The Butler Hospital Memory & Aging Program invites upper classmen with interest in the neurosciences, psychology, and biology to participate in our clinical and research program. Students may volunteer, use work-study hours (10 to 20 hours per week), or develop independent research projects, or honors theses. Interested students should be highly motivated, should be able to work well independently and in a team setting, should have excellent organizational skills, and should have a strong interest in neurodegenerative disorders. Students will work under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Salloway from Clinical Neurosciences and Dr. Paul Malloy from Psychiatry and will receive guidance from other faculty and fellows. 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:
- MRI and blood pressure study of microvascular changes in Alzheimers
- Diffusion MRI studies of dementia
- Functional MRI 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 who are interested in developing independent research projects will have the opportunity to gain experience in all phases of the research process, including protocol development, IRB submission, subject recruitment, data collection, analysis, and project write-up. Supervision is based on a mentorship model, and students can learn to conduct independent research. Additionally, students will sit in on clinic visits, perform assessments on memory clinic patients and will participate in clinical research meetings and clinical conferences. Interested students will have the opportunity to receive independent study credit or develop an honors thesis, and will be eligible to apply for UTRA fellowships. 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 or call 401-455-6403.
For more information about the Brown UTRA, visit their website.
