Assistant Professor
School of Nursing
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Abstract:
Increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias disproportionately impacts historically disadvantaged populations. Disparities in cognitive aging are clearly multifactorial but remain underexplained, and disparities frameworks suggest that incorporating key social-biological data will aid efforts to clarify and address disproportionate risk. Intersecting disadvantage markers including race, geography, and socioeconomic status correlate with exposure to stressors that provoke systemic dysfunction and the premature onset of age-related morbidity including cognitive impairment. This presentation will discuss the STRIDE lab’s ongoing work on stress, resilience, and cognitive aging in underserved Wisconsin communities, as well as challenges and future directions.