Laura Block awarded Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral research fellowship to study Alzheimer’s disease and mental illness co-occurrence in nursing home residents

Laura Block, BS, BSN, RN

Laura Block, BS, BSN, RN, a Research Program Coordinator in the Gilmore-Bykovskyi Lab and PhD Student at the UW School of Nursing, has been awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31) from the National Institute on Aging to support the study Characterizing Alzheimer’s Disease and Serious Mental Illness Co-Occurrence Among Nursing Home Residents and Relationship to Symptomatology and Care Practices.

The Kirschstein-NRSA fellowship program enables promising predoctoral students with potential to develop into a productive, independent research scientists to obtain mentored research training while conducting dissertation research.

The award will support Ms. Block’s dissertation research and training, which focus on better understanding comorbidities and related treatment considerations among nursing home residents living with Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Andrea Gilmore-Bykovskyi, associate professor and associate vice chair of research, BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, will serve as a mentor alongside Ms. Block’s primary mentor Dr. Tonya Roberts (School of Nursing) and Dr. Barbara Bowers (School of Nursing), Dr. Roger Brown (School of Nursing), and Dr. Donovan Maust (University of Michigan).

The total award costs are $96,817.

“I am incredibly honored to receive this award which will support my dissertation work on symptom and treatment patterns among nursing home residents living with dementia and the contributing role of mental health conditions,” says Ms. Block.

“I am looking forward to working on my research and training aims with my phenomenal mentor team, whom I would like to thank alongside the National Institutes of Health and National Institute on Aging for making this work possible.”