Cohort 
2022

Natalia Trujillo, PhD

Psychologist

To reduce the scale and impact of dementia, we need to improve early detection by using affordable cognitive and biological markers.

Current Work

Natalia is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director for the Master of Public Health in Global Health at Florida International University's Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. She leads the Global Mental Health area within the department.

Personal Hero

My family

Words of Strength

Thinking big, self-discipline, scientific collaboration.

Vision

To reduce the scale and impact of dementia, Natalia believes we need to improve early detection by using affordable cognitive/biological markers. Early identification of population at-risk will increase the possibilities for implement preventive actions.

Strategy

Natalia is evaluating bio-cognitive markers associated with spatial cognition and allostatic load among multigenerational families with Alzheimer diseases. She expects that the validation of this markers improve early identification of population at risk.

Impact

As an Atlantic Fellow, Natalia aims to contribute with the evaluation and implementation of early detection markers for dementia to primary health care setting. She expects to support the building of the new public policies for dementia in Colombia.

Motivation

Antioquia, Colombia has one of the largest prevalences of family forms of Alzheimer type Dementia. Natalia believes we have a unique opportunity to improve preventive actions against dementia by validating early detection markers and implementing them at health system.