Okonkwo Lab News
Ryan Dougherty Receives Favorable Score on K01
Former lab member, Ryan Dougherty, received a favorable score on his recently-submitted K01 grant titled, “Energy expenditure, cognitive function, and biomarker features of Alzheimer’s disease.” Official funding is likely on the horizon. This is an …
June 8, 2022Ben Accepted into Medical School
Congratulations to Ben Rackovan for getting accepted into Medical School at the Medical College of Wisconsin. This is a phenomenal achievement; we are all very proud!
June 3, 2022Natascha Earns Professional Development Grant
Natascha Merten has been awarded an Academic Staff Professional Development Grant to continue her streak of outstanding accomplishments. Way to go, Natascha!
May 13, 2022Clayton Vesperman’s Manuscript to be Published
Clayton Vesperman’s manuscript titled Cardiorespiratory fitness and cognition in persons at risk for Alzheimer’s disease has been accepted for publication in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring. Congratulations on this accomplishment, Clayton!
May 11, 2022Kyle to Present at Alzheimer’s Association Event
Kyle Edmunds will be presenting at the Alzheimer’s Association’s meet and greet event in the Madison area. They will be sharing findings related to how modifiable lifestyle factors – such as sleep and exercise – might …
May 11, 2022Natascha’s Manuscript Published
Natascha Merten’s manuscript titled Better cognitive function in younger generations – Insights from two cohort studies of middle-aged to older adults in Wisconsin has been published in the Maturitas journal. The article can be found here. …
May 9, 2022Natascha Earns Travel Grant
Natascha Merten has earned a conference attendance fellowship from the AAIC for this summer’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego. Congratulations, Natascha!
April 28, 2022Clayton Presents at Undergraduate Symposium
Clayton McIntyre presented findings from his Hilldale Fellowship project at the 2022 UW-Madison Undergraduate Symposium. Well done, Clayton!
April 28, 2022Ozioma Okonkwo to Serve as Guest Editor in Alzheimer’s Association Journal
Ozioma Okonkwo has been invited to serve as a guest editor for a special edition of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Diagnosis, Assessment, and Disease Monitoring journal. The special issue will focus on “Disparities and Multi-Level Social Determinants …
April 25, 2022Ozioma Okonkwo Appointed to Neurobiology Steering Committee
Ozioma Okonkwo has been appointed to the Neurobiology Steering Committee, the faculty governance of UW-Madison’s Undergraduate Neurobiology Major in Integrative Biology. The Steering Committee serves several functions including helping the program meet goals related to …
April 25, 2022Ozioma Okonkwo Appointed Chair of Research Day Committee
Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD has been appointed chair of the UW-Madison Department of Madison 2022 Research Day Program Committee. Congratulations, Ozioma!
April 25, 2022Okonkwo Lab at AAIC 2022
Several lab members have had their abstracts accepted for presentation in a variety of formats at this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego, California: Natascha Merten (oral presentation) Kyle Edmunds (oral presentation, poster …
April 13, 2022Ozioma Appointed to DOM Research Education Sub-Committee
Congratulations to Ozioma Okonkwo on appointment to the Department of Medicine Research Education Sub-Committee. This committee serves to recommend, organize, and sponsor a variety of seminars, workshops, and events that showcase exemplary research and scholarship …
April 4, 2022Natascha Earns CapEx Award
Congratulations to Natascha Merten for earning a $20k CapEx award for freezers to support work on the BOSS study!
April 4, 2022Clayton Accepted to Graduate School
Congratulations to Clayton McIntyre on accepting an admission offer from Wake Forest University’s Neuroscience PhD program! Clayton will begin his PhD training in Fall 2022.
April 4, 2022Okonkwo Lab at ADRD Research Day
Several lab members shared their work at the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Research Day event in Madison on April 5th: Lexi Nelson was chosen as an oral presenter for her abstract titled The Association …
April 4, 2022Welcome Hannatu
We are delighted to have Hannatu Amaza join the lab as our new ADNI Clinical Research Project Coordinator. Hannatu brings a wealth of research experience ranging from phase I-III industry drug and device trials to …
April 4, 2022Ozioma Okonkwo Recognized by Alzheimer’s Association Wisconsin Chapter
In celebration of Black History Month, the Wisconsin chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association highlighted the efforts of Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo as a pioneer in Alzheimer’s disease research. Read more here
February 10, 2022Ozioma Okonkwo Meets with WI First Lady Kathy Evers
Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD, an international leader in studying how physical activity changes the brain, recently met with Wisconsin First Lady Kathy Evers to discuss lifestyle factors that can protect against Alzheimer’s disease. Watch here
January 27, 2022Alice Motovylyak’s Manuscript Accepted
Congratulations to our former lab member Alice Motovylyak! Her manuscript “Age-related differences in white matter microstructure measured by advanced diffusion MRI in healthy older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease” accepted for publication in the …
January 27, 2022Natascha Merten to Give Oral Presentation
Natascha Merten’s proposal “Mental Health Among Sensory Impaired Individuals During COVID-19 Lockdown Measures” was accepted for an oral presentation at the 2022 Scientific and Technology Meeting of the American Auditory Society.
January 27, 2022Natascha Merten’s Manuscript Accepted
Congratulations to Natascha Merten! Her manuscript, “The Associations of Hearing Sensitivity and Different Cognitive Functions with Perception of Speech-in-Noise” was accepted in one of the biggest hearing journals: Ear and Hearing. https://journals.lww.com/ear-hearing/Abstract/9000/The_Associations_of_Hearing_Sensitivity_and.98375.aspx
January 27, 2022Alec Accepted to Medical School
Congratulations to Alec Czaplicki who has been accepted into the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine – Midwestern University!! He is still waiting on news from other Med Schools before making a final decision on where …
November 29, 2021Committee Appointments for Ozioma Okonkwo
Ozioma Okonkwo has been appointed to serve on several committees over the last few months: The NIH-NINDS Multiple Etiology Dementias (MED) committee for the 2022 NIH Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias (ADRD) Summit. When approved by the …
October 12, 2021Neuroscience Next Presentations
Four members of the Okonkwo Lab had their abstracts accepted for oral or poster presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) Neuroscience Next 2021! Max Gaitán: Circulating klotho is elevated in cerebrospinal fluid, but …
October 12, 2021Manuscripts Accepted for Publication
Two manuscripts were accepted for publication this summer: Max Gaitán’s manuscript was published in Frontiers in Endocrinology: Effects of Aerobic Exercise Training on Systematic biomarkers and Cognition in Late Middle-Aged Adults at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease …
October 12, 2021Welcome Natascha Merten, PhD
Natascha Merten, PhD joined the Okonkwo Lab on September 1st as an Assistant Scientist. We are thrilled to have her join us!
October 12, 2021Multiple lab members accepted for AAIC 2021 presentations
Five members of the Okonkwo Lab presented their work at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021! Max Gaitán: Cardiorespiratory fitness bolsters cerebrovascular health in adults at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (Oral session) Ryan Dougherty: …
October 12, 2021Welcome Alyssa & Ben
A warm welcome to the newest members of the Okonkwo Lab: Alyssa and Ben! Alyssa Pandos is our new LIFE study coordinator. Ben Rackovan is our new EXERT study coordinator.
April 20, 2021Clayton Receives Hilldale Fellowship
Congratulations to Clayton McIntyre on receiving a Hilldale Fellowship for 2021-2022! The title of the project is “Aerobic fitness, insulin sensitivity, and cognition in an aging cohort at risk for Alzheimer’s disease”, and the main …
April 12, 2021- More News