This field interests Margaret because she has worked in skilled nursing facilities specializing in caring for residents with dementia. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation from the University of Northern Colorado. Before joining the University of Utah, she was the director of the Senior Activity Center in Montpelier, Vermont, from 1995-2001. She now coordinates numerous academic activities in support of the Center’s clinical, educational and outreach missions.
Taylor assists Dr. Kevin Duff, primarily with his Cognitive Training and Practice Effects in MCI research study. He joined CACIR in 2014 after moving to Utah from his hometown of Laplace, Louisiana (near New Orleans). Taylor graduated in 2014 from Centenary College of Louisiana with a BA in Psychology, minoring in Neuroscience. He is preparing to apply for Cognitive Psychology PhD programs in a few years. He presented a poster of his independent research on Backward Serial Recall and Strength of Handedness at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience Conference. His interests include memory, working memory, lateralization of brain function and brain imaging.
Rorie joined CACIR in June 2015, in line with her interest in progressive and patient-centered healthcare. Ms. DuPrey has a Masters level degree in Health Promotion & Education through the University of Utah, as well as additional graduate level education in Educational Psychology through the Instructional Design & Educational Technology (IDET) program. She maintains an international certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and the federally-recognized mid-level project/ program manager certification (FAC P/PM-II) through the VA Acquisition Academy and has over 12 years experience working in the healthcare industry.
Rorie joined CACIR in June 2015, in line with her interest in progressive and patient-centered healthcare. Ms. DuPrey has a Masters level degree in Health Promotion & Education through the University of Utah, as well as additional graduate level education in Educational Psychology through the Instructional Design & Educational Technology (IDET) program. She maintains an international certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and the federally-recognized mid-level project/ program manager certification (FAC P/PM-II) through the VA Acquisition Academy and has over 12 years experience working in the healthcare industry.
Jenny joined CACIR’s clinical trials team in March 2015. She conducts clinical trials for the sole purpose of getting Alzheimer’s disease medications FDA approved. She is interested in helping AD patients and hopes to help find a cure or treatment future generations can benefit from. With over ten years of experience in clinical research, Jenny previously coordinated COPD, diabetes, osteoarthritis, lupus and pediatric studies.
Vivian joined the Alzheimer’s Center in September 2013, after working in clinical research for over five years. She has an extensive background in community health and program planning. This field interests Vivian because previously she primarily worked with younger women and children. She enjoys coordinating studies with subjects from a population she has never worked with before. Vivian was born in New York, New York. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Health Education from the University of Utah in 2001 and is bilingual (Spanish).
Susan joined the CACIR team in January 2014. She is happy to help contribute to the outstanding research and clinical treatment provided by our staff, especially as the need will increase in the years to come. Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, Susan has moved frequently most of her life but now considers herself at home in Salt Lake City. She earned a BS degree in Behavioral Science and Health with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Utah. Susan administers the Gift to Life family autopsy program, advocates on behalf of patients with insurance companies, provides general and clinical administrative support for faculty and CACIR, including travel planning.
Karen has over 25 years of experience in health care administration, including 8 years as business offices manager for Yellowstone Park Medical Services. A member of the Society of Research Administrators International, Karen has been with the University of Utah for 18 years, managing on both divisional and research levels. She served as coordinating center manager for a multi-center NIH clinical trial, playing a key role in the development of the proposal, contract negotiations, site initiation, study implementation, and close-out.
Morgan joined CACIR in 2015 and performs neuropsychiatric testing for research participants. She is excited to have a career that can influence people’s lives. She earned a BS in Neuropsychology from Westminster College in 2012. Previously, Morgan worked in the University of Utah’s Tourette’s laboratory and also in the University of Utah’s Neuropsychology laboratory with Dr. Suchy.
Kayla assists Dr. Kevin Duff, primarily in running his Cognitive Training and Practice Effects in MCI research study. She joined CACIR in 2014 after moving to Utah from her hometown of Oakley, California. After studying for two years at Franklin University Switzerland, she went on to graduate from Brigham Young University—Hawaii with a BS in Psychology. She has previously worked in general psychology research and has presented several projects at national conferences, including her senior research on fertility pheromones. Other academic interests of Kayla’s include adolescent psychology, communications/media studies, marketing research, and social psychology.
Angela performs statistical analyses of PET images using Statistical Stereotactic Projection (SSP) and implements Insight Toolkit (ITK) functions to support clinical and research protocols. She loves the opportunity this provides to non-invasively see the brain through PET and MR imaging to gain insight into the mechanisms of brain function. Dr. Wang earned her Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and her Master’s and Doctoral degrees from the University of California at Berkeley in Electrical Engineering and Biophysics.