Research Opportunities for PLME and Medical Students
Academic Year 2003-4 or
Summer Research Assistantships
Butler Hospital Memory & Aging Program
The Butler Hospital Memory Clinic invites PLME and medical students to work as research assistants investigating Alzheimer s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Faculty for the research assistantship will be Dr. Stephen Salloway from Clinical Neurosciences and Dr. Paul Malloy from Psychiatry. The Memory Clinic is comprised of a multidisciplinary research team of neurologists, neuropsychologists and geriatric psychiatrists and faculty from the departments of diagnostic imaging and pathology who are dedicated to developing new treatments that improve quality of life for patients and families with memory loss and dementia. Ongoing research projects include:
- an MRI and blood pressure study of microvascular changes in Alzheimer's
- Diffusion MRI studies of dementia
- Functional MM studies in the elderly
- Clinical trials for treatment of Alzheimer s disease and related dementias
- Studies of cognitive function and memory loss in normal aging
- Neuropathological studies of AD
- Genetic studies of families with inherited forms of dementia
Students will have the opportunity to gain experience in all phases of the research process, including subject recruitment, data collection, analysis, and project write-up. Supervision is based on a mentorship model, and students can learn to conduct independent research. Students will sit in on clinic visits, perform assessments on memory clinic patients and will participate in clinical research meetings and clinical conferences. Interested undergraduate PLME students will have the opportunity to receive independent study credit or develop an honors thesis. This is an excellent chance to learn about the latest research for Alzheimer s disease and other causes of memory loss in a supportive and stimulating clinical research environment. For more information, please contact Stephen Salloway, MD at 401-455-6403.
