The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2023 was a resounding success! Whitmer's Population Lab attendees were busy with their impressive array of presentations, with a total of 2 lightning-round presentations, 5 poster presentations, and an eagerly awaited press release.

The PhD students in epidemiology showcased their remarkable research in cognition and dementia. Nancy Chen, a first-year PhD student in epidemiology, presented her work that evaluated subjective cognition and objective cognition/cognitive decline in two cohorts: the Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (STAR) and the LifeAfter90 (LA90) study.

Yi Lor, a fourth-year PhD student in epidemiology, explored the associations between late-life volunteering and cognitive decline and MRI brain markers and cognitive decline using data from both Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experience (KHANDLE) and STAR studies.

Claire Meunier, a third-year PhD student in epidemiology, presented her work focusing on cognitive decline within racial and ethnic groups in the LA90 study. 

For more information on Yi Lor's research on volunteering and its impact on cognition, please visit the official press release at https://aaic.alz.org/releases_2023/volunteering-late-life-may-protect-brain-dementia.asp and https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/volunteering-in-late-life-may-protect-the-brain-against-cognitive-decline-and-dementia/2023/07