Cohort 
2019

Arianna Almirall Sanchez, MD, MSc

General Practitioner, Bio-statistician

To diminish the impact of dementia and cognitive impairment, we must work together to develop new tools to detect and diagnose these diseases sooner.

Current Work

Arianna is a biostatistician and Head of Research Projects at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology in Cuba. She is researching the relationship between cognitive reserve and cognitive decline by analyzing population data from high, middle and low income countries to identify mid-life risk factors for dementia.

Personal Hero

Her grandmother

Words of Strength

Creating networks, being passionate

Vision

To reduce the scale and impact of dementia we need to improve the diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders from primary care and engage general practitioners and other primary care physicians into this process.

Strategy

There are current interventions taking place in Cuba that include the use of technology-based cognitive assessment and the feasibility of its extension countrywide. These interventions would help the early diagnosis and follow up of patients with cognitive impairment in the country.

Impact

Arianna gained leadership skills and networks that will contribute to her future work as a dementia researcher. Her time as a fellow has given her the confidence to develop bigger research projects related with cognitive disorders in Cuba.

Motivation

The Cuban population is one of the oldest in Latin America with a prevalence rate of dementia syndrome between 6.4-10.2%. Consequently, early and accurate diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders from primary health care is crucial.

Featured Publications