Connecting the Dots: Brain Health, Nutrition, & Health Disparities
Connecting the Dots: Brain Health, Nutrition, & Health Disparities
DESCRIPTION
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke every year, correlating with a stroke every 40 seconds. Furthermore, Black and African Americans are 2 times as likely to have a first stroke as white Americans. Research shows that cognitive impairment is a common complication of a stroke, and stroke survivors are two times more likely to develop dementia than the general population. In an effort to prevent this cognitive and memory decline, the NOURISH (Nutrition Effects on Brain Outcomes and Recovery in Stroke After Hospitalization) Study aims to explore the potential impacts of nutrition and diet on brain health. In exploring nutrition’s impact on brain health, food insecurity is a key social determinant of health. According to Feeding America, Black, Native American, and Latino individuals are 2 to 3 times more likely to live in food-insecure households than White individuals. The Connecting the Dots - Fireside Chat Series will discuss brain health, nutrition, and the health disparities surrounding food insecurity and stroke risk, care, & outcomes. With an intentional focus on recruiting from communities of color and underserved/underresourced populations, the NOURISH Study will serve as a Chicago-based model for the Connecting the Dots series.
MEET THE EXPERT
Dr. Neelum Aggarwal, MD
Dr. Neelum T. Aggarwal, MD, is a Professor in the Departments of Neurological Sciences and the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center. She is the Senior Neurologist for the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center (RADC), Research Director at the Rush Heart Center for Women, and serves as the Principal Investigator and Site Principal Investigator for multiple NIA-funded research studies and NIA funded consortia led clinical trials. Her work focuses on how sex, gender, and social determinants of health are associated with risk, detection, and treatment of cognitive changes associated with dementia. Her clinical and research interest continues to focus on the heart brain connection - and how lifestyle changes, specifically dietary interventions can improve cognition and prevent cognitive decline. Dr. Aggarwal is a long-standing voice for community-based research, clinical trial participation, public health initiatives, both in Chicago and nationally. She was the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, and presently serves as the AMWA delegate to the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates.
Her work as co-lead on the Advisory Group on Risk Evidence Education for Dementia (AGREEDementia.org) focuses on how the results of genetic, neuroimaging and blood based biomarkers can and should be communicated to patient populations, with a particular focus on how physicians and their care teams should approach these important conversations. As the Strategic Advisor for the CHI's Science Runway, and a Chicago Innovation Mentor (CIM), she continues to mentor and sponsor women and men in the medical, life sciences and STEM sectors. She completed her medical degree from the Rosalind Franklin University - Chicago Medical School, completed her neurology residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, and completed an aging and neurodegenerative disorders fellowship at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center.
WATCH THE VIDEOS
Joseph Gaspero is the CEO and Co-Founder of CHI. He is a healthcare executive, strategist, and researcher. He co-founded CHI in 2009 to be an independent, objective, and interdisciplinary research and education institute for healthcare. Joseph leads CHI’s research and education initiatives focusing on including patient-driven healthcare, patient engagement, clinical trials, drug pricing, and other pressing healthcare issues. He sets and executes CHI’s strategy, devises marketing tactics, leads fundraising efforts, and manages CHI’s Management team. Joseph is passionate and committed to making healthcare and our world a better place. His leadership stems from a wide array of experiences, including founding and operating several non-profit and for-profit organizations, serving in the U.S. Air Force in support of 2 foreign wars, and deriving expertise from time spent in industries such as healthcare, financial services, and marketing. Joseph’s skills include strategy, management, entrepreneurship, healthcare, clinical trials, diversity & inclusion, life sciences, research, marketing, and finance. He has lived in six countries, traveled to over 30 more, and speaks 3 languages, all which help him view business strategy through the prism of a global, interconnected 21st century. Joseph has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago. When he’s not immersed in his work at CHI, he spends his time snowboarding backcountry, skydiving, mountain biking, volunteering, engaging in MMA, and rock climbing.