Featured Scholar: Sophia Wang, MD
Wesley P. Martin Scholar in Alzheimer’s Education and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
IU School of Medicine
Research Video: https://youtu.be/9BXhIOlPx1o
A Pilot Study of the BE SMART (Brain Health Education to Promote Cognitive Screening in Minority Communities and to Increase Diverse Participation in Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Clinical Trials) Intervention
Black and Hispanic older adults are at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, they are often unaware of the importance of early detection of AD and often lack access to cognitive screening. The BE SMART intervention will address these gaps by educating minority communities about the value of early detection of AD and offering free cognitive screening.
The overall goal of Dr. Wang's research project is to design and test the BE SMART intervention. The culturally tailored intervention includes a bilingual education program for minority communities about the value of early detection of AD and cognitive screening, optional free cognitive screening, and feedback about the screening results. Dr. Wang, her research partner, Dr. Veronica Derricks, and their other research collaborators, use the sites of community partners to overcome access concerns about receiving cognitive screening. Bilingual educational materials in English and Spanish, e.g. brochures, videos, in person scripts are available to the community. The community outcomes of the research project include increased awareness of the value of early detection of AD and increased participation in cognitive screening. The intervention addresses health disparities in AD which disproportionately affects minority communities. Dr. Wang's translation of research into better health outcomes for Black and Hispanic older adults is another excellent example of how IU Indianapolis's faculty members are TRANSLATING their RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.
Selected Publications in IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks
With several scholarly articles contributed to IU Indianapolis's free, open access repository, Dr. Wang has made research knowledge about practical solutions for affordable and reliable energy from renewable sources available to researchers, students, and readers around the world.
Wang S, Perkins AJ, Chi R, et al. Risk factors for dementia in older intensive care unit (ICU) survivors [published online ahead of print, 2023 Aug 17]. Alzheimers Dement. 2023;10.1002/alz.13423. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/35660
Eliacin J, Polsinelli AJ, Epperson F, et al. Barriers and facilitators to participating in Alzheimer's disease biomarker research in black and white older adults. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2023;9(2):e12399. Published 2023 Jun 5. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/35668
Pena-Garcia A, Richards R, Richards M, et al. Accelerating diversity in Alzheimer's disease research by partnering with a community advisory board. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2023;9(2):e12400. Published 2023 May 28. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/35659
Khan SH, Perkins AJ, Chi R, et al. Relationship Among Clinically Obtained Biomarkers of Inflammation, Hypercoagulability, and Macrophage Activation, and Delirium in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19. Crit Care Explor. 2023;5(1):e0851. Published 2023 Jan 18. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/35657
Wang S, Jawed Y, Perkins A, et al. Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor, Caregiver Version: Screening for Post-Intensive Care Syndrome. Am J Crit Care. 2022;31(2):137-144. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/35667
Serrano P, Kheir YNP, Wang S, Khan S, Scheunemann L, Khan B. Aging and Postintensive Care Syndrome- Family: A Critical Need for Geriatric Psychiatry. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2019;27(4):446-454. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/35648
Wang S, Hammes J, Khan S, et al. Improving Recovery and Outcomes Every Day after the ICU (IMPROVE): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2018;19(1):196. Published 2018 Mar 27. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/35661
Find more free articles by Sophia Wang in IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks.