Cohort 
2018

Laís Fajersztajn, PhD

Environmental Health Researcher

In order to promote brain equity, we as a society should work hard to reduce potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, which includes promoting healthier living environments in urban areas.

Current Work

Lais is an environmental health researcher at the University of São Paulo. She is investigating urban and environmental health to understand the effects of air pollution on neurodegenerative diseases.

Personal Hero

Her mentor Paulo Saldiva

Words of Strength

Making connections and building relations

Vision

Laís believes we need to pay attention to the role of environmental factors in potentially causing and aggravating dementia. Environmental exposures such as air pollution can be modifiable and could be part of dementia risk reduction strategies.

Strategy

Lais is an environmental researcher investigating urban and environmental health. She is working to understand the effects of air pollution on neurodegenerative diseases.

Impact

Understanding the role of environmental exposures in potentially causing and aggravating dementia connects to GBHI's mission because of its relation to brain equity cause, given that pollution levels are usually higher among more vulnerable population such as those with lower socioeconomic.

Motivation

Sâo Paulo is a megacity with a growing elderly population. Laís argues that it has significant environmental and socioeconomic inequalities that might be influencing dementia risk and treatment.