Interested in measuring, promoting, and improving mobility in older adults. I’m particularly interested in how lab and clinic-based assessments reflect community-based activity and how various comorbidities both impact and respond to physical activity. I completed my DPT and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University.

Currently, I’m studying how prefrontal cortical activation assessed by fNIRS relates to gait quality from accelerometry during dual task walking in older adults. I am also partnering with colleagues in Geriatric Medicine to implement measurement of gait speed in UPMC outpatient geriatric clinics.

“I obtained a PhD in Biological and Health Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. My research focuses on brain-body pathways that link psychological stress and stress-related peripheral physiology with physical health and brain health in the context of aging. In my free time, I enjoy listening to classical music.”

I am currently pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. My research interests are centered around health and place, social determinants of health, chronic disease, and healthy aging. In my doctoral study, I am particularly interested in life course environmental and individual risk factors for accelerated cognitive decline and dementia. My current projects involve geocoding residential history of survey participants, modeling life course exposure to changing neighborhood socioeconomic status, and characterization of life course exposure to chronic stress at the individual level. I have a bachelor’s degree in sociology and history from Nankai University in China. I obtained an MSW and an MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, bikepacking, wildflowers, sunsets, sunrises, waterfalls, and trekking on remote islands.

primary faculty mentor: Dr. Andrea Rosso

My research aims to elucidate why certain racial/ethnic groups and those with lower levels of socioeconomic status are a greater risk of experiencing accelerated neurocognitive decline, and how modifiable lifestyle factors, especially physical activity, may reduce risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

What have you discovered so far?
APOE ε4 carriers with overweight/obesity exhibit reduced fMRI brain activity during a working memory task.

What do you want to discover?
I want to discover the neurobiological and physiological pathways by which modifiable lifestyle factors contribute to resistance and resilience to Alzheimer’s disease pathology, and the extent to which factors implicated in resistance and resilience are similar or dissociable.

primary faculty mentor: Dr. Gianaros

I am a graduate student pursuing a MPH in Epidemiology. My current work involves examining and harmonizing neurocognitive assessments across the dementia spectrum, allowing for more representative sex- and race-stratified analysis. I am interested in identifying risk factors that modify Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia pathology. Outside of research, I enjoying exercising, reading, and spending time in the sun.

My focus is exploring risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia pathology and neurobiological drivers of health disparities in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, particularly sex, gender and racialized group pathologic differences.

primary faculty mentor: Dr. Shaaban

I’m a PhD student in Epidemiology. I got my Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Pharmacology jointly run by China Pharmaceutical University and University of Strathclyde, and master’s degree in Epidemiology at New York University. I’m interested in exploring the role of neural drivers on healthy aging and establishing links between brain biology and behavior outcomes among the elderly. Outside of academia, I enjoy traveling, taking photos, and playing with my adorable kitties.

What have you discovered so far?
My previous research focused on the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, typically examining the impact of lifestyle factors at midlife on the cognitive impairment at late life.

What do you want to discover?
I want to discover the contribution of neurobiological markers to older adults’ performance, which could improve the health conditions and quality of life of the aging and marginalized populations.

primary faculty mentor: Dr. Rosano

I am a physician with a background in public health, holding a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Johns Hopkins University, and I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Epidemiology in a quest to unravel the intricate connections between cardiovascular risk factors and the development of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). I hope to explore the intricate web of factors contributing to ADRD, and I am deeply passionate about leveraging the power of deep learning and advanced data analysis to identify precise intervention points. 

What I Want to Discover 
I seek to understand the complex interplay between cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia, and the onset and progression of ADRD. I want to delve into the existing literature to unearth key insights into the mechanisms underlying these associations, shedding light on potential pathways and risk mitigation strategies. 

My overarching goal is to delve even deeper into this fascinating realm of research to uncover novel insights and potential interventions that can help prevent or delay the onset of ADRD in individuals at risk. By harnessing the power of deep learning and comprehensive data analysis, I aspire to identify specific risk factors, biomarkers, and therapeutic targets that hold the promise of transforming the landscape of ADRD prevention and treatment. 

Topics of Interest: 

Cardiovascular Risk Factors: I am deeply interested in understanding the roles and mechanisms of cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, in the development of ADRD. 

Neurodegenerative Diseases: My research extends to various aspects of neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. 

Data Science and Deep Learning: I am passionate about harnessing the potential of cutting-edge data science techniques, including deep learning, to extract meaningful insights from complex datasets in the context of ADRD research. 

Intervention and Prevention: I am dedicated to exploring innovative strategies for intervention and prevention of ADRD, aiming to make a significant impact on public health. 

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Collaborative research that bridges the fields of medicine, public health, and data science is of particular interest to me, as I believe that the convergence of these disciplines holds great promise for advancing our understanding of ADRD. 

I am a PhD student in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. My current research interests involve the usage of omics in exploring the relationship between myokines and myosteatosis with brain health and cognition. I have Bachelors of Science in both molecular/cellular biology and computer science from Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Science in biostatistics from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. To keep my sanity outside of research or academics, I enjoy running, reading manga, and learning Japanese! Fun fact: I can solve a Rubik’s cube in under 20 seconds.

What have you discovered so far?
During my undergraduate study, I was among a handful of students who were selected for the prestigious Johns Hopkins Provost’s Undergraduate Research Award (PURA). My PURA project based on a US prospective birth cohort on the effect of maternal smoking on newborn cord blood DNA methylation and birthweight was published in the top epigenetic journal (Xu R et al, Clin Epigenetics. 2021, PMCID: PMC7931602). I found that maternal smoking can significantly alter fetal DNA methylation, and fetal DNA methylation substantially mediates the maternal smoking-birthweight association by about 67%.

During my master program in biostatistics, my research focused on the interplay of smoking and one-carbon micronutrients on DNA methylation. I found that maternal folate supplementation was able to attenuate the adverse effects of smoking on cord blood DNA methylation, specifically aryl hydrocarbon receptor repressor (cg05575921), which has been previously linked to a range of pediatric and adult diseases. This project was selected as a platform presentation at the 2022 American Public Health Association annual meeting under the genome forum and received a student award. This work led to my first authored publication in a top nutritional journal (Xu R et al, J Nutr. 2023; PMCID: PMC10447613). 

What do you want to discover?
Since I joined the PhD program at Pittsburgh, I have worked with existing large cohorts such as MESA, HEALTH ABC, and BLSA. For example, my current work has explored shared metabolites between intermuscular fat and the digit symbol substitution test. This work has led to an abstract submitted to the Gerontological Society of America 2024 conference. My long-term goal is to become a leading transdisciplinary investigator to advance our understanding of healthy aging, with a particular focus on muscle and brain health based on large-scale population cohort studies and multi-omics data. I also aspire to generate critically needed evidence to inform and develop clinical trials and population-based early interventions to improve health and longevity. 

Topics of  interest
I’m particularly interested in integrating multi-omics data (genome, epigenome, metabolome, proteome) with socio-environmental exposures, lifestyles, and nutrition to better understand risk and protective factors associated with muscle and brain health. 

List of any accomplishments/special announcements over the last few months
Submitted an abstract for the GSA 2024 conference!

primary faculty mentor: Dr. Rosano

Ian works closely with Dr. Caterina Rosano as the data manager for her projects. Currently he works on two studies: Move MyHat and SOMMA-Brain. His prior research work primarily focused on the comorbidity between Alcohol Use Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar, reading, and playing video games.