Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo highlighted by Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences

Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo

The research of Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD, assistant professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology, was profiled by the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS) Foundation. 

Dr. Okonkwo is a recipient of the FABBS Foundation Early Career Impact Award, which will be presented in October, 2017 during the annual meeting of the National Academy of Neuropsychology. 

His research has found that exercise can help prevent the brain changes and cognitive declines associated with Alzheimer’s disease - promising news for adults with a family history of the disease who have long feared that their long-term prognosis is a foregone conclusion. 

The news summary describes Dr. Okonwko's goals of of improving early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and identifying potential strategies for prevention. 

To explain why he and his colleagues study individuals who are genetically at risk for Alzheimer's disease but who have little or no cognitive impairment, Dr. Okonwko said, "“We believe that to have a real impact on the looming epidemic [of Alzheimer’s], we need to intervene much earlier than when people have symptoms, given the state of the science now." 

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