Dr. Michelle Chen, IFH core member, and instructor, department of neurology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, was selected as a Junior Faculty Scholar in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) Health Equity Scholars Program.

The aim of the program is to provide targeted mentored training to emerging scientists who are either from an underrepresented background or have an interest in health equity research. Scholars receive training in basic, clinical, translational, and community engaged research competencies that position them to become successful independent investigators. ADNI is part of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“There is a need for a more diverse workforce and participant pool in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) research,” says Dr. Chen. “I am excited to be selected as the junior faculty member for the first wave of the ADNI Health Equity Scholars Program, where I will receive training to conduct health equity research in AD/ADRD, in addition to completing a project validating digital cognitive biomarkers in the existing ADNI dataset.”

Dr. Chen is a neuropsychologist focusing her research on utilizing digital and sensor technology in the assessment and treatment of cognitive dysfunction and other neurological symptoms. For example, one of her studies examined how smartphone typing dynamics (e.g., typing speed, typing errors) may reflect cognitive status among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS).

She is the recipient of a K23 Mentored Career Development Award funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), studying the impact of health and lifestyle risk factors for cognitive decline among persons with MS. Her long-term goal in this line of research is to develop digital lifestyle interventions aimed at improving cognition. Recently, Dr. Chen received the Collaborative Multidisciplinary Award from the Rutgers University Research Council, investigating real-world physiological biomarkers of post-COVID fatigue using a wearable sensor. Such physiological biomarkers have the potential to improve remote monitoring of fatigue and facilitate just-in-time adaptive interventions that can be delivered remotely through mobile devices.

See https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michelle-Chen-33 for her publications.