Exploring the Impact of Physical Activity Guidelines on Reducing Mental Health Distress Among Caregivers of Dementia Patients (PDF)
Babatope A. Ogunjesa (University of Illinois)
Babatope, also commonly called “Kunle,” is a Doctoral researcher studying Community Health at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Illinois, USA. Passionate about empowering vulnerable groups, his research examines how socioeconomics, behaviors, and culture impact health. He focuses mainly on older adults and their unpaid caregivers. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Statistics and a master’s degree in Biostatistics. For his Ph.D. dissertation, Babatope is investigating the obstacles preventing family caregivers from utilizing respite care services. By identifying these barriers, he hopes to develop interventions that promote equitable resource access to support unpaid caregivers. Babatope has previously been honored with the Center on Health, Aging, and Disability (CHAD) travel award for his research work and has volunteered at the Cornerstone Family Health Center in Lisle, Chicago. He is a member of several prestigious organizations, including the American Public Health Association, the Gerontological Society of America, and the Canadian Geriatrics Society. After graduation, Babatope intends to pursue a postdoctoral degree and build a career in academia. When he’s not immersed in academia, Babatope enjoys keeping up with current affairs and watching documentaries on travel, culture, and societies.
The Transcriptomic Cortical Alterations in Profound Hearing Loss (PDF)
Francis A.M. Manno (East Carolina University)
Dr. Francis A.M. Manno, DPhil, PhD, is a clinician-scientist in MRI Physics specializing in neuroimaging hearing loss across the lifetime in vulnerable patient groups. He is currently an assistant professor at East Carolina University in the Department of Physics. Dr. Manno leads or is Co-PI on several grants (DOD, NIH) that investigate three interrelated fields using MRI as the foundational technology for modeling human disease (hearing loss, environmental enrichment and Alzheimer’s Disease). Dr. Manno uses machine learning to develop structural-functional maps in rodent models to assess the lifelong impact of hearing loss or environmental change. In humans, he analyzes MRI to assess imaging defined phenotypes to identify factors influencing hearing loss severity and potential covariates such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.
Main Diseases and Underlying Mechanisms Contributing to the Geographical Disparity in Mortality among the Elderly (PDF)
Meishuo Ouyang (Duke University School of Medicine)
Meishuo Ouyang is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine. Her research interests include geographic disparities in the United States and their impact on disease, socioeconomic status, health behaviours, and potential opportunities for improvement. Her current research is focused on analyzing morbidity, multimorbidity, and mortality patterns in the leading (with the highest life expectancy) and lagging (with the lowest life expectancy) U.S. states using 5%-Medicare data; identify the differences between the leading and lagging states in individual-level clinic-related characteristics.
Disentangling the Interaction between Health Disparity Factors and Brain Function Fluctuations in Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia with an Explainable Deep Systems Biology Model (PDF)
Zhuoyu Shi (University of North Carolina)
Zhuoyu Shi is a senior undergraduate student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has a double major with double honors in Computer Science and Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. Most of her previous research focuses on computational neuroimaging with translational applications in understanding brain functions and detecting early biomarkers of neurological diseases.
Discovering gender Disparities in Cognitive Functions and their Association with Clinical and Demographic Factors in NIA Long Life Family Study (PDF)
Salil Koner (Duke University)
I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at the Duke University School of Medicine, after graduating from North Carolina University with a doctorate in Statistics. At Duke, I am privileged to be mentored by Professor Sheng Luo. My current research interest primarily aligns with developing novel inference and biomarker detection techniques for health disparities in elderly subjects, based on longitudinally collected cognitive function data stemming from randomized clinical trials, as well as observational studies, motivated by applications on Alzheimer’s and Movement Disorders diseases, and how to correlate them with more densely collected digital signatures.
Improving Diversity in a National Biomarker Study: The ADNI3 and Duke Experience (PDF)
Alisa Adhikari (Duke University School of Medicine)
Dr. Francis A.M. Manno, DPhil, PhD, is a clinician-scientist in MRI Physics specializing in neuroimaging hearing loss across the lifetime in vulnerable patient groups. He is currently an assistant professor at East Carolina University in the Department of Physics. Dr. Manno leads or is Co-PI on several grants (DOD, NIH) that investigate three interrelated fields using MRI as the foundational technology for modeling human disease (hearing loss, environmental enrichment and Alzheimer’s Disease). Dr. Manno uses machine learning to develop structural-functional maps in rodent models to assess the lifelong impact of hearing loss or environmental change. In humans, he analyzes MRI to assess imaging defined phenotypes to identify factors influencing hearing loss severity and potential covariates such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.
Challenges of Identifying People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia in Medicare Advantage Who Used Post-Acute Care (PDF)
Rashmita Basu (East Carolina University)
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. By training, I am a health economist. My research aims to improve the health and well-being of older adults, especially those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). My research interests include the delivery and financing of post acute care and long-term care services and support (LTSS) for the aging population, including those with ADRD. I am specifically interested in healthcare costs, financing (Medicare payment policies), and the use of informal and formal care services by people living with dementia and other disabilities. I am a REC Scholar at the Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center (ADRC). My REC Scholar project collects self-reported person-centered outcomes data that matter most to people living with ADRD and their caregivers. I believe this research will advance dementia care research by addressing the challenges of recruiting people with ADRD in healthcare and public health research and promoting person-centered care to people living with the disease.
