This profile is part of a series to highlight the researchers who will be honored at a ceremony for UNMC’s 2020 Scientist Laureate, Distinguished Scientist and New Investigator Award recipients.
- Name: David Warren, PhD
- Title: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences, College of Medicine
- Joined UNMC: Jan. 1, 2016
- Hometown: Palatine, Illinois
New Investigator Award
New Investigator Awards go to outstanding UNMC scientists who in the past two years have secured their first funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense or other national sources. New investigators also had to demonstrate scholarly activity such as publishing their research and/or presenting their findings at national conventions.
Research focus:
- Alzheimer’s disease and memory
The goal of my research is: To better understand cognitive processes (such as memory) by studying how they are affected by genes, development, aging and neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.
My research will make a difference because
We are studying how genes associated with increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease in older adulthood affect brain and cognitive development in children. These genetic risk factors may create unique vulnerabilities that could be addressed with interventions early in life, thus reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease decades later.
The best advice I’ve ever been given is:
“Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?” — Tennessee Williams on the fundamental bond between memory and self.
Three things you may not know about me are:
- I’m a second-generation research psychologist: Mom and Dad both earned PhDs in psychology at the University of Oregon.
- I played clarinet in University of California, Berkeley marching band – Cal Band Great!
- I once flew on an airplane with Samuel L. Jackson (no snakes were harmed).