Dr. Guttmann completed his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Florida State University in 1991. He then earned his Ph.D. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Pharmacology in which his dissertation research focused on understanding the impact of oxidative stress on Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and then joined the faculty at the University of Kentucky in 2001 in the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. His research focused on calcium and thiol-mediated mechanisms of neurodegeneration. He also taught a wide variety of students across the University campus including nurses, social workers, dentists, and other post-graduate students. His lab was funded by multiple grants from NIA, NINDS and the American Heart Association. As a member of the Gerontology department at UK he was also director of graduate studies and the graduate certificate in gerontology.

Since 2011 Dr. Guttmann has been at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida and is currently Professor and Director of the UWF Center on Aging housed in the School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences. Using molecular techniques, current studies in his lab focus on biomarker development for use in both clinical and research applications with a major focus on Alzheimer’s disease. In collaboration with other researchers, his lab also seeks to develop peptide-based drugs in the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Developing Innovative Strategies for Successful Aging

The Focus of the University of West Florida Center on Aging (COA) is to:

• Build a superior collaboration of faculty, staff, students and community agencies who will together address important needs of aging and care of the elderly;
• Develop innovative strategies for successful aging to promote the health and well-being of older persons and their families; and
• Provide direct interface with the community, facilitating the application of the University's collective expertise to assist existing community health and social service agencies and organizations improve their programs, processes and services to aging baby boomers and their elders.