An Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
By Cait Kearney
Penn Memory Center (PMC) researcher Shana Stites, PsyD, MA, MS, was elected Vice Chair of the Alzheimer’s Association ISTAART Diversity and Disparities Professional Interest Area (PIA).
“I am honored and excited to be voted in as the PIA’s Vice Chair for the upcoming term,” said Dr. Stites.
In a blunt rejection of current norms, two leaders of biomarker disclosure research argue research participants should have the opportunity to know whether they have biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. Biomarkers, or biological indicators of a disease, are essential to the study and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and other diseases that cause dementia.
Clinicians use imaging such as MRI and PET scans to measure biomarkers and make accurate diagnoses. Blood tests are fast becoming available, and allow researchers to develop targeted drug therapies.
In both clinical care and research, biomarker results are infrequently disclosed.
Biomarker use is limited as insurers typically do not cover these scans in clinical care and researchers typically do not return results.
Alison Lynn, MSW, LCSW, has been promoted to Director of Social Work at the Penn Memory Center (PMC).
As director, Lynn will continue to support individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) and their family unit throughout disease progression.
Alison Lynn
“We want patients and caregivers to feel as though they have a safety net beneath them of someone who believes in them and can provide the tools they need to start this new part of their life,” said Lynn.
The social work team at PMC has grown exponentially in the past few years and is working on providing more inclusive and diverse programming.
As director, Lynn plans to continue expanding programming which is inclusive to people of different socioeconomic, racial, and religious backgrounds.
“Often, educational resources are geared towards white upper-class individuals. Our team wants to start focusing on initiatives which celebrate different kinds of people, families, and relationships,” said Lynn.
PMC Executive Director Felicia Greenfield, MSW, LCSW, is thrilled for Lynn as she embarks on this next chapter.
“This promotion is richly deserved. As director of social work, Alison will continue to oversee PMC’s novel and high-quality care programs,” said Greenfield. “She brings compassion and excellence to all she does, and I am grateful to Alison for her contributions.”
Nicole Nissim
Editor’s Note: Nicole Nissim, PhD, is a 2021 Christopher M. Clark Scholar. She accepted a new position at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and PMC is excited to highlight Dr. Nissim’s journey and contribution.
The human brain is like a football team, made up of complex parts that serve different functions for a common goal.
In this analogy, neuroplasticity is a sense of teamwork: if one “player” is injured, others adapt from their prior functions to better serve the team.
This concept of neuroplasticity was introduced to Nicole Nissim, PhD, during her undergraduate career at the University of Florida. After taking a physiological psychology course, she was inspired.
“I was really fascinated by neuroplasticity, the fact that it naturally occurs, and that there are ways to improve it,” said Dr. Nissim.
Neuroplasticity is particularly important for individuals with brain damage, which can result from short-term events such as having a stroke to long-term disease such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
By Sharnita Midgett
How do the things we’ve experienced in our past impact tomorrow? Social and structural determinants of health (SSDoH) are the conditions—such as where we live, play, worship, study, grow up, and age—which can impact health later in life.
PMC researchers Shana Stites, PsyD, MA, MS, Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton, PhD, ABPP/CN, Sharnita Midgett, MPH, and PMC Co-Directors David Wolk, MD, and Jason Karlawish, MD, and researchers at fellow Alzheimer Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) are studying how SSDoH impact our brain health as we age. In a recent paper published in the Gerontologist, the group proposed a framework for how dementia researchers could collect information about SSDoH from research participants.
SSDoH include factors like neighborhood environment, early childhood experiences, education, access to social support, parental background, socioeconomic status, early life stressors, and religion
By Cait Kearney
Sharnita Midgett
Outreach Coordinator Sharnita Midgett, MPH, is moving on from the Penn Memory Center (PMC) to pursue a doctorate of education in health literacy at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
Midgett has played an essential role in PMC’s efforts to recruit and retain research participants and to provide brain health education to the public. She regularly represented PMC at health fairs, provided healthy brain aging talks to local communities, and devised strategies to increase the diversity of participants in PMC’s research studies.
Of everything Midgett accomplished during her time at PMC, she said she is most proud of her work building official partnerships with West/Southwest Philadelphia community leaders.
“Working with [PMC community partners] helped me grow not just in my job, but also as a person,” said Midgett. “Being surrounded by other Black leaders who also believe in the same cause that I do was really helpful and inspiring to me.”
Alison Lynn, MSW, LCSW, associate director of social work at the Penn Memory Center (PMC), wrote a 2-part series on how to begin psychotherapy and the benefits of psychotherapy for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their family caregivers. As part of the series, Alison collected questions from the PMC community about psychotherapy. Here are Alison’s answers to your questions:
By Alison Lynn, PMC associate director of social work
However, on the inside, Stephanie vacillated between feeling empty and overwhelmed with emotion. If she ate a meal at all, she had leftovers while standing over the sink. She canceled her own medical check-ups and her gym membership. When she lost her temper with her husband, she internally berated herself for being a bad caregiver.
Summer Self-Care Series: Mindfulness and Meditation Practices for Personal Well-Being
May 17, June 21, July date TBD, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
At this 3-part series, learn techniques of meditation and mindfulness to promote well-being and engage in meaningful group discussions. All are welcome, but this program is best-suited for those who have some experience with meditation.
