Successful Aging Milestones
PILOT RESEARCH PROJECTS
As of 5/22/2020, Awarded 4 pilot projects for a total of $40,000. Projects represent 11 researchers from 8 academic departments, campuses or community organizations.
Plan to award 4 new pilot projects for a total of $40,000, including requests for COVID-19 aging research.
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Berkowitz LE, Harvey RE, Clark BJ (2020). Spatial Navigation and Alzheimer’s disease. In: C. Martin & V.R. Preedy (Eds.), The Neuroscience of Dementia: Genetics, Neurology, Behavior, and Diet in Dementia (1st ed., Vol. 2, pp. in press). Academic Press.
Berkowitz LE, Harvey RE, Clark BJ (2020). Head direction cells in the TgF344-AD rat model of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
Berkowitz LE, Gabaldon-Parish M, Harvey RE, Sneddon E, Clark BJ (2019). Distributive home base behavior in the TgF344-AD rat model of Alzheimer's disease. Society for Neuroscience. Chicago, IL, USA.
Berkowitz LE, Gabaldon-Parish M, Harvey RE, Roy VJ, Clark BJ (2019). Characterization of cortical and thalamic head direction cells in the TgF344-AD rat model of Alzheimer's disease. Society for Neuroscience.Chicago, IL, USA.
Blair CK, Jacobs DR, Demark-Wahnefried W, Cohen HJ, Morey MC, Robien K, Lazovich D. Effects of Cancer History on Functional Age and Mortality. Cancer, 2019; 125(23):4303-4309. PMCID: PMC6856392.
Padilla, A., Palmer, P.M., & Rodriguez, B. L. (2019). The impact of dysphagia on quality of life and stigma in Hispanic New Mexicans: A quantitative and qualitative analysis. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 28, 485-500.
Pentkowski NS, Rogge-Obando K, Donaldson TN, Bouquin SJ, Clark BJ. (2020). Anxiety and Alzheimer’s disease: behavioral analysis, neural basis, and biomarker potential in rodent models of Alzheimer’s-related neuropathology. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. Under Review.
Quinn, Davin (2020). Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression. New Mexico Motivational Interviewing Training and Consulting Behavioral Health Wellness Conference.
EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS AND INITIATIVES
Blair CK. Successful Aging Grand Challenge - Aging and Compression of Disability. Presentation to the Kiwanis Club of Albuquerque. December 2019
Knoefel, JE. Healthy Aging Update: Sleep at OASIS Albuquerque community lecture series, June 2019
Knoefel JE. Dementia with Lewy Bodies Update, UNM Neurology Resident School, June 2019
Knoefel JE. The ABCs of Alcohol, the Brain and Cognition, UNM Neurology Resident School June 2019
Knoefel JE. Memory and Aging: What’s New and What’s Not as the keynote speaker, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Annual Volunteer Retreat June 2019
Knoefel JE. Dementia in New Mexico, 41st NM Conference on Aging August 2019
Knoefel JE. Panel member, interdisciplinary discussion following the screening of documentary on Alzheimer Disease clinical research “Turning Point”, UNM September 2019
Knoefel JE. Dementia with Lewy Bodies Update, UNM Neurology Resident School October 2019
Knoefel JE. UNM Successful Aging Grand Challenge: our work is just beginning, monthly meeting of the UNM Retiree Association October 2019
Knoefel JE. Medical and Cognitive Issues, in the certificate course Ethics and Fundamentals of Guardianship & Conservatorship - Community College of New Mexico, October 2019
Knoefel JE. Cognitive Aging and Alzheimer Disease Warning Signs in Navajo Healthy Brain conference, Navajo Nation, Window Rock, Arizona November 2019
Knoefel JE. Dementia Prevention, Detection, Diagnosis, Greater Albuquerque Medical Association public lecture, November 2019
Knoefel JE. Choosing Wisely: Top Ten Things Dementia Care Providers, Patients and Family Should Question in 19th Annual state-wide Alzheimer Association Caregiver Conference, November 2019
Knoefel JE. Alzheimer and other Dementia Types: If it's not Alzheimer, what is it? Internal Medicine Resident Thursday School November 2019
Knoefel JE. Cognitive Aging, La Vida Llena Retirement Community, January 2020
Knoefel JE. Dementia Boot Camp: the Basics, UNM Neurology Resident School, February 2020
Knoefel JE. Dementia Boot Camp: Subjective Cognitive Impairment, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease, UNM Neurology Resident School, March 2020
Knoefel JE. Alcohol and the Brain, Geriatric Interest Rounds, Department of Internal Medicine, March 2020
Knoefel JE. Dementia Boot Camp: Vascular Cognitive Impairment, Frontotemporal Dementias and Depression/affective Disturbances, UNM Neurology Resident School, March 2020
Knoefel JE. Alzheimer’s Disease: can we really prevent it? Albuquerque OASIS, March 2020
Rodriguez B. Undergraduate Fine Arts film-making course, February 2020 presentation
Rodriguez B. Freshman transition course for Arts and Sciences STEM students, December 2019 presentation
SA GC pilot project PI Jacqueline A. Miller PhD, Senior Research Scientist and Co-I Scott Hughes PhD, Research Scientist, both with Geospatial and Population Studies (GPS) program, participated in a discussion and Q&A with UNM's Documentary Film-Making class. The students chose successful aging as the topic for their group project. Students wanted to hear about the SA GC project and the researchers' experience with cultural differences related to aging. Scott talked about project focus and goals, and reliance on the community to inform the research questions. Class instructor: Peter Lisignoli - February 2020
NEW POLICY OR PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES, PROGRAMS & PRACTICES
Guest speaker: Dr. M Carrington Reid, Jr., MD. Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital. Lecture: “Aging is a Pain: opioid use, misuse and abuse in older adults. November 1, 2019. This was followed by a one-hour session with SA GC leadership team.
SA GC Pilot Research Awardee Steven Verney PhD Department of Psychology, under guidance of Janice Knoefel, has established a collaborative activity with UNM’s College of Nursing’s GEMH (Geriatric Education and Health Maintenance clinics - hsc.unm.edu/college-of-nursing/practice/student-clinical-experience.html) as a site of their SA GC pilot study grant subject recruitment.
Dr. Knoefel continues as a founding and active member of the NM Aging Long Term Services Department’s New Mexico State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Leadership team. This initiative seeks to build and coordinate infrastructure within the state for dementia multi-dimensional support services and includes screening, detection, diagnosis and treatment of all dementia types. This state-wide leadership team of state, county, city, tribal, university and private sector representatives, is actively involved with the Center for Memory & Aging since inception.
UNM’s Center for Memory & Aging and UNM’s Center for Native American Health initiated discussions on collaboration in addressing CDC-sponsored supplemental funding proposal for community education in Alzheimer Disease and dementias.
Dr. Knoefel participated in a series of preliminary conference calls in February and March with officials from NM Aging Long Term Services Department (NM ALTSD), Bernalillo County, City of Albuquerque, several nonprofit organizations and the Alzheimer Association regarding the National Community Care Corps program info@CaregiversCommunityCorps.org. The purpose was to evolve proposals for submission to this new federally funded initiative intended to keep older Americans living independently in their community. This effort was attenuated due to the COVID-19 pandemic but will resume at a future time.
GC LEADERSHIP PARTICIPATION WITH UNM FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING TEAMS
SA GC convener Janice Knoefel participated in needs assessment, planning and design of HSC’s new Movement Disorders/Senior Health Center/Memory & Aging Center building, September 2019-present.
UNM RESEARCHER NETWORKING EVENTS
SA GC strategic planning workshop scheduled for March 2020 is delayed due to COVID-19-limited operations.
In preparation for the strategic planning session, each of the seven SA GC leadership team members had 2 individual meetings with staff of the UNM Ombuds Office. The goal of these meetings were to inform organizational development and cohesion as part of development of an organizational framework and strategic goals.
Lambert CG. UNM Successful Aging Grand Challenge – Organizational innovation and effectiveness: systems thinking for healthy longevity. UNM New Faculty Orientation, August 2019
Lambert CG. UNM Grand Challenges Successful Aging: The compression of disability – Organizational innovation and effectiveness: systems thinking for healthy longevity. UNM Faculty Lightning Lounge Talks, February 2019
Lambert CG. Imputation and characterization of uncoded self-harm in major mental illness using machine learning. Illuminating the Druggable Genome Machine Learning, October 2019. This workshop resulted in a discussion of how to focus informatics efforts towards human longevity initiatives among UNM faculty, students, and external faculty participants.
NEW INTERNAL COLLABORATION PROCESSES CREATED AS A RESULT OF THE GC PROGRAM
Collaboration established with new MIND faculty member Sephira Ryman, Substance Use Disorders co-convener Katie Witkiewicz, MIND faculty Eric Claus and SA GC Convener Janice Knoefel. We plan to study the effect of alcohol on aging, dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease in response to RFA from NIH’s NIAAA and NIA. This resulted in a new NIH submission March 2020.
Initiation of preliminary meetings with Yuri Yoshida PT, PhD, faculty in HSC’s School of Medicine, Division of Physical Therapy for collaboration in project studying the newly described "Locomotive Syndrome", a new diagnostic concept for early functional deterioration in elderly individuals related to musculoskeletal impairments.
