WHO/PAHO
Visiting Scholars in Aging
(2005 - current)
Yeda Duarte, PhD, RN (February-May, 2005) from the University of São Paulo in Brazil. Dr. Duarte graduated from the School of Nursing, and pursued Master and Doctoral degrees in Nursing at the University of São Paulo. She had extensively worked in the epidemiology of aging and in tracking measures of health and wellness in older adults in Brazil, particularly in São Paulo. As a visiting scholar at UTMB, she received training and developed a geriatric nursing curriculum for her home institution. She also received training on analysis of longitudinal data for the follow up of the survey SABE.
Ana Alfaro Acha, MD
(May-October, 2005) is a physician from Madrid, Spain. She finished her
geriatric fellowship training in 2005 at the Universidad Complutense de
Madrid. Dr. Acha's main interest is in neurological aspects of aging;
including dementia, frailty, and disability and functional decline in
older adults. She also has done research work on functional and physical
performance outcomes in frail older adults. As a visiting scholar she
interacted with different research groups from the Sealy Center on
Aging.
Peer-reviewed
Articles:
Alfaro-Acha A, Al Snih S, Raji MA, Markides KS, Ottenbacher KJ.
Does 8-foot walk time predict cognitive decline in older Mexicans
Americans? Journal of the American
Geriatrics Society. 2007 Feb;55(2):245-51.
Alfaro-Acha A, Ostir GV, Markides KS, Ottenbacher KJ.
Cognitive status, body mass index, and hip fracture in older Hispanic
adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics
Society. 2006 Aug;54(8):1251-5.
Alfaro-Acha A, Al Snih S, Raji MA, Kuo YF, Markides KS, Ottenbacher KJ. Handgrip strength and cognitive decline in older Mexican Americans. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 2006 Aug;61(8):859-65.
Abel
Jesús Barragán-Berlanga, MD
(October, 2005-January, 2006) is a physician from Del.
Tlalpan,
Mexico
and
was
pursuing a
Geriatric Medicine
Fellowship
at
the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y
Nutrición "Salvador
Zubirán"
at
Mexico
City. He
obtained
his medical
degree
from "Ignacio A. Santos"
School of Medicine of
the
ITESM (Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios
Superiores de Monterrey)
and
completed
his
Internal Medicine
residency
at
the Hospital San José – Tecnológico de Monterrey,
at Monterrey, Nuevo León, México.
During his visit at WHO/PAHO
center, he developed a curriculum for a geriatric medicine fellowship
program in Mexico.
Posters:
A.J.
Barragan-Berlanga, O. Morey,
L.F. Amador, L.M.
Gutierrez-Robledo.
International Collaboration for Development of Geriatric
Medicine Fellowship Curriculum.
Diana
Lucia
Matallana, PhD (May-Jun 2007) is a psychologist from
Colombia. She pursued doctoral studies in Experimental
Neuropsychology, Memory and
Naloxone, at American University in Washington. As a Research
Coordinator of the Institute of Aging of Universidad Javeriana, she has
conducted research in dementia, cognitive decline, degenerative
diseases, and memory. She has also conducted research in Alzheimer
disease and related disorders with Dr. Carlos Cano. Her work as a
visiting scholar established a research network in cognitive decline.
She worked in two posters and presented them at the American Geriatrics
Society Annual Meeting 2008 in Washington DC.
Posters:
D.
Matallana,
C. A. Reyes-Ortiz, C. A. Cano, C. de Santacruz, P. Reyes, K. S.
Markides,
K. J. Ottenbacher.
Education Level and the Minimental State
Examination Domains among Older Mexican Americans
C.A. Reyes-Ortiz, D. Matallana, C. Cano, C. de Santacruz, P. Reyes, K. S. Markides, K. J. Ottenbacher. Memory Domain Is A Better Predictor For History Of Alzheimer’s Disease Or Failure In An Executive Clock Drawing Task Than The Total Minimental State Examination
Rafael
A.
Samper-Ternent, MD (July, 2007-January, 2008) received his MD
degree from the Universidad
Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia. He worked in the Geriatric Unit at
Fundacion Cardio Infantil, and collaborated with the research
project Interdisciplinary Care of Frail Elderly. His main interests in
research during his visit at WHO/PAHO were successful aging,
frailty, and cognition; he also wanted to learn about geriatric
education and curriculum development. During his visit, he
participated in the Scholars in Education lectures, which provide basic
knowledge to students on how to become medical educators. He also took
the Clinical Research Tools and Technics Course and had the opportunity
to observe the Acute Care for Elderly (ACE) Unit, a nursing home, and
attended most academic lectures given to Geriatric Fellows.
Peer-reviewed Articles:
Samper-Ternent R, Al
Snih S, Raji
MA, Markides KS, Ottenbacher
KJ. Relationship between Frailty and Cognitive Decline in
Older Mexican Americans.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
2008; 56(10):1845-1852
Samper-Ternent R, Beard H, Berges IM, Kuo YF, Ostir GV Living
Arrangement and Quality Of Life of Patients with Stroke after Discharge.
[Manuscript Submitted – December 2008]
Al Snih S, Graham J, Samper-Ternent R, Ray LA, Markides KS, Ottenbacher
KJ.
Frailty and incidence of ADL disability among older Mexican
Americans. [Manuscript Submitted – November 2008]
Ottenbacher, KJ, Graham J, Al Snih S, Raji M, Samper-Ternent R, Ostir GV,
Markides KS. Becoming Frail: Findings from the Hispanic
Established Populations Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (EPESE).
[In press American Journal of Public Health]
Posters:
Samper-Ternent R, Reyes-Ortiz C, Ju H, Ottenbacher KJ.
The Association Between Physical Activity and Nutrients Among Older
Persons. Presented at the 11th Annual Forum
on Aging. University of Texas Medical Branch. Galveston, Texas – October
3rd, 2007