By Meghan McCarthy
The Penn Memory Center (PMC) is dedicated to training the next generation of clinicians and researchers. Central to this mission is the Clark Scholars Program, designed to encourage and guide early career researchers as they study Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, cognitive aging, and lifelong brain health.
This year, PMC welcomes Hannah Cho, MSN, RN, ACHPN, who will join the 2024-2025 class of clinician scientists. Three Clark Scholars are continuing in the program for additional training and research development including Christopher Brown, MD, PhD; Catherine Noirse, MD, MTR; and Ellen Munsterman, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC.
A unique background, Cho is a nurse practitioner who specializes in geriatric medicine and palliative care. Currently, she is a doctoral student in the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. She strives to become a nurse scientist focused on improving the quality of life for people living with dementia and their family members.
In the next year, Cho will research digital literacy within caregivers of dementia patients. Specifically, she plans to interview caregivers of hospice patients to learn the best technological approaches for making dementia resources and support accessible.
“Some people are very familiar with using computers and Zoom to get access to social support and medical information,” Cho said. “Others do not have access to internet. There is a digital divide.”
Cho’s project inspiration comes from direct experiences with caregivers and families in the field.
“Every question of mine comes from what I see in my clinical setting and what caregivers tell me,” Cho said. “As a PhD candidate, my goal is to develop policy care intervention for dementia patients and help caregivers.”
While her research as a Clark Scholar will focus on the role of digital accessibility, Cho’s work as a PhD candidate focuses on interventions that promote coping strategies in hospice patients.
Cho’s family background ignited her passion for this work.
After providing care for her grandmother with dementia, Cho understood the impact of dementia on families and caregivers. She also looks forward to incorporating her background as a Korean immigrant into this work.
“There are many diverse populations for which this work is applicable,” Cho said. “But there are many Korean immigrants like me, who could become a part of the PMC group. I hope I can advocate for Korean Americans in the United States because they are affected by this measure, too.”
Ultimately, Cho is excited to combine her academic and clinical experiences in her research as a Clark Scholar. She looks forward to being mentored and helping people and their families with dementia, hoping to find her future direction as a nurse scientist while at PMC.
Named after Christopher M. Clark, MD, PMC’s founding director and a pioneer in dementia research, the program honors his contributions to Alzheimer’s research. Among his many accomplishments were his role in the team that demonstrated the ability of a florbetapir PET scan to detect brain deposits of beta-amyloid, his co-development of the Dementia Severity Rating Scale, and contributions to the development of therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.
“We seek to nurture and support the best minds and to instill in them the virtues Chris lived,” Jason Karlawish, MD, PMC co-director, said. “He understood the value of listening, tolerance, and a consistent and unwavering commitment to professional ethics.”
Hannah Cho, MSN is a doctoral student in the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests are palliative care and geriatric care. Her goal is to become a nurse scientist who can increase quality of life for people living with dementia and their family members. She worked as a nurse practitioner in different settings like long-term facilities and in-patient community hospitals. Before returning to the PhD program, she worked as a palliative care NP, where she encountered many challenging cases with older adults with a serious illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania.