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About the Internship
About the Internship
This is an observational study that tracks changes in clinical measures, cognition, imaging, blood and cerebral spinal fluid biomarker/genetics among participants ages 40-64 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) for 600 participants and 100 age-matched controls.
The goal of my internship site is to understand a for of Alzheimer's that hasn't really been explored, this form of Alzheimer's is called Early Onset Alzheimer's. This work matters because the people that it is impacting people aged 40-64, that still may have families and or are still raising children. In females' differences in estrogen levels across the lifespan have been linked to risk of dementia, this points us in the direction for understanding sex linked vulnerabilities to dementia.
Featured at the very top is a informational infographic about the study. This infographic features the colors of purple as they represent Alzheimer's disease. There are pictures of brains in light bulbs with question marks as this disease affects the brain and can typically lead people to questioning what is happening to their memory. It was finished up with a fun fact as well. Below is a paragraphs that explains more in depth about the study and more of an explanation of the fun fact provided.
Liked above is a YouTube video all about the LEADS study. As they go through the video, the lead P.I. Liana Apostolova goes through and talks about the study and what it can become. She states that this form of Alzheimer's was one that had never been studied before. Most believe think that Alzheimer's only occurs as we age. Well this study explains otherwise and shows that those in ther 40's, 50's and 60's and start to develop it as well. The other key information is that this type of Alzheimer's is very different than the one developed later in life. This disease is also hard to track and find information about due to people not seeking medical attention. This then leads them to get possibly misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all, and then there is not treatment very optimal past the mild stage.
The video is brought to us by WebsEdgeMedicine
LSHI Project Summary:
LEADS is an observational study focused on the development of Early Onset Alzheimer's for those aged 40-64. The purpose is to understand the causes of sporadic early onset Alzheimer's Disease individuals, and how they are different for those developing this disease after the age of 65 or later. This study is used to address the needs of those who are still fully employed and have children still living at home. Patients that choose to participate in the study are screened with cognitive testing once per year. They are brought in and screened through a series of cognitive activities and graded based on performance. The performance is logged in a patient chart that is carried from year to year to moderate cognitive impairment. We follow people for as long as they are willing to stay in the study. The level of cognitive impairment they reach before they end the study can vary. Another screening that is taken and monitored is the development of white matter changes/hyperintensities in the brain. This is seen through performing an MRI screening of the patient's brain. A higher amount of white matter changes/hyperintensities in the brain is associated with worse cognition of brain function. This study continues to track the development of EOAD to advance therapeutic development and ultimately improve quality of life and longevity for these individuals.
Workplace
Workplace
One of my strengths is getting work done early and on time.
This skill came from needing to get assignments done on time and not wanting to fall behind on my work, so I always try and work completed as early as I can.
Another strength is that I ask a lot of questions or how to do something to make sure that I am confident in what I am about to start.
I needed to do this a lot when I worked in a chemistry workshop, I needed to ask specifics before working because due to a time schedule we could really have errors.
A skill that I have gained over the years is time management, I like to plan out my schedule for a week and plan when I can complete tasks and how long I should work on said tasks.
I have started to do this more because I have found it to be a road map for how I want to play the week and what all I want to get done.
Another skill is communication, I have no problem going to talk to someone to give or talk to them about something.
During the Internship:
With time management I will be sure to get materials completed in a timely manner and to make sure i have enough time to do something. This is so I am not scrambling at the last minute trying to finish a task. Starting out i will have to ask more questions and talk to people that way I can do things to the best of my ability. This really comes into play when making binders for patients because they change the layout of the binder each time the patient comes in. So, I am making sure I am accessing, printing off and labeling the right materials for the specific binder. And that also comes with the skill of asking a lot of questions and making sure I know what I am doing before I start. And lastly all these culminate into getting the materials done and completed on time and not late.
Throughout this year I have been a team member that is always willing to help and get the job done. My role hasn't really changed over the course of the internship. However, I have been able to participate in more and accomplish more because I have learned more of the ropes. I have done multiple Quality review checks on documents, I have made the packets that get checked through the quality review checks, I have constructed binders used in yearly screenings and I helped on a project to comb through recordings of yearly screens to make sure everything was there. My contributions only helped the project continue moving and get ready for new incoming patients. My efforts just helped everything stay on track and it was less work for everyone else to do knowing they could grab a binder that had already been prepped before going to perform a yearly screening.
Successes and Challenges
Successes and Challenges
SUCCESSES
One time when I felt successful was when I was able to hook up the printer to a computer that I was working at. My supervisor wasn't here that week and I needed to print something off and it was the only computer available, so I took it upon myself to get the computer hooked up. And it worked when I tried to print something off. Another time when I felt successful was when I did a QC, and I didn't have to fix anything after my supervisor had checked it over. I have definitely had many more successes this year since I last wrote what I have done. One big success is not having to get everything check over after I have completed it. Now I can create a binder for a screening and after its completed just go put it in the room knowing that I have done it correctly. Another time I felt successful was when I had to comb through lots of audio recording to make sure each one had been named and placed accordingly. I knew that I had been taking long time to get this project done than the other intern, but I knew at the end of the day I was doing it correctly. That meant more to me than trying to get the job done as quick as possible. I will apply these success in my academic life when I look at the smaller yet meaning full accomplishments, instead of the big ones.
CHALLENGES
One challenging part is finding time to do schoolwork and study. When I have plenty of time for class and work, I am still working to better my time in finding was to study but not let it take up all of my free time. Another challenge is trying to remember how to do everything that I have learned and done after going away from it to work on another project and the comeback to do that same task. Another challenging time I have had since I last wrote was making sure I hadn't forgotten information. When my supervisors would check over my work, she would always find information that I had forget to include or write down. However, this trained me to check more over my work to make sure she didn't have to come back and tell me everything I had missed. Another challenge is taking place right now in study. We are working on getting new patients but there isn't a lot of work to go around so trying to ask what needs to be done and not having much to do has also been a challenge. Through all these challenges though, this study has taught me to check over my work, ask question when needed, and always be looking for something to accomplish.
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