disorder: preliminary findings.
  Journal of neurovirology 2020 Saloner R, Paolillo EW, Kohli M, Murray SS, Moore DJ, Grant I, Cherner M
• Cannabis Exposure is Associated With a Lower Likelihood of Neurocognitive Impairment in People Living With HIV.
  Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2020 Watson CW, Paolillo EW, Morgan EE, Umlauf A, Sundermann EE, Ellis RJ, Letendre S, Marcotte TD, Heaton RK, Grant I
• Pre-frailty predicts cognitive decline at 2-year follow-up in persons living with HIV.
  Journal of neurovirology 2019 Paolillo EW, Sun-Suslow N, Pasipanodya EC, Morgan EE, Ellis RJ, Jeste DV, Moore DJ
• Frailty in Comorbid HIV and Lifetime Methamphetamine Use Disorder: Associations with Neurocognitive and Everyday Functioning.
  AIDS research and human retroviruses 2019 Paolillo EW, Saloner R, Montoya JL, Campbell LM, Pasipanodya EC, Iudicello JE, Moore RC, Letendre SL, Jeste DV, Moore DJ
• Conditional Effects of Lifetime Alcohol Consumption on Methamphetamine-Associated Neurocognitive Performance.
  Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS 2019 Saloner R, Paolillo EW, Umlauf A, Moore DJ, Heaton RK, Grant I, Cherner M, TMARC Group
• Neurocognitive SuperAging in Older Adults Living With HIV: Demographic, Neuromedical and Everyday Functioning Correlates.
  Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS 2019 Saloner R, Campbell LM, Serrano V, Montoya JL, Pasipanodya E, Paolillo EW, Franklin D, Ellis RJ, Letendre SL, Collier AC, Clifford DB, Gelman BB, Marra CM, McCutchan JA, Morgello S, Sacktor N, Jeste …
• Depression and aging with HIV: Associations with health-related quality of life and positive psychological factors.
  Journal of affective disorders 2019 Rooney AS, Moore RC, Paolillo EW, Gouaux B, Umlauf A, Letendre SL, Jeste DV, Moore DJ, HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program
• Age of Last Alcohol Use Disorder Relates to Processing Speed Among Older Adults Living with HIV.
  Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) 2019 Paolillo EW, Inkelis SM, Heaton A, Saloner R, Moore RC, Moore DJ
• Inflammation Relates to Poorer Complex Motor Performance Among Adults Living With HIV on Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy.
  Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2019 Montoya JL, Campbell LM, Paolillo EW, Ellis RJ, Letendre SL, Jeste DV, Moore DJ
• Sex differences in HIV-associated cognitive impairment.
  AIDS (London, England) 2018 Sundermann EE, Heaton RK, Pasipanodya E, Moore RC, Paolillo EW, Rubin LH, Ellis R, Moore DJ, HNRP Group
• Neurocognitive functioning predicts frailty index in HIV.
  Neurology 2018 Oppenheim H, Paolillo EW, Moore RC, Ellis RJ, Letendre SL, Jeste DV, Grant I, Moore DJ, HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP)
• Temporal Associations Between Social Activity and Mood, Fatigue, and Pain in Older Adults With HIV: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.
  JMIR mental health 2018 Paolillo EW, Tang B, Depp CA, Rooney AS, Vaida F, Kaufmann CN, Mausbach BT, Moore DJ, Moore RC
• NIH Toolbox® Emotion Batteries for Children: Factor-Based Composites and Norms.
  Assessment 2018 Paolillo EW, McKenna BS, Nowinski CJ, Thomas ML, Malcarne VL, Heaton RK
• Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of alcohol and cannabis use in older adults with and without HIV infection.
  Addictive behaviors 2017 Paolillo EW, Obermeit LC, Tang B, Depp CA, Vaida F, Moore DJ, Moore RC
• Clinical utility of the UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment-Brief (UPSA-B) in adults living with HIV: Associations with neuropsychological impairment and patient-reported everyday functioning difficulties.
  PloS one 2017 Moore RC, Paolillo EW, Heaton A, Fazeli PL, Jeste DV, Moore DJ
• At-Risk Alcohol Use is Associated with Antiretroviral Treatment Nonadherence Among Adults Living with HIV/AIDS.
  Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research 2017 Paolillo EW, Gongvatana A, Umlauf A, Letendre SL, Moore DJ
• Screening for neurocognitive impairment in HIV-positive adults aged 50 years and older: Montreal Cognitive Assessment relates to self-reported and clinician-rated everyday functioning.
  Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology 2017 Fazeli PL, Casaletto KB, Paolillo E, Moore RC, Moore DJ
• Stability in Test-Usage Practices of Clinical Neuropsychologists in the United States and Canada Over a 10-Year Period: A Follow-Up Survey of INS and NAN Members.
  Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists 2016 Rabin LA, Paolillo E, Barr WB
• Human cystic echinococcosis in a Uruguayan community: a sonographic, serologic, and epidemiologic study.
  The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 1998 Cohen H, Paolillo E, Bonifacino R, Botta B, Parada L, Cabrera P, Snowden K, Gasser R, Tessier R, Dibarboure L, Wen H, Allan JC, Soto de Alfaro H, Rogan MT, Craig PS