RIMI Seminar March 20, 2013 Thames, A.

The Psychology Colloquium & the CSULB RIMI Project Health Equity Research Seminar series
Presents
Ethnic/racial disparities in HIV/AIDS: Impact on neurocognitive and functional outcomes
April D. Thames, Ph.D. Assistant Professor-in-Residence, UCLA Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences

Dr. Thames is an Assistant Professor at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. She recently receivedan NIH Career Development Award (K-23) to develop her laboratory in cultural neuropsychology, neuroscience, and health disparities. Dr. Thames has focused her research on the neurological and neurocognitive effects of infectious disease, substance abuse, and cerebrovascular risk factors among underrepresented groups, particularly ethnic/racial minorities. She is Principal Investigator on four grant supported studies targeting (1) Neuroimaging and neurocognitive correlates of HIV and Hepatitis C disease severity; (2) the impact of stereotype threat and perceived discrimination in neurocognitive performance in African Americans; and (3) neurological and functional consequences of HIV in geriatric HIV adults (4) genetic predictors of cognitive impairment. In her clinical work, Dr. Thames is particularly interested in cognitive issues that disproportionately impact ethnic and racially diverse aging populations. She was recently appointed as Chair of Division 40 Ethnic Minority Affairs committee