Topic areas to consider: Applicants are strongly encouraged to tell us what interests them. The RHCW faculty and staff have particular interests in the intersection of cardiovascular disease and stroke to Alzheimer’s and related dementias. We focus on the study of cardiovascular and biomarkers of heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease and their relationships to brain aging, sex disparities in clinical care, diagnosis and research, quality of life and impact of caregiving to health, and dissemination of health messaging.
All scholars will be invited to actively participate in the: Cardiovascular Disease and Brain Health Didactic Lecture Series.
This lecture series is an opportunity to understand the intersectionality of Heart Disease to Cognitive and Brain Health, and to use this knowledge to identify and address the broad set of challenges created by cardio – cognitive impairment in the US, challenges at the intersections of medicine, technology, advocacy and public policy, culture and health care and disparities.
Students will learn about:
- Alzheimer’s disease dementia, the cognitive aging continuum, and correct use of definitions
- How cognitive function is assessed
- Ongoing clinical trials to prevent AD, and epidemiological studies on cognitive aging, that inform the field of disease prevalence.
Specific focus will center on the multiple epidemiological, community–based cohort studies and clinical trials that are conducted at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and MIND Center for Brain Health, and review their study designs and scientific findings.
Through discussion of these studies, we will review how the data informs related topics to cardiovascular/ stroke and brain health research such as racial and ethnic considerations, risk and preventive factors for cognitive decline, the social and structural determinants of health, health, and economic implications of caregiving, public health initiatives and models of care that could enhance both cardiovascular and cognitive health to maintain independence.
Throughout the lecture series, students will review biostatistical and epidemiological methods to critique the study and related papers and learn how to write clearly and frame a problem and offer interpretation and solutions.
Course delivery will utilize zoom lectures, JC readings, guest speakers, and specialists. All attendees will be asked to contribute to the RHCW JC blog to post their work.
Still Interested? How do I apply?
To apply for this program, please submit your application by April 30, 2021, for a start date of June 1, 2021
- Resume or CV
- A one-page essay that explains your background, your interest and how you came to this interest, what you’d like to do, and your career vision.