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Okonkwo Lab News

  • Ikenna Odoh Passes Second Stage of US Medical License Examination

    Ikenna Odoh passed the second stage of the US Medical License Examination this month! Congratulations on this accomplishment – we are so proud!

  • Ozioma Okonkwo Named Recipient of UAB Dept of Psychology Distinguished Scholar Alumni Award

    Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Psychology Distinguished Scholar Alumni Award!! This award recognizes alumni of the Department for groundbreaking scientific …

  • Val Iaquinta Accepted into Medical School

    Val Iaquinta was accepted into the Morehouse School of Medicine MD program in Atlanta! Classes started in July. Congratulations, Val!

  • Ozioma Okonkwo Appointed to Leadership Core of Integrated Biological Framework and Staging System for Neurodegenerative Diseases Workgroup

    Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo has been appointed to the Leadership Core of a newly-formed Integrated Biological Framework and Staging System for Neurodegenerative Diseases Workgroup. The objectives of this Workgroup – which includes representatives from academia, industry, …

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    Alex Romantz Accepted into Graduate School

    Alex Romantz was accepted into 5 graduate programs with scholarships. He has decided to pursue the dual MBA/MPH degree program at Emory University, where he was honored to receive a Dean’s Scholarship through the Goizueta …

  • Adam Paulsen’s Abstract Accepted for Poster Presentation at CTAD 2025

    Adam Paulsen’s abstract “Cardiorespiratory fitness and brain atrophy: Sex differences and potential vascular mechanisms” was accepted for a poster presentation at CTAD 2025 in San Diego, CA! Congratulations, Adam!

  • Mackenzie Jarchow’s Manuscript Accepted for Publication

    Kenzie Jarchow’s manuscript “More fit KL-VS heterozygotes have more favorable AD-relevant biomarker profiles” has been accepted for publication in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. Congratulations, Kenzie!

  • Bri Breidenbach’s Manuscript Accepted for Publication

    Bri Breidenbach’s manuscript “Cardiorespiratory Fitness Modifies the Relationship Between Arterial Stiffness and Cerebral Blood Flow Independent of Physical Activity” has been accepted for publication in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. Congratulations, Bri!

  • Adam Paulsen’s Manuscript Accepted for Publication

    Adam Paulsen’s manuscript “The impact of estimated cardiorespiratory fitness on Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers and their relationships with cognitive decline” has been accepted for publication in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. …

  • Sonia Shahzad Accepted into Graduate School

    Sonia Shahzad was accepted into 4 graduate programs, and she has decided to attend The University of Chicago, where she will pursue her Master of Public Health! Congratulations, Sonia – we are so proud!

  • Talia Brach Accepts Position at Elephas

    Talia Brach graduated with her Master of Public Health and has accepted a position at Elephas on their Clinical Affairs Team. Congratulations, Talia!

  • Kyle Edmunds’s Manuscript Accepted for Publication

    Kyle Edmunds’s manuscript “Depression modifies age-associated [11C]PiB-PET amyloid burden in a cohort enriched with risk for AD” has been accepted for publication in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (JAD). Congratulations, Kyle!

  • Isabella Hoang Accepted into Graduate School

    Isabella Hoang was accepted into 5 graduate programs, and she has decided to attend Stanford University, where she will pursue her Master of Science in Epidemiology and Clinical Research! Congratulations, Isabella – we are so …

  • Abstracts Accepted for Poster Presentation at AAIC 2025

    The Okonkwo Lab has 4 lab members whose abstracts were accepted for poster presentation at AAIC 2025 in Toronto, Canada: Isabella Hoang: The Impact of Language Mismatch on Mini Mental State Examination Scores is Moderated …

  • Welcome Mae McCarty

    The Okonkwo Lab is excited to welcome another member to our team: Mae McCarty is the CLARiTI Access Core Program Manager. Mae holds a Master of Public Health degree and has spent the past nine …

  • Gabriella Mamlouk’s Manuscript Accepted for Publication

    Gabriella Mamlouk’s manuscript “Sex modifies the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and insulin resistance in adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease” has been accepted for publication in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. Congratulations, Gabby!

  • Ikenna Odoh’s Abstract Accepted for Oral Presentation

    Dr. Ikenna Odoh’s abstract titled “The Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness with Rates of Cognitive Decline in a Multiethnic Cohort at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease” has been selected for a Lightning Oral Presentation at the Alzheimer’s …

  • Ozioma Okonkwo Invited to Serve on Alzheimer’s Association Clinical Practice Guideline Panel

    Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo has been invited to serve on the Alzheimer’s Association Clinical Practice Guideline on the Staging of Alzheimer’s Disease. This guideline panel will be comprised of a mix of specialties including primary care, …

  • SuperAging Team Presenting at The St. John’s On The Lake Symposium On Aging

    The UW SuperAging team (Ozioma Okonkwo, Monica Bruce, and Alyssa Pandos) is participating in the Saint John’s on the Lake Symposium on Aging on March 13th – 14th in Milwaukee, WI. Ozioma and Monica are …

  • Ozioma Okonkwo Invited as Guest Lecturer to Science Sundays series

    Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo was invited as a guest lecturer for the Science Sundays series at Ohio State University on 3/2/25. His lecture was titled “Resilience to Alzheimer’s Disease: A Play in 5 Acts”.

  • Gabriella Mamlouk Completes First Thesis Committee Meeting

    Gabby Mamlouk successfully completed her first thesis committee meeting, where she shared the framework for her project of interest. Congratulations on this first big step towards completing your thesis!

  • Bri Breidenbach Transitions into Scientist Position

    Dr. Bri Breidenbach has transitioned from her role as a Postdoctoral Fellow to a Scientist position in our lab!! Bri has been a Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab for over 2 years, where she has …

  • Kyle Edmunds’s Manuscript Accepted for Publication

    Dr. Kyle Edmund’s manuscript “BDNF expression mediates verbal learning and memory in women in a cohort enriched with risk for Alzheimer’s disease“ has been accepted and published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease …

  • Ozioma Okonkwo’s Editorial Published

    Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo recently published the article “Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative: Two decades of pioneering Alzheimer’s disease research and future directions” in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. It is the editorial for the ADNI 20th Anniversary Special Issue, …

  • Chinenye Odo’s Manuscript Accepted for Publication

    Dr. Chinenye Odo’s manuscript “Cardiovascular rate pressure product is associated with NfL in older adults at risk for AD“ has been accepted for publication in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring. Congratulations, Chinenye!

  • Ikenna Odoh Passes First Stage of US Medical License Examination

    Ikenna Odoh passed the first stage of the US Medical License Examination this month! Congratulations on this accomplishment – we are so proud!

  • Sara Fernandes-Taylor Awarded Professional Development Grant

    Dr. Sara Fernandes-Taylor was awarded a UW-Madison Academic Staff Professional Development Grant totaling $1,200 to enable her attendance to AD/PD 2025! Congratulations, Sara!

  • Ozioma Okonkwo Quoted In Recent News Articles About CLARiTI

    Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo was recently quoted in news articles about the first participant enrolled in the Clarity in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Research Through Imaging (CLARiTI) study. Dr. Okonkwo serves as the co-lead for …

  • Abstracts Accepted for Oral Presentation at AD/PD 2025

    The Okonkwo Lab has 2 lab members whose abstracts were accepted for oral presentation at AD/PD 2025 in Vienna, Austria: Sara Fernandes-Taylor (virtual): Region-specific measures of metabolism differentiate cognitively unimpaired individuals with elevated levels of …

  • Okonkwo Lab at CTAD 2024

    The Okonkwo Lab traveled to Madrid, Spain to attend the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference (CTAD)! Adam Paulsen gave a poster presentation: The longitudinal relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness, amyloid-β, and cognitive decline in adults …

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