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| Attending the Alzheimer's Association International Conference are, back row, from left, Hanna Bobinger, Amy R. Nelson, Ph.D., and Allison Bauman; front row, from left, Ryleigh Randall, Napatsorn Saiyasit, Ph.D., Pranglada Jearjaroen and Amiya Benson. |
Faculty, staff and students from the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine presented last month at the 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), the premier annual forum for presentation and discussion of the latest Alzheimer’s and dementia research.
This year’s conference, held both virtually and in-person in San Diego, attracted more than 9,500 attendees and 4,000 scientific presentations on new research covering the basic biology of aging and the brain, risk factors and prevention strategies, and caregiving and living well with the disease.
Amy R. Nelson, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology and cell biology, co-organized and co-moderated a preconference workshop, "Microvascular dysfunction in vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia: From bench to bedside," along with Oliver Bracko, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Miami. She also gave an invited oral presentation titled, "Neurovascular dysfunction in diverse communities with health disparities," at the Diversity and Disparities Professional Interest Area Day.
Several members of Nelson’s lab presented posters related to the neurovasculature and Alzheimer's disease at the meeting including medical students Hanna Bobinger and Ryleigh Randall; Napatsorn Saiyasit, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow; Allison Bauman, research technician; Pranglada Jaerjaroen, an international student intern; and Amiya Benson, a SouthMed Prep Scholar and undergraduate student at the University of Alabama. Sofia Khan, a recent undergraduate alumna from USA and currently a medical student at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, presented a virtual poster presentation.
“In-person meetings truly provide unique opportunities to meet and discuss science and move research forward at a more accelerated rate,” Nelson said. “I am so glad my lab members had this opportunity.”
Bobinger said attending AAIC as a second-year medical student was an exciting opportunity to make new connections with other researchers in the field and discuss her project on an international stage. “It was so motivating to see others’ interest in our work and be presented with questions and recommendations for future directions,” she said.
In addition to presenting her work, Bobinger attended a focused workshop, where she met international scientists whose publications have not only contributed to the field of vascular dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease but also helped to shape her project’s focus. “Meeting the top neuroscientists in this field was an unforgettable experience, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to represent the Whiddon College of Medicine on a global level,” she said.
Randall, also a second-year medical student, said attending and presenting at the conference was a valuable educational and professional experience. “Being able to hear scientists and researchers at the forefront of neuroscience speak about their work was both educationally enriching and inspiring in the extreme,” she said. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to network with and learn from some of the most influential Alzheimer's disease researchers from across the globe, and being able to present a poster at this conference is certainly one of the highlights of my medical school career thus far.”
