Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D.
President of Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation

Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., was born in Ohio and was raised in Florida. Since 1993, he has been the President and  Director of the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation in Tucson, Arizona, the original voice in the integrative or holistic approach to Alzheimer’s prevention.  The ARPF is dedicated to fighting Alzheimer’s  and finding a way through research and prevention.

Dr. Khalsa graduated from Creighton University School of Medicine in 1975, and received his postgraduate training in anesthesiology at the University of California, San Francisco where he was chief resident. As chief resident, he conducted highly acclaimed research on anesthesia for cardiac surgery and obstetrical anesthesiology. He is also a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles  Acupuncture for Physicians Program, and has studied mind/body studies at Harvard Medical School’s Mind/Body Med Institute. Dr. Khalsa is board certified in anesthesiology and pain management, and he is a diplomat of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Med.

In 1987, Dr. Khalsa established the first holistic pain program in the Southwestern United States at Lovelace Medi cal Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1990, he was recruited to become the founding director of the Acupuncture, Stress Med, and Chronic Pain Program at the University of Arizona, College of Me dicine’s teaching hospital in Phoenix. In this position, he became the first director of acupuncture in an American me dical school.

After founding the ARPF in 1993, he became the first physician to advocate a lifestyle approach to the prevention and treatm ent of memory loss, including Alzheimer’s. He is among the world’s leading authorities on integrative            m edicine, and has written extensively on a wide range of health and he al ing issues.

His book Brain Longevity (Warner Books, 1997) and Meditation as Medi cine (Simon & Schuster, 2001) are the original work of this kind to be written for the general public. Since then, Dr. Khalsa has been honored as a me dical pioneer by the integrative me dical establishment, the media, and the public many times over.

Dr. Khalsa has also authored six other books for the general public, as well as several med textbook chapters, including one for Harvard Med School and one for the University of Arizona, Huffington Post blogs, and health articles. He has been invited to share his work at workshops and seminars, as well as health field meetings, in the USA and around the world.

In May 2003, Dr. Khalsa was invited to testify before the Congress of the United States of America about his pioneering work in the area of lifestyle influence on Alzheimer’s, and called on Congress to fund a national education and outreach campaign designed to inform the public of the benefits of an integrative  approach to Alzheimer’s prevention.

At that time he also met with the U.S. Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Richard Carmona, M.D., M.P.H. At this meeting, Dr. Carmona stated: “Your work in the field of memory loss should now be considered mainstream.”

He spearheaded the groundbreaking research projects carried out by the Foundation since 2003. Dr. Khalsa and the ARPF continue to fund and support innovative research, including the FINGER study, the largest study in history on preventing Alzheimer’s through a lifestyle approach. Visit our Research page to see more about these studies.

In March 2015, Dr. Khalsa was appointed Clinical Associate Professor,  Geriatrics, and Integrative Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he continues innovative research work on behalf of the ARPF. He also serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Khalsa adopted the Sikh faith in 1981, and wears a distinguished full beard and white turban. Dr. Khalsa lives in Tucson, Arizona, and lectures worldwide.