Our Research Centers

CERCF

Strengthening Cognitive Functions

Disorders of Memory & Behavior

Alterations in Brain Regulations

Grants and Research Office

Center for Enhancement and Restoration of Cognitive Function

Disorders of Memory and Behavior

Wandering
Donna Algase, PhD, RN, FAAN, directs the development of Clinical Programs at the Center for Enhancement and Restoration of Cognitive Function. She has balanced her professional career by becoming strongly established in both clinical care and research, making her uniquely skilled to stimulate research initiatives, which match clinical needs and applications. Her program of NIA and NINR funded research, focused on the need-driven, dementia-compromised behavior model and wandering behavior of persons with cognitive impairments, reflects a strong clinical orientation. Dr. Algase's linkages to the Turner Geriatric Clinic, The Institute of Gerontology, and Glacier Hills Retirement Center, together with her experience in designing, launching, and delivering several systems of care to demented elderly, provide a strong foundation for supporting development of clinical programs by Center faculty members.

Disorientation
Barbara Therrien, PhD, RN, FAAN, Director of the Center for Enhancement and Restoration of Cognitive Function, has an extensive background in nursing and neuroscience and has been funded by the National Institutes of Health throughout her research career. Her work focuses on brain mechanisms of disorientation and impaired spatial memory. Disoriented people, lost and unable to find their way from place to place, incur great physical and psychological risk. Currently, Dr. Therrien is designing therapies to reduce disoriented behaviors by exploring cue-guided wayfinding strategies and techniques to reduce environmental distractions, as well as to promote spatial learning.

Disruptive Behavior
Ann Whall, PhD, RN, FAAN, researches approaches to aggressive behaviors in mid - to late-stage dementia. She is Principal Investigator on a five-year (1999-2004) research grant funded by NINR (NIH) which models factors related to display of aggressive behaviors in dementia. Dr. Whall is also Associate Director of the Geriatrics Center, a Faculty Associate at the Institute of Gerontology, and a Co-director of a project on Partners in Quality Care of the University of Michigan Medical School.

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