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About Us

Dr. Glenna Brewster is an Assistant Professor on the tenure track at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University and a Family Nurse Practitioner providing care for persons living with dementia. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor and Masters of Science in Nursing, a Masters of Arts in Gerontology, and a Ph.D. in Nursing Science. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine.   Dr. Brewster’s program of research aims:

  1. To understand sleep disturbance experienced by persons living with cognitive impairment and their caregivers, develop behavioral interventions to address the identified sleep disturbance, and examine the impact of these sleep interventions on psychological, cognitive, and physiological outcomes.
  2. To develop psychoeducational interventions for caregivers of persons living with cognitive impairment and dementia in the Caribbean.
Dr. Brewster has been funded by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence, the Alzheimer’s Association, the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. She is a fellow the Programs to Increase Diversity in Behavioral Sleep Medicine and Sleep Disorders Research. She participated in the Butler-Williams Scholar and the NINR Summer Genetics Institute. Dr. Brewster serves on the Board of Directors for the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence and has served as a co-convener for the Nursing Care of Older Adults research interest group for the Gerontological Society of America. Dr. Brewster has published her research in many multidisciplinary journals including the Journal of Aging and Health, and Geriatric Nursing. Dr. Brewster has also given numerous presentations about her work at local, regional, and international conferences including the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, Southern Nursing Research Society, SLEEP, and Gerontological Society of America.   Dr. Brewster has also shared her expertise through digital platforms, such as newsletter articles in Gerontology News, online articles, videos, and podcasts. Dr. Brewster enjoys traveling to experience new cultures, watching movies when time permits, and planning celebrations.

Anisha Saddy            Research Assistant

Anisha graduated in 2019 from NC State University with a BS in Human Biology and a minor in Nutrition Sciences. She is a second-year master’s student at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, where she is pursuing her studies in global health with an infectious disease specialization. Her work with the Dementia-Alzheimer’s population goes way back to her time as a nursing assistant in a memory care unit, and she is excited to be contributing to a research area regarding a population that is so special and important to her!

Alexus Copes        Research Assistant

Alexus graduated in 2014 with a BSc in Chemistry from Howard University. She went on to join Teach for America and taught high school science for several years. In 2020, she received an MPH in Epidemiology and a Graduate Certificate in Global Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Two years ago, she moved to Atlanta with her husband and went on to work as a fellow on the COVID-19 International Task Force at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from January 2022-August 2023. She has just entered her first semester as a Master of Nursing student to continue her goal of becoming a public health nurse.

Sifan Tolosa        Research Assistant

Sifan graduated with her B.S. in Public Health and Health Promotion from American University. She is currently an MPH candidate at the Rollins School of Public Health in the Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences (BSHES) department and is planning on completing a graduate certificate in Global Complex Humanitarian Emergencies. One of Sifan’s interests is maternal and child health, and she hopes to work on program planning to provide reproductive health resources to mothers. She is really excited to expand her knowledge in the field of public health and contribute to improving the health and well-being of BIPOC communities. She has also worked for different organizations through the Eldercare Workforce Alliance, including the American Alzheimer’s Association and the American Geriatrics Society.

Eden Wakiweya Research Assistant

Eden graduated from George Washington University with a B.S. in Public Health. She is now embarking on a new chapter in her academic journey and is pursuing a Master of Public Health in Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences (BSHES) at Rollins School of Public Health. She is excited to immerse herself further in the field of public health and gain skills to advance health equity for immigrant communities, mothers, and children.

Past Lab Members

Rinwa Offutt Clinical Research Coordinator
Rinwa is the Clinical Coordinator for the lab. She has been working with Dr. Brewster for three years and enjoys reading in her free time.
Elizabeth Hsieh Research Assistant
Elizabeth is an English major and will be graduating from Emory College of Arts and Sciences in May 2023. She enjoys exploring Atlanta and trying new foods.
Morgan Massa        Research Assistant
Morgan is a Research Assistant for the lab through Emory’s work study program. She has been working with Dr. Brewster since fall of 2019 when she started at Emory. Currently, she is a senior in Emory’s BSN program. In her free time Morgan loves to spend time outside and find new places to eat in Atlanta.
Anisha Sheth Researcher
Anisha is a clinical researcher coordinator. She has a Master’s degree in Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Emory University. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, watching movies/TV shows, and reading.

Resources

Alzheimer’s Association is a global organization working to end Alzheimer’s and dementia through research, early detection, reducing risk, and prioritizing care and support for patients and families. The website contains resources and information for caregivers, persons living with Alzheimer’s, and those who want to reduce their risk of developing the disease. There are also many opportunities to get involved with your local Alzheimer’s Association chapter, which can be found on the site.  

National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) aims to create a society that “values, supports, and empowers family caregivers” to thrive in all aspects of life. The organization partners to perform advocacy and research for family caregivers of all types and contains a variety of organizations and non-profits who share these interests. The alliance has created a Memory Loss Conversation Guide that caregivers and families may find useful.  

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) – Family Caregiving supports all older adults, but also has a website page specifically focused on caregiving. Pages on resources, news, and advice are listed and broken down into sections such as Care at Home, Supporting Caregivers, Dementia, and Coping. AARP  builds community among caregivers through an online caregiving forum and a Caregivers Facebook group. The Caregiving Support Line can suggest specific resources on a variety of topics.   

The Reframing Aging Initiative aims to improve the nation’s understanding of aging to be viewed as positive and normal, and to highlight the contributions that older people make to society. The website contains a Toolkit to reduce implicit bias against older adults, a Quick Start Guide on the initiative, and a series of videos on resources and research. 

Us Against Alzheimer’s recognizes the significance of the Alzheimer’s pandemic and strives to bring people and organizations together to find effective treatment and prevention efforts for the disease. The Brain Health Partnership was created to address overall cognitive health and identify early decline. BrainStorm is a bimonthly podcast that contains various conversations with experts and caregivers in the fight against Alzheimer’s, and the Brain Health Academy provides free, evidence-based courses with information and resources to help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. 

National Council of Dementia Minds is a group led by persons living with dementia that aims to “transform the worldview of living with a Neurocognitive Disorder.” To do this, the organization creates and supports Dementia Minds groups for those living with dementia to provide opportunities for conversation and education among persons living with dementia, healthcare professionals, families, researchers, policymakers, and many other community members. These small groups meet weekly and are an opportunity for persons living with dementia to get have fun, build relationships, and learn new things.  

Empowerline is part of Georgia’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) and works to connect the Atlanta metro area to resources for aging, disability, and caregiver needs from over 26,000 community-based providers. Resources, events, and blog posts can be found on the website. For more personalized guidance, those seeking support can call or leave a message with Empowerline

Faith Village Research Lab is run by Dr. Fayron Epps, another Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing researcher focusing on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Dr. Epps aims to improve access to resources and awareness of dementia in African American and faith communities. Her work involves conducting research and finding creative ways to provide personalized education to these communities.