Interests
Natalia Trujillo, PhD
Psychologist
To reduce the scale and impact of dementia, we need to improve early detection by using affordable cognitive and biological markers.
Current Work
Natalia is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director for the Master of Public Health in Global Health at Florida International University's Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. She leads the Global Mental Health area within the department.
Personal Hero
My family
Words of Strength
Thinking big, self-discipline, scientific collaboration.
Vision
To reduce the scale and impact of dementia, Natalia believes we need to improve early detection by using affordable cognitive/biological markers. Early identification of population at-risk will increase the possibilities for implement preventive actions.
Strategy
Natalia is evaluating bio-cognitive markers associated with spatial cognition and allostatic load among multigenerational families with Alzheimer diseases. She expects that the validation of this markers improve early identification of population at risk.
Impact
As an Atlantic Fellow, Natalia aims to contribute with the evaluation and implementation of early detection markers for dementia to primary health care setting. She expects to support the building of the new public policies for dementia in Colombia.
Motivation
Antioquia, Colombia has one of the largest prevalences of family forms of Alzheimer type Dementia. Natalia believes we have a unique opportunity to improve preventive actions against dementia by validating early detection markers and implementing them at health system.
Education & Experience
Natalia Trujillo is a neuroscientist studying cognitive and social processing and its intervention in neurological patients, and populations expressing disruptive behavior. She has training in human cognitive and behavioral analysis through a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Buenaventura University, Colombia. In addition, she analyzed the role of the neurodevelopment and decision-making process in adolescents with disruptive behavior during both her fellow as a young researcher and her specialization in Forensic Psychology from San Buenaventura University, Colombia. She continued this line of research by analyzing genetic-neurocognitive (GNC) markers of the Attentional Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a multigenerational family sample during her Ph.D. In Biomedical Basic Science focusing on Neuroscience granted in 2011 at the University of Antioquia, Colombia. Finally, she expanded her doctoral thesis results by studying electrophysiological markers of social cognition among adults with Parkinson and Alzheimer's diseases, and disruptive behaviors (i.e., illegal ex-combatants) from the Colombian armed conflict.
Featured Publications
Send
Natalia
a NoteHave ideas for global brain health or a collaboration? I would love to hear from you. Feel free to send an introductory note.
