Dr. Sano is a professor of psychiatry and the director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She is also the director of Research and Development at the James J. Peters Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Dr. Sano is a neuropsychologist by training and has been involved in designing and conducting clinical trials for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment and other conditions of aging. She has been involved in maximizing research opportunities for diverse populations by developing translated outcomes, providing culturally specific normative data and reducing barriers to participation in research.

She participated in establishing a joint memory clinic with Mount Sinai and Nair Hospital in Mumbai, India. She has been a leader in dementia prevention trials and in understanding the cognitive effects of medical conditions including diabetes, kidney disease and head injury. Most recently, she has reported on remote assessment technologies in elderly populations.

She is globally recognized as evidenced by her current position as president of the International Psychogeriatric Association. She is also the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD).