JBR Journal of Clinical Diagnosis and Research
Open Access

Biography

My background is in cognitive science, with post-doctoral training in neurobiology and behavior. I am an Assistant Professor at the Pacific University School of Professional Psychology (Summer 2013) and hold an Affiliate appointment at the University of British Columbia Division of Neurology. My research is in aging, cognitive impairment and dementia, with a focus on the brain-cognition characteristics of early Alzheimer Disease (AD), non-AD disorders including Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) and Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI). I have conducted extensive clinical and epidemiological research on individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). I have expertise in the use and analysis of FDG-PET and fMRI. A second research focus has been on instrument development, particularly on computerized cognitive testing approaches to detect MCI. I am interested in the clinical validity, the quality of the person-computer interface and the portability into the home setting of these approaches.

Research Interest

Aging, cognitive impairment and dementia; early cognitive and functional MRI-based recognition of cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative disease (e.g., Lacunar infarct, Alzheimer Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia); interventions to promote quality of life in dementia; cognitive and clinical instrument development for disease recognition and monitoring; cross-cultural considerations and human-computer interactions in the context of cognitive impairment and dementia.