is an adult and geriatric neurologist with residency and fellowship training in neurology and geriatric medicine. After nearly 20 years as a faculty member in the UCLA Department of Neurology, she accepted an exciting new position with Providence, a Catholic healthcare system, to launch the Pacific Brain Health Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. PBHC is an interdisciplinary practice of neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, geriatricians, and physical therapists committed to novel approaches designed to address many neurocognitive disorders, including dementia. This includes a focus on prevention, minimizing the impact of the disease during its early stages, and management of its medical and psychosocial effects. She is particularly interested in the intersection between neurodegenerative conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease) and faith, and how individuals can find value, as God’s beloved creation, above and beyond their cognitive and physical limitations. She holds board certification in Adult Neurology with subspecialty certification in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry. She is also distinguished as a Fellow of the American Neurological Association (FANA) and is a Professor of Translational Neurosciences and Neurotherapeutics at Saint John’s Research Institute. Dr. Porter is married to CTHC alumnus and current Master of Divinity student, Dr. William Buxton, and the two have worked together since training. They have three adult sons and reside in Santa Monica, CA, where they are members of First United Methodist Church.
