Michael Sonson, MD, is no stranger to Hawaii, having been born and raised in Central Oahu.  His journey with Hawaii Pacific Neuroscience (HPN) began following his graduation from college in 2015 with the BRAIN (Bridging Research and Innovation in Neuroscience) with a focus on Alzheimer’s research. Following the internship he joined the team full time first at patient check-in, then to the research staff as a coordinator for the Memory & Alzheimer’s Research Institute (MARI).    Dr. Sonson’s educational journey has been among the best of the best, attending institutions ranked among the best in the nation by US News and World Report. After working at HPN for 2 years, he was offered a full ride scholarship to attend NYU medical school, and following graduation he matched and completed his neurology residency at NYU Langone Health. Following a passion to make a difference in the lives of those suffering with Alzheimer’s, he pursued further education, completing a Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry Fellowship at Cedars-Sinai’s prestigious Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders in Los Angeles.

He is proud to return back in 2026 to give back; joining Hawaii’s first nationally designated ALZ-NET Alzheimer’s interdisciplinary team as director of the Memory & Alzheimer’s Research Institute (MARI), HPN focusing on the assessment and treatment of patients with neurodegenerative conditions as well as ground breaking Alzheimer’s disease research collaborating with national and international partners,  taking a role as a physician investigator in the same program where he began his journey as student intern over 10 years ago.