Written by Abbey Russell, BA candidate, Washington University in St. Louis, and participant in the 2024 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program
This summer, I have had the amazing opportunity to participate in the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program – Aging and Neurological Diseases Track. I have been so lucky to have Susan Stark, PhD, a professor of Occupational Therapy, Neurology, and Social Work as my mentor and work in her Participation, Environment and Performance Laboratory in WashU’s Occupational Therapy Program. In addition to the amazing hands-on experience with Professor Stark, I have also been so lucky to attend seminars with my cohort as well as weekly webinars from the Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, a leading center in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research.
I have been interested in memory and Alzheimer’s disease research ever since I took a class called Human Learning and Memory in my sophomore year. However, I have only ever focused on the biological, psychological and neurological constructs of memory systems. Being in an occupational therapy lab has allowed me to not only grow as a learner in neuroscience but also as an empathetic human. I previously thought the only benefit to Alzheimer’s disease research I could contribute was biologically, but I am now realizing that there is a dire need for quality-of-life improvement for those living day-to-day with AD and other chronic afflictions. For example, this summer, I have been able to examine the connection between preclinical AD and falls. Preclinical AD is characterized by the presence Amyloid-Beta “plaques” and Tau “tangles” in the brain but no symptomatic changes in memory and behavior. My lab is examining if falls may be a predictor for preclinical AD and testing the efficacy of different education techniques and interventions to reduce falls in older adults. The hope is that if we can identify AD early and create an intervention, we can improve the lives of those with AD. This is a side of research that I had not previously been exposed to and I am extremely grateful for this program for introducing me to occupational therapy research.
I have realized that medicine is not just curing someone of a pathology — it is caring for the patient both physically and mentally. I have learned that there is still so much research that needs to be done in occupational therapy to make people who live with chronic illness more comfortable and capable of living their lives as they want to. I have loved combining my passion for memory research with the goal of helping people who are struggling. My days this summer have been so informative and meaningful, and I cannot recommend this program enough!