David E. Warren, Ph.D., assistant professor in UNMC’s Department of Neurological Sciences, is the 2019 recipient of the Kinman Oldfield Alzheimer’s Research Award and was recognized during an event on April 22.
The Kinman Oldfield Alzheimer’s Research Award is conferred annually as a $10,000 stipend to an individual with promising new ideas in Alzheimer’s disease research.
New endowed chair in Alzheimer’s disease announced
The Kinman-Oldfield Family Foundation recently announced its commitment to establish the Kinman Oldfield Chair in Geriatrics at UNMC. Once fully funded, this permanently endowed fund will provide annual support to a renowned faculty member dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease research and teaching.
“The Kinman-Oldfield Family Foundation is pleased to carry on Col. Oldfield’s vision of a cure for, and the eradication of, Alzheimer’s disease,” said Warren Odgers, Kinman-Oldfield Family Foundation trustee.
“This commitment to the Kinman Oldfield Chair in Geriatrics also furthers a goal of the foundation to support educational opportunities for Nebraska students.”
The Oldfields, including the family foundation they established to carry on their charitable objectives, have provided philanthropic support to the University of Nebraska for nearly 30 years. In addition to their support for students and faculty at UNMC, the foundation contributed to the new Home Instead Center for Successful Aging, home to UNMC’s geriatrics division and geriatric patient care.
In addition to support of UNMC, the Oldfields also established funds that benefit students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, including scholarships for students in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and students in the Army ROTC program.
Dr. Warren researches potential treatment for memory loss in healthy and nonhealthy older adults by combining neuroimaging, neurostimulation and neuropsychology.
A moderate decline in the memory of facts and events is a normal part of aging, Dr. Warren said, but amnestic mild cognitive impairment is a severe, clinically relevant type of memory loss that frequently precedes Alzheimer’s disease.
“Loss of memory abilities is devastating for people, but the few treatments available for memory loss provide very limited relief,” said Dr. Warren, whose research team includes medical students interested in the field of memory loss treatment.
“We are applying a type of noninvasive brain stimulation that we believe has potential to improve memory abilities among people with mild cognitive impairment who do not yet have Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. “By testing whether this type of stimulation improves their memory abilities more than a placebo, we will determine if it will reliably improve memory. So this study is a key first step that will support our long-term goal of applying the same approach to people with memory loss due to Alzheimer’s disease.”
Reagan scholars announced
The Kinman-Oldfield Family Foundation also established the Nancy and Ronald Reagan Alzheimer’s Scholarship Fund Award at UNMC to honor Ronald Reagan, the late U.S. president who battled Alzheimer’s disease.
The 2019 recipients of the Reagan Alzheimer’s Scholarship are doctor of medicine students Carly Faller, Claire Ferguson and Ran Jing. They each serve on the leadership team for the UNMC Purposes of Aging Interprofessional Group and were honored at an April 22 event.
Faller is a third-year medical student from Lincoln, Neb., who’s mentored by Dr. Warren. Her research focus is on the effects of targeted transcranial magnetic stimulation on hippocampal-dependent declarative memory in older adults.
Ferguson is a third-year medical student from Omaha, Neb., who’s mentored by Natalie Manley, M.D. Her research is focused on a feasibility study regarding virtual reality and dementia in patients.
Jing is a third-year medical student from Shandong, China, who’s also mentored by Dr. Warren. Jing’s research focus is on the effects of targeted transcranial magnetic stimulation on memory performance in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
Beginning a life together in Nebraska
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Vada and Barney Oldfield |
A native of Tecumseh, Neb., Barney Oldfield had a career in the U.S. Air Force as a communications officer and then became a public relations executive for Litton Industries in Woodland Hills, California. Founder of the Nebraska Dollars for Scholars program, he is a legend in the public relations field and counted many celebrities on his list of close, personal friends, including President Ronald Reagan and boxer George Foreman.
Oldfield died in 2003, leaving a legacy in educational philanthropy that includes the University of Nebraska and other higher education institutions.
Vada Kinman Oldfield was from Grand Forks, N.D. During World War II she enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps, becoming a pioneer in what would become the Women’s Army Corps in 1943. She served in the 12th Air Force Communications Section in Africa and Italy.
In both military and civilian life, the Oldfields made philanthropy their passion, giving generously of their resources and inspiring others to do the same. The Kinman-Oldfield Family Foundation continues their philanthropic legacy today.
Thanks for this article. It's really nice to hear the background of the Kinman-Oldfield Family foundation and how the award came to be. Dr. Potter's remarks about the research awards being very valuable to young scientists is absolutely true. Having worked with some who have received the research award, I was curious about the source. Congratulations to Dr. Warren. I have high hopes for a breakthrough with this horrible disease.