Dr. Milani Honored for Alzheimer’s and Aging Research

Sadaf Milani, PhD, former T32 Health of Older Minorities Postdoctoral Trainee at the Sealy Center on Aging and a current UTMB Pepper Center Scholar has earned several awards. An article was recently published by the University of Florida, where Dr. MIlani received her doctorate:

"Sadaf Milani, PhD, MPH, a graduate of the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions doctorate in epidemiology and master’s in public health programs, has received the 2022 Early Career Investigator Award from the Diversity and Disparities Professional Interest Group of the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment.

The award honors early career investigators conducting research on diversity/disparities in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias that has the potential to make a significant contribution to knowledge of research, prevention, treatment, assessment, or care among diverse and/or underrepresented populations globally.

She is also the inaugural recipient of the Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, Ph.D., O.T.R., Junior Faculty Research Award presented by the Sealy Center on Aging at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Funds will be used to support her research efforts, including project staff and supplies, research training activities and conference travel to present study results.

Milani also recently received a career development award (K01) from the National Institute on Aging titled “Gender Disparities in Pain and Treatment and their Association with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD).” The overall goal of her K01 research is to establish the link between pain and ADRD and determine the extent to which untreated pain is a potentially modifiable risk factor that may contribute to the gender disparity in ADRD.

An assistant professor of geriatrics at the UTMB department of internal medicine, Milani’s research is focused on gender differences in pain and the association of pain with cognitive impairment. Her current projects use data from diverse, population-based cohorts of aging, including the Mexican Health and Aging Study, the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly, and the Health and Retirement Study."