Two University of Nebraska Medical Center researchers were honored April 25 with Alzheimer’s research awards established by the late Col. Barney Oldfield.
Daniel Murman, M.D., associate professor in UNMC’s Department of Neurological Sciences, received the seventh Vada Kinman Oldfield Alzheimer’s Research Fund Award, which is given annually to an individual with a promising new idea in Alzheimer’s research.
Prasad Padala, M.D., received the inaugural Nancy and Ronald Reagan Alzheimer’s Scholarship Fund Award, which recognizes investigators pursuing promising, innovative work in Alzheimer’s research.
Dr. Padala joined UNMC in July and serves in the public and community psychiatry division of UNMC’s department of psychiatry. He also serves on the medical staff at the VA Medical Center and UNMC.
“It’s a great honor to receive this award,” said Dr. Murman, a Hastings native who was recruited to UNMC in August from Michigan State University. “These types of awards provide passion to investigators and motivate me to pursue research that matters.”
Dr. Murman’s research focuses on developing methods of measuring the quality of dementia care that patients receive and understanding the impact of receiving quality dementia care on patients, their caregivers and the health care system. “Often there is a gap between what is proven in clinical trials and what happens in everyday practice,” Dr. Murman said. “We want to look at the potential gaps.”
Dr. Padala’s is researching substance use in the elderly and the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, particularly apathy associated with Alzheimer’s dementia. “This gives me a chance to pursue my passion in helping patients and their families who have Alzheimer’s,” said Dr. Padala, a native of southern India. “Apathy is the most common behavior problem in patients with Alzheimer’s and it has a significant impact on the progress of dementia.”
The Oldfield research award carries a $10,000 stipend. The late Col. Barney Oldfield established the research fund at UNMC in 1999 in honor of his wife, who died that year after an 11-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to the $10,000 annual award, the principal of the endowment is increased by $10,000 each year. A Nebraska native, Col. Oldfield said once a cure is found, the money would be redirected to battle other disorders of old age.
This year’s Reagan scholarship fund carries a $5,000 stipend. The Kinman-Oldfield Family foundation established the award to honor the late president, who battled Alzheimer’s for 10 years. Oldfield met Reagan in 1939 and later became his publicist.
“The funding through the Oldfield Foundation is highly valued,” said Thomas Rosenquist, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research at UNMC. “Everything we do is dependent upon our research and clinical care.”
Ardyce Bohlke, executive director for the Vada Kinman Oldfield and Col. Barney Oldfield Nebraska Dollars for Scholars organization and former state senator from Hastings, presented the awards to Drs. Murman and Padala. Dollars for Scholars is a national network of more than 840 grassroots scholarship foundations in 38 states and the District of Columbia that raise funds and provide financial and academic support to local students seeking postsecondary education.