Recipients of PSC Small Grant Awards

My research is focused on the impact of adverse child and adult events on late-life cognition among different racial/ethnic groups. My research is inspired by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris’ 2015 TED talk “How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime.” Despite the well-known lasting health effects of adverse childhood events (ACEs) and adverse adult events (AAEs), little is known about the long-lasting effects of self-reported adverse life events (ALE) in childhood and adulthood on cognitive functioning in older populations. Even less information is known about the racially/ethnically diverse older adults in the United States. My research’s overarching objective is to identify the relationship between ACEs and AAEs in cognitive functioning in later life. As well as further explore how this relationship may differ by racial /ethnic backgrounds. As a budding scholar, I hope my research helps communities understand actionable ways to addressing social and public health approaches to eradicating health inequity and racial/ethnic health disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). In addition to understanding how these long-term consequences can inform future research and improve public health promotion programs at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.