Okonkwo Lab News
Leah Symanski Accepted Into Medical School
Leah Symanski was accepted into the Central Michigan University College of Medicine and will start in August 2026. Congratulations on this achievement, Leah! We are so proud of you and know you will be an …
July 6, 2026
Gabriella Mamlouk Invited to Co-Chair Developing Topics Session at AAIC 2026
Gabriella Mamlouk has been invited to co-chair a Developing Topics session at AAIC this year! She will be moderating alongside another session chair, which is a fantastic recognition of her expertise and contributions to AAIC the …
July 6, 2026
Asha Coy Accepted Into Medical School
Asha Coy was accepted into the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis. She will start this August, and we couldn’t be more excited for her. Congratulations, Asha – we are beyond proud of …
June 12, 2026
Sara Fernandes-Taylor’s Manuscript Accepted for Publication
Sara Fernandes-Taylor’s manuscript “Neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, and synaptic dysfunction biomarkers in cognitively unimpaired people with advanced Alzheimer pathology” has been accepted for publication in Neurology Open Access. Congratulations, SFT!
June 8, 2026Gabriella Mamlouk Awarded The Graduate School’s Student Research Grants Competition Fellowship
Gabriella Mamlouk was awarded The Graduate School’s Student Research Grants Competition Fellowship! This fellowship provides funding support for graduate students to present their research at conferences. Congratulations, Gabby! We are so excited to have you …
June 3, 2026Abstracts Accepted for Poster Presentations at AAIC 2026
The Okonkwo Lab has four lab members whose abstracts were accepted for poster presentations at AAIC 2026 in London, England: Gabriella Mamlouk: Racial Identity Moderates the Association Between Depression And AD-Relevant Plasma Biomarkers in a …
May 28, 2026
Ozioma Okonkwo Invited to Speak at 2026 PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society (PNIRS) Presidential Symposium
Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo has been invited to speak in the Presidential Symposium at the 2026 PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society (PNIRS) annual meeting in New Orleans from June 22-25! He will be presenting on “Resilience to AD: …
May 26, 2026
Mackenzie Jarchow Accepted into Medical School
Mackenzie Jarchow was accepted into the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (starting in June 2026)! Congratulations, Kenzie – we are so incredibly proud of you and can’t wait to see all …
May 26, 2026Gabriella Mamlouk Receives Fan Favorite Lightning Presentation Award at ADRD Research Day 2026
Gabriella received Fan Favorite Lightning Presentation Awardee for delivering her presentation “Racial identity moderates the association between depression and AD-relevant plasma biomarkers in a multi-ethnic cohort” at the 2026 ADRD Research Day. Congratulations, Gabby!
April 16, 2026
Emma Nicolaysen Receives Best Graduate Student Poster Award at ADRD Research Day 2026
Emma received Best Graduate Student Poster Awardee for presenting her poster “KLOTHO KL-VS heterozygosity attenuates the association between age-related neurodegeneration and subsequent decline in executive function in a cohort of cognitively unimpaired middle-aged and older …
April 16, 2026
Marissa Torres-Raby Accepted into Medical School
Marissa Torres-Raby was accepted into the University of Wisconsin – Madison Medical School (starting in August 2026)! Congratulations, Marissa – we are so very proud of you and are excited for you to continue your …
April 16, 2026Ozioma Okonkwo to Serve as an Associate Editor for Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions
Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo has been invited to serve as an Associate Editor for Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions. Congratulations, Ozioma!
March 27, 2026
Isabella Hoang Awarded Team Science Fellowship at Stanford University
Isabella Hoang has been awarded the Team Science Fellowship at Stanford University! The Stanford Team Science Fellowship is a one-year fellowship where Isabella will receive mentorship training and lead a small team of scholars in …
March 23, 2026
Okonkwo Lab at AD/PD 2026
Members from the Okonkwo Lab traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark to orally present their work at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases (AD/PD): Bri Breidenbach: Multiplexed plasma proteomics reveal divergent protein networks associated with …
March 23, 2026Abstracts Accepted for Poster Presentation at DOM Research Day 2026
The Okonkwo Lab has 2 lab members whose abstracts were accepted for poster presentation at the Department of Medicine (DOM) Research Day 2026 in Madison, WI: Adam Paulsen: Cardiorespiratory fitness and brain atrophy: Sex differences …
March 18, 2026Multiple Abstracts Accepted for Presentation at ADRD Research Day 2026
The Okonkwo Lab has 3 lab members whose abstracts were accepted for oral or poster presentation at the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD) Research Day 2026 in Madison, WI: Gabby Mamlouk: Racial identity moderates …
March 18, 2026Gabriella Mamlouk Receives Community Champion Award
Gabriella Mamlouk received the Community Champion Award from the UW Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)! The University of Wisconsin MSTP Community Champion Award is an annual award given to three outstanding individuals within the UW …
February 16, 2026
Bri Breidenbach and Sarah Lose are Featured Guests on Dementia Matters Podcast Episode
Dr. Bri Breidenbach and Sarah Lose were featured guests on a recent episode of the podcast Dementia Matters: Taking Steps to Slow Decline: New Study Examines the Role of Physical Activity on Alzheimer’s Progression They …
January 16, 2026Ozioma Okonkwo Selected as an Inaugural Fellow of the International Neuropsychological Society
Ozioma Okonkwo has been selected as one of the inaugural Fellows of the International Neuropsychological Society (FINS)! The FINS designation was established to honor members whose dedication and service have made lasting contributions to INS. …
January 9, 2026
Sarah Lose Receives Department of Medicine Staff Award for Exemplifying/Demonstrating the Department’s Core Values
We are thrilled to share that Sarah has been selected as the recipient of the Department of Medicine (DOM) Staff Award for Exemplifying/Demonstrating the Department’s Core Values. This award recognizes individuals whose actions directly support …
January 7, 2026
Ira Frahmand’s Manuscript Accepted for Publication
Ira Frahmand’s manuscript “Age-related alterations in plasma biomarkers of relevance to Alzheimer’s disease are attenuated in KLOTHO KL-VS heterozygotes” has been accepted for publication in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (JAD). Congratulations, Ira!
January 5, 2026
Chinenye Odo Receives Conditional Approval on Research Grant
Former gradaute student Chinenye Odo recently received conditional approval for a competitive research grant at UPMC! Grant title: Thomas H. Nimick, Jr. Competitive Research Fund Funding mechanism: The Competitive Research Fund of UPMC Shadyside Hospital and Shadyside …
December 19, 2025
Alec Czaplicki’s Manuscript Accepted for Publication
Alec Czaplicki’s manuscript “Serum Klotho Levels, Brain Structure, and Cognitive Performance” has been accepted for publication in JAMA Neurology. Congratulations, Alec!
December 18, 2025Ozioma Okonkwo Invited as Keynote Speaker at The International Conference of The Brain and Mind Institute of The Aga Khan University
Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo was invited as a Keynote Speaker at the International Conference of the Brain and Mind Institute of the Aga Khan University held in Karachi, Pakistan, November 3-5, 2025. His presentation was titled …
November 18, 2025Ozioma Okonkwo Invited to Speak at The Defining The Landscape of Late-Onset Unexplained Epilepsy Conference
Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo was invited to speak at the Defining the Landscape of Late-Onset Unexplained Epilepsy Conference held in South Casco, Maine, October 15-17, 2025. His presentation was titled “Lifestyle modification for prevention of dementia.”
November 18, 2025Ozioma Okonkwo Invited as Keynote Speaker at The International Conference of the Hellenistic Neuropsychological Society
Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo was invited as a Keynote Speaker at the International Conference of the Hellenistic Neuropsychological Society held in Athens, Greece, October 10-12, 2025. His presentation was titled “Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Resilience to Alzheimer’s …
November 18, 2025
Anna Gaul Accepted into Medical School
Anna Gaul was accepted into the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities MD class of 2030 (starting in August 2026)! Congratulations, Anna – we are so very proud of you!
November 5, 2025Ira Frahmand’s Abstract Accepted for Oral Presentation at AD/PD 2026
Ira Frahmand’s abstract “Proteomic insight into Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-relevant pathways distinguishing KLOTHO KL-VS heterozygotes from non-carriers in a sample at risk for AD” has been accepted for an Onsite Oral Presentation at AD/PD (International Conference on …
October 23, 2025
Bri Breidenbach’s Abstract Accepted for Oral Presentation at AD/PD 2026
Bri Breidenbach’s abstract “Multiplexed plasma proteomics reveal divergent protein networks associated with resistance and resilience to Alzheimer’s disease” has been accepted for an Onsite Oral Presentation at AD/PD (International Conference on Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases), taking place from …
October 23, 2025
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!
September 24, 2025- More News