Research
Selected research projects, with posters, slides, and publications.
Stroke Severity
This project was conducted in collaboration with the Kinesiology Department at UGA. My team and I analyzed electronic health records from stroke patients within the largest hospital system in Athens, GA, with the overall goal of helping establish a patient recruitment network to advance UGA-based stroke research. We investigated how demographic factors and comorbidities influence length of stay and discharge destination, and found that admission stroke severity scores and admission unit were key predictors.
NPS in Alzheimer’s
This project was conducted at UC Irvine with the ISI-BUDS program. My team and I investigated neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) associated with Down syndrome (DS). While NPS have been well studied in late-onset AD, their effects in patients with AD due to DS remain a gap in the literature. We found that NPS in DS and older adults were similar across cognitive groups, including cognitively stable, mild cognitive impairment, and clinical dementia. These similarities may reflect shared amyloid or related pathology.
Publication: Magana-Ramirez, C. M., Gillen, D. L., Hom, C. L., Jaimes, L., Jr, et al. (2025). Neuropsychiatric symptoms and emerging dementia in people with Down syndrome and older adults. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 21(11), e70871. doi.org/10.1002/alz.70871
Lung Cancer Costs
This project was conducted at Columbia University with the BEST program. I analyzed cost trajectories for lung cancer patients and compared outcomes between non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White patients. Non-Hispanic Black patients had a lower survival probability than non-Hispanic White patients, and significant cost differences persisted across Medicare Parts A and B and Part D. The poster below shows additional analysis.