An assistant professor and three medical students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center were presented awards recently by representatives of the Kinman-Oldfield Family Foundation.
David E. Warren, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences, is the 2019 recipient of the Kinman Oldfield Alzheimer's Research Award, which is conferred annually as a $10,000 stipend to an individual with promising new ideas in Alzheimer's disease research.
Dr. Warren researches potential treatment for memory loss in 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. 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.”
The Kinman-Oldfield Family Foundation also presented Nancy and Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's Scholarship Fund Awards named in honor of Ronald Reagan, the late U.S. president who battled Alzheimer's disease.
The 2019 recipients are UNMC medical students Carly Faller, Claire Ferguson and Ran Jing. They each serve on the leadership team for the UNMC Purposes of Aging Interprofessional Group.
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, 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.
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, Calif. 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 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.
The Kinman-Oldfield Family Foundation also 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.
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