UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State nursing assistant professor Ying-Ling Jao has been selected for the Alzheimer's Association Interdisciplinary Summer Research Institute (AA-ISRI). The Alzheimer's Association program focuses on research related to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).
The AA-ISRI program, hosted Aug. 9 to 13 in Chicago, Illinois, will provide an opportunity for 24 early career researchers in psychosocial care and public health to advance their career in dementia research through gaining knowledge of basic clinical and biological aspects of ADRD, make connections with leaders and peers in the field, and develop a draft research proposal for AA-ISRI and/or National Institute of Health (NIH) funding.
Jao’s research focuses on the impact of social environments and physical environments on neurobehavioral symptoms in individuals with ADRD. Her ongoing project, funded by the NIH, examines staff-resident interaction and its impact on apathy in residents with ADRD in nursing homes. The project records videos to capture staff caregiver-resident interactions during their routine care activities and examine the evaluate residents’ engagement, affect, and apathy symptoms during the interactions.
In addition, Jao collaborates with Julian Wang, a Penn State architecture engineering faculty member, in developing an innovative, smart, ambient bright light intervention to be implemented in nursing homes.
“I’m very honored to be selected to participate in the Alzheimer's Association Interdisciplinary Summer Institute this summer. I’m so thrilled because I will have opportunities to further hone my research skills and advance my knowledge on the clinical and biological aspects of ADRD.” said Jao. “I believe this training opportunity will have great implications to advance my research program and, more importantly, to develop interventions to improve the social and physical environments and the quality of care for older adults with ADRD in long-term care.”
To learn more about the AA-ISRI, click here.