Diversity, Retention and Recruitment Unit

Ganesh Babulal is interested in investigating the relationship between cognitive function and mental health and its impact on the daily living activities of those with chronic neurological diseases. Specific research projects include characterizing functional changes in older adults using Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, predicting global decline in aging using neurobehavioral markers, assessing how social forces (e.g. discrimination, chronic stress, racism) influence health and well-being among racial and ethnic minorities, and developing/validating effective educational programs to improve and prolong functional outcomes in aging.

Mirella Díaz-Santos, PhD is a Spanish-English bilingual and bicultural neuropsychologist, and an Assistant Professor In-Residence in the Department of Neurology with a dual appointment with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine. Dr. Díaz-Santos is the director and founder of the “Equity for Latinx-Hispanic Healthy Aging (ELHA) Lab,” at UCLA Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Research and Care in Neurology,  with a focus on prevention, and early detection/diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) in Hispanic and Latinx communities.  Her area of focus is the science of recruitment and retention by the implementation of participatory mixed-methods, and multi-level interventions transforming healthcare systems, academic infrastructures, and communities equipped to foster ADRD research accessibility, and inclusion.