Announcing Recipients of the 2023 McKnight Brain Research Foundation Innovator Awards in Cognitive Aging and Memory Loss

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Cognitive Aging, News, Press Release

Innovator Award Recipients

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) and the McKnight Brain Research Foundation (MBRF) are pleased to announce the 2023 recipients of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation Innovator Awards in Cognitive Aging and Memory Loss: Denise Cai, PhD of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Christoph Thaiss, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania.

New Research Shows Adopting Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Can Reduce the Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Brainworks, Cognitive Aging, News, Research

Headshot of Dr. Lazar in white medical coat

Ronald Lazar, PhD, FAHA, FAAN, Director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) explains the rational for using the McCance Brain Care Score (BCS) in the Brain Health Advocacy Mission (BHAM) settings as a metric for risk factors and lifestyles that impact risk for cognitive decline and stroke.

Commit to Taking it Easy this Holiday Season

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Cognitive Aging

Along with the joy and love the holiday season brings, it can also increase our stress levels at times. Whether you’re caught in long checkout lines or stuck in traffic, taking a moment to decompress and practice mindfulness and can help reduce the stress of the season and even benefit your brain health and overall wellness.

Celebrate September is Healthy Aging Month

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Cognitive Aging

This September marks 30 years of celebrating Healthy Aging Month – the national observance focused on the positive aspects of growing older and encouraging everyone to take personal responsibility for their health. While you can’t control your genetics, research shows there are several steps you can take to maintain your health and quality of life as you age and live as independently as possible.

New Gerontological Society of America Momentum Podcast Features McKnight Brain Research Foundation Executive Director and Trustee

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Cognitive Aging, News

With the growing hope and expectation that it’s possible to maintain cognitive health later in life, allowing people to age independently and enjoy the benefits of a fuller life, Angelika Schlanger, PhD, Executive Director of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation and Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, a McKnight Brain Research Foundation Trustee and Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the Jacobs School at the University at Buffalo were recently featured on the Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) Momentum Discussions podcast.

Roy H. Hamilton, MD, MS, Elected to the McKnight Brain Research Foundation Board of Trustees

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Cognitive Aging, News

Trustee Roy Hamilton, MD headshot

The McKnight Brain Research Foundation recently elected Dr. Roy H. Hamilton, a Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, to its Board of Trustees. Dr. Hamilton serves as Director of the Penn Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation and Director of the Penn Brain Science, Translation, Innovation and Modulation Center.

Sharon A. Brangman, MD, Elected to the McKnight Brain Research Foundation Board of Trustees

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Cognitive Aging, News

Headshot of trustee Sharon Brangman, MD

The McKnight Brain Research Foundation recently elected Dr. Sharon A. Brangman, a leader in the field of geriatrics, to its Board of Trustees. Dr. Brangman serves as Chair of the Department of Geriatrics and Director of the Center for Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, and is a Distinguished Service Professor at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.

Dr. Ronald Lazar, Director of the McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Receives Funding from the McCance Brain Center at Massachusetts General Hospital

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Cognitive Aging, News, Research

Headshot of Dr. Lazar in white medical coat

Ronald Lazar, PhD, FAHA, FAAN, Director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Pamela Bowen, PhD, CRNP, FNP-BC, BBA, Associate Professor, UAB recently received funding for a new pilot project aiming to demonstrate that exercise directly impacts cardiorespiratory fitness and has a broader effect across other risk factors, thus improving overall brain health.

The Healing Effects of Social Connection

Valerie PatmintraBrain Health, Cognitive Aging

Mother and daughter hugging with text that reads mental health + family support

Social connection has been widely studied as a significant factor in helping increase longevity, as well as better physical, cognitive and mental health. Commit to strengthening your relationships and connections with family this month in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.