A New Era of Memory Research and Care

By: Shawn Yanan | November 02, 2026 | 11 min. read |

UHealth brings world-class memory care to North Miami, changing what’s possible for families facing an uncertain future.

Group photo of members of the Miller School's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, all making the U hand sign — Members of the Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Memory Disorders Clinic.

Key Takeaways

The Memory Disorders Clinic at UHealth SoLé Mia Medical Center brings specialized memory care closer to families in North Miami, Aventura and surrounding communities.
Services include comprehensive testing, blood-based biomarkers, neuroimaging, intravenous infusion treatments, personalized care plans and caregiver support.
The clinic’s connection to the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging gives patients access to research-informed care and opportunities to participate in clinical research.

Florencia Leyton first noticed changes in her memory and ability to concentrate about 10 years ago, after retiring from her job as a clinical assistant.

“I was noticing that, when I cooked, I forgot the condiments,” said Mrs. Leyton. “Things I used to remember naturally were hard to recollect, and I was more anxious.”

The turning point came when Florencia and Alonso Leyton, married 60 years, watched a video about Alzheimer’s disease and learned about the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Memory Disorders Clinic (MDC). Mrs. Leyton decided it was time to seek answers.

“It scared me to think about being confined to a place where I don’t recognize my husband, where I don’t know where I am, that I can’t recognize my kids,” she said.

The MDC diagnosed Mrs. Leyton with mild cognitive impairment. Comprehensive testing validated her concern. Brain imaging showed amyloid plaque buildup, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease that disrupts communication between nerve cells.

For the Leytons, the MDC has become a source of care, support and hope.

“They have a lot of empathy and are very caring,” said Mrs. Leyton. “I feel blessed with them.”

Alonso and Florencia Leyton pose together in a brightly lit indoor setting, with one person’s arm around the other’s shoulder. — Alonso and Florencia Leyton

World-Class Memory Care Closer to Home

Now, families in North Miami, Aventura and surrounding communities can find that same support closer to home at the clinic’s new location at UHealth SoLé Mia Medical Center. The expansion comes at a critical time. Miami-Dade County has one of the highest rates of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in the nation.

“We are bringing world-class memory care directly to the community, backed by the full weight of one of the nation’s leading academic medical institutions,” said Barbara Coffey, M.D., M.S., professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Miller School.

As the clinical arm of the Miller School’s Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging (CNSA), the Memory Disorders Clinic has served aging adults and their families for more than 35 years.

“Dementia care today is unrecognizable to when I started out in the field,” said memory disorders expert Elizabeth Crocco, M.D., the medical director of both the clinic and the CNSA as well as a professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Miller School. “Diagnostic advancements and more effective treatments have completely changed what we can do for patients.”

The SoLé Mia location makes these advances more accessible, bringing the full range of memory care services together under one roof, including blood-based biomarkers, neuroimaging and intravenous infusion treatments.

That includes new drug therapies for which Mrs. Leyton is now eligible, designed to slow cognitive and functional decline and modify the disease pathology in early Alzheimer’s disease.

Care That Sees the Whole Person

A diagnosis is only the beginning of the journey for patients and families confronting memory loss. The clinic’s multidisciplinary approach combines personalized care plans, caregiver support, research-backed programs and access to clinical trials.

An earlier diagnosis, Dr. Crocco noted, can open the door to treatments that slow the progression of dementia, while giving patients and families, like the Leytons, more time to plan, make informed decisions and receive the support they need.

Medical journalist Ileana Bravo, who emceed the opening celebration for the MDC at Solé Mia, echoed the Leytons’ appreciation for the care they receive.

Alonso Leyton, Amaya Vanis, Dr. Elizabeth Crocco and Florencia Leyton stand together in a bright medical center hallway, including two people wearing UHealth white coats. — Ileana Bravo (left) speaks with Dr. Elizabeth Croocco (middle) and Dr. Rosie Curiel Cid.

Her late mother, whom she called “a force of nature and my hero,” was treated at the clinic for vascular dementia more than 10 years ago.

“I can tell you what it meant to us to find people who helped us manage the fear and the uncertainty of the future,” said Bravo. “They don’t just see a diagnosis. They see the whole person.”

Where Care and Discovery Meet

As part of the CNSA, the clinic is connected to research pushing the field forward.

“Every patient who walks through our door has access to the latest care and the full force of nationally recognized science,” said David Loewenstein, Ph.D., director of the CNSA and multiple principal investigator of the 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), one of only 37 Alzheimer’s Disease Centers of Excellence in the nation.

UM researchers have pioneered novel cognitive stress tests designed to detect subtle changes in brain function associated with Alzheimer’s disease. They are also at the forefront of incorporating blood-based biomarkers and advanced brain imaging technologies to improve diagnostic accuracy and disease monitoring.

“The seamless integration of clinical care and research ensures that advances in science rapidly inform clinical practice while providing patients opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research,” said Rosie Curiel Cid, PsyD, scientific director of the CNSA and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Miller School.

The SoLé Mia clinic marks an important step toward that goal and a future of earlier answers and greater support for every family affected by memory loss.

“I know that my wife is happy coming here and that makes me happy,” Mr. Leyton said. “We’re always looking forward to coming to her visit at the MDC.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the new Memory Disorders Clinic location?

The new location is at UHealth SoLé Mia Medical Center, serving families in North Miami, Aventura and surrounding communities.

What services are available at the Memory Disorders Clinic?

The clinic brings together comprehensive testing, blood-based biomarkers, neuroimaging, intravenous infusion treatments, personalized care plans, caregiver support, research-backed programs and access to clinical trials.

How are memory care and research connected?

The clinic is the clinical arm of the Miller School’s Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging. That relationship allows advances in research to inform clinical practice while giving eligible patients opportunities to participate in research.