Conferences
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Previous Conference Events
Dr. Nathan Green presented the team’s work on the next phase of the AIM Ahead project to develop AI in an equitable manner at the AI for Health Equity symposium in Atlanta. The goal of the symposium was to discuss the development on AI so it can be utilized for all populations and mitigate bias. The meeting was filled with various discussions on how to ensure transparency when developing AI models for health care.
Dr. Patricia Heyn, MCOA Director, presented on the impacts of research waste in home-based exercise interventions for older adults with mild cognitive impairment at the Alzheimer’s Association 2024 International Conference (AAIC) in Philadelphia, USA. Research waste is a growing issue, with researchers highlighting whether or not there is a need for more research on the same topic. The AAIC conference brings together distinguished basic scientists, clinical researchers, early career investigators, clinicians, and the care research community on dementia science.
MCOA Senior
Fellow, Dr. Uma Kelekar and MCOA Research Assistant, Mahederemariam Dagne presented their findings on their research projects at the 2024 Academy Health Annual Research Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. Mahederemariam presented her research work on defining racial health equity and Dr. Kelekar presented two posters on the issues of utilizing emergency departments for non-traumatic dental conditions.
On April 8-9, 2024, the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, NIA, NINDS, and NICHD hosted an in-person conference, with select sessions streamed online, to showcase advancements in four NIH-supported measurement systems: NIH Toolbox®, NIH Baby Toolbox, Mobile Toolbox, and MyCog. This event brought together NIH leadership, researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders to discuss the significance of robust, psychometrically sound measures for research, clinical trials, and educational settings. Highlights included updates to existing tools, the launch of new measurement systems for diverse age groups and settings, live demonstrations, and discussions on best practices and future directions to ensure these tools remain innovative and impactful.
Our team attended the fourth Workshop on Research Definitions for Reserve and Resilience in Cognitive Aging and Dementia on December 03, 2023. The workshop aimed to continue building well-defined operational definitions for cognitive reserve, brain maintenance, and brain reserve, with resilience as an overarching concept. These definitions standardize terminology, facilitating comparisons across studies and species.
The MCOA team was excited to attend the GSA 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting. MCOA fellow Dr. Uma Kelekar and MCOA Affiliate Dr. Sara Pappa presented their work on unsafe home environments on older adult falls and evidence-based falls prevention programs respectively. MCOA Director, Dr. Patricia Heyn led the GSA Diversity Mentoring & Career Development Technical Assistance Workshop and also presented her various research works in cognition. MCOA Researcher, Mahederemariam Dagne, presented her inaugural research on the gaps in how information is presented in public health websites. The event held in Tampa, Florida, brings together renowned Gerontologists from all over the country and provided a great opportunity for the team to showcase their work and engage with experts in the field.
Dr. Patricia Heyn led a special symposium delving into the intersection of racism and health inequity in rehabilitation science at the 2023 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Annual Conference. The conference offered unparalleled opportunities to foster valuable connections within the rehabilitation field and an abundance of tools, and nonstop content focused on chronic disabling conditions for ACRM members and the rehabilitation community.
Dr. Catherine Diaz-Asper presented her research on using artificial intelligence to detect cognitive decline at the 2023 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference in late October. Her approach analyzes speech by combining advances in artificial intelligence with the convenience of the telephone to develop a screening tool that could reach many more people than current methods.
Elizabeth Terhune, MS, Center for
Optimal Aging Research Associate and a key investigator in the Racial Health Equity Research Project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, presented her work on racial health equity at the 2023 International What Works Global Summit in Ottawa, Canada on On October 18, 2023. The center’s Racial Health Equity work, centered on reviewing and synthesizing the current evidence on defining and operationalizing racial health equity, fits perfectly within the theme of the 2023 Summit, “Evidence for Global Challenges.” The Summit, sponsored by the Campbell Collaboration, was a great opportunity to engage with global communities that provide policy and research recommendations.
Dr Patricia Heyn presented her work on understanding racial health equity terminology at the prestigious Cochrane Colloquium. This project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is one of six projects on centering racial health equity in systematic reviews and has a focus on definitions. The event, hosted by Cochrane, a global leader in evidence synthesis guidelines, brought together international experts to promote evidence-informed healthcare and address critical global health issues. The team’s contributions are a valuable addition to the ongoing discussions aimed at advancing knowledge and shaping the future of healthcare on a global scale
