Home » News Update – April 15

    News Update – April 15

    Good News and Kudos

    Duke medical student, Justin Ma, BS, and the multidisciplinary iMIND team published, “Longitudinal analysis of the retina and choroid in cognitively normal individuals at higher risk for Alzheimer disease” in Ophthalmology Retina, March 2022.
    Authors: Ma JP, Robbins CB, Lee JM, Soundararajan S, Stinnett SS, Agrawal R, Plassman BL, Lad EM, Whitson H, Grewal DS, Fekrat S.

    Duke ophthalmology resident, Cason Robbins, MD, and the iMIND team published “Assessment of retinal microvascular alterations in individuals with amnestic and non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment using optical coherence tomography angiography” in Retina, February 2022.
    Authors: Robbins CB, Akrobetu D, Ma JP, Stinnett SS, Soundararajan S, Liu AJ, Johnson KG, Grewal DS, Fekrat S.

    ADRC member and retina surgeon, Sharon Fekrat, MD, was a keynote speaker in March 2022 at the Research to Prevent Blindness’ 2022 Vision Research Funding Partnership meeting in Washington, DC where she shared the exciting artificial intelligence work of Duke iMIND’s multidisciplinary group to differentiate individuals with symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease from those with normal cognition using retinal images.


    Postdoc Opportunities

    ADRC Biomarker Core Assoc. Leader, Dr. Miles Berger, is recruiting a translational neuroscience postdocLearn more >

    The Biology of Aging and Age-Related Diseases T32 Training Grant program, located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is looking to fill a postdoc slot as early as July 1, 2022. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact Sara Seton at sseton@medicine.wisc.edu for more information.


    Meet the ADRC Staff!
    A continuing series to introduce members of our ADRC

    Rachel Dewees
    Project Coordinator, Outreach Recruitment and Engagement Core

    Rachel is a graduate of Syracuse University with a Master of Social Work degree. Her experience in human services has spanned 30 years and includes work with people of all ages, but much of her practice and education has focused on older adults, most recently directing a community center at the University of Michigan Geriatrics Center. She is passionate about maximizing wellbeing and independence among older adults through access to information, community resources and social connectedness. Rachel is the Operational Coordinator of the NC Registry for Brain Health.


    Scott Davis
    Analyst Programmer, Outreach Recruitment and Engagement Core

    Scott Davis graduated from Duke University in 2012 with a degree in neuroscience. He began working within research at Duke shortly thereafter. His roles have shifted over time, ranging from recruitment and interviewing of research participants, analysis of neuroimaging data, and now on data management and database/application development.

    Outside of work, Scott enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, Meghan, and their two cats, Wolfie and Daisy. Some might say he is obsessed with golf, and others would wonder why his handicap remains so high despite this fact.


    Reverend Henry L. Edmonds, MEd.
    Program Coordinator, Outreach Recruitment and Engagement Core
    and the NC Registry for Brain Health

    With a background of civil rights demonstrations on behalf of those who have been marginalized by poverty, oppression, and injustice, Reverend Edmonds has been working since 2002 to eliminate barriers and health disparities leading to desperate treatment of people of color.


    Latorius Adams, MS
    Social/Clinical Research Coordinator, Outreach Recruitment and Engagement Core

    Latorius Adams is a graduate of North Carolina Central University with a degree in public health education. After attending Western Carolina University for graduate school, she developed an interest in cognitive disorders research. Latorius has a passion and dedication for working with older adults. Her professional interests include providing education and outreach to the local community regarding diagnosis, treatment and prevention of dementia.

    In her free time, Latorius enjoys reading and spending lots of time with her amazing daughter Mallory. They both love to visit museums and listen to music. Latorius is proud to be a part of the ADRC and promote public awareness of brain health.


    Events

    The North Carolina Diabetes Research Center will present the Alzheimer’s Disease and Diabetes Symposium (online) on May 10 from 8:30 am – 12 pm. A Duke-UNC ADRC panel discussion will include co-directors, Heather Whitson, MD, and Gwenn Garden, MD, as panelists and Suzanne Craft, PhD, from the Wake Forest ADRC as the moderator. Agenda | Register >

    ADRC member, Kimberly Johnson, MD, will present “Embedding Health Equity in a Cluster Randomized Trial of an Advance Care Planning Intervention” during grand rounds for the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory on April 21 at 12pm ET. Learn more >


     Calendar

    April 21, 6 – 7:30pm

    UNC neurologist, Heidi Roth, MD, (Clinical Core) will present “Understanding Frontotemporal Dementia and Primary Progressive Aphasias” as part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Under the Dementia Umbrella series . Register >

     

    April 26, 1 – 2pm

    Duke-UNC ADRC All Hands Meeting for faculty and staff.

     

    May 3
    Deadline for SLAM-DUNC abstract submissions. Learn more >