Interests
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.
Education & Experience
Laís has a bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy from the University City of São Paulo, Brazil and and Specialization in Gerontology and Rehabilitation from the Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. She received her PhD from the University of São Paulo, School of Medicine, Brazil and is specialized in Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis in the same institution. She has a posdoc from the Institute of Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo. She worked with advocacy in an environmental and health non governamental organization.
Awards & Honors
2010. Honorary Associated. Instituto Saúde e Sustentabilidade, Non-Governament Organization, São Paulo, Brazil 2013. Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Award. Dow Chemistry Company and the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 2014. New Voices in Global Health. The Lancet, University of São Paulo and M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, São Paulo, Brazil 2017. Scholarship for oral presentation at the International Conference on Urban Health, Coimbra, Portugal for abstracts related to their theme of Healthy Inclusive Placemaking: Global Ideas for US Solutions. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s and International Conference on Urban Health
Featured Publications
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