Grants
FEDERAL:
Funding Agency: NIH/NIA
Grant Title: Identifying ADRD intervention targets by characterizing neurobiological mechanisms of social isolation, loneliness, and social environment using novel imaging, molecular markers, and machine learning.
Time period: August 2023-July 2027
Grant Role: Co-I
Brief Detail: The overarching hypothesis is that social isolation, loneliness, and social environment are distinct factors that alter brain biology and influence trajectories of healthy neurocognitive aging and ADRD vulnerability.
Funding Agency: NIH
Grant Title: Precursors of Stroke Incidence and Prognosis
Time period: August 2023- March 2028
Grant Role: Co-I
Brief Detail: This project seeks to leverage FHS data and resources to generate an understanding of PS-VCID trends and determinants, to collaborate with REGARDS and ARIC study investigators to develop and validate in bi-racial participants comprehensive PSVCID risk prediction tools (including incorporation of a measure of social determinant of health), to study the causal relations of obesity and dyslipidemia with PS-VCID, to explore repurposing of available drug treatments, and to inform prevention strategies and treatment targets for PS-VCID.
STATE:
Funding Agency: Texas Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders
Grant Title: Refining iADL Assessments for the Modern ADRD Clinical and Research Environment
Time period: January 2025-December 2026
Grant Role: Site PI
Brief Detail: A collaboration between two TARCC institutions, including the longitudinal Hispanic Cohort Study and the diversity inherent to TARCC sample, to evaluate how factors such as demographics, race/ethnicity and sex impact iADL ratings. The project will focus on understanding how technology impact the day to day functioning of those with ADRD. The project will provide important proof of concept data that can be used to pursue future multi-site studies on linking/equating functional status measures across broad cohorts in response to National Institutes of Aging requests for strategies that harmonize existing disparate data sets.
OTHER:
Funding Agency: South Texas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center - KL2
Grant Title: Moderating effect of Bilingualism on Tau PET and Cognitive Reserve
Time Period: July 2025-June 2027 (Award announced 2/20/2025)
Role: PI
Brief Description: The objective is to understand factors related to the promotion of cognitive reserve the context of the bilingual Hispanic community. The long-term goal of the project and subsequently developed research program is to inform and develop population based interventions to promote cognitive reserve in historically underserved populations. Our first hypothesis is that differential experiences with bilingualism such as acquiring a second language later in life versus earlier and how actively each language is used in a person’s life will moderate the relationship between tau PET imaging and cognitive functioning. This first aim will serve as proof of concept demonstrating that bilingualism does promote cognitive reserve and previous mixed findings are related to using mixed experiences with bilingualism. Our second hypothesis is that psychosocial experiences often associated with minoritized groups such as poor education quality, low socioeconomic status, and ethnic discrimination further moderate the relationship between bilingualism, cognitive reserve, and brain pathology.
Funding Agency: Texas Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders
Grant Title: Longitudinal Continuation of TARCC Hispanic Cohort
Time Period: September 2024- August 2026
Role: PI
Brief Description: Perform psychometric evaluations of current measures to ensure applicability with diverse samples, work with care partners to refine and understand the daily lived experience of those with ADRD to ensure iADL measures are ecologically valid, and pilot a means of creating living iADL measures that will serve the field for now and the future, thus making a meaningful and significant contribution to the ADRD field and demonstrating our team’s expertise and idea for future funding.
