When Paige Logan, MS, conducts research projects and analyzes data at the Indiana University School of Medicine, she often thinks about people she’s met in the Indianapolis community living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their caregivers.
Logan, who is a laboratory research specialist and lab manager in the Apostolova lab in the Department of Neurology at the IU School of Medicine, regularly volunteers with the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Indiana Chapter. She recently co-led a scientific discussion for community members, helped represent the chapter at the Indy Pride Parade and is on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s committee that’s planning the Sept. 28 fundraising event in downtown Indianapolis.
"Being in the lab, we don't really get to see the people who we're helping,” Logan said. “It's really nice to go out into the community and volunteer and engage with people who we're impacting with our research."
Logan connected with the local chapter through her role as an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Association’s International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART). The year-round professional development and networking program provides early career researchers from across the world with personalized mentoring and career-development training.
Building upon her experiences over the past year, Logan applied and was selected as the lead ambassador for the ISTAART program for 2024-25. She’s in charge of guiding this year’s cohort of ambassadors — 38 early career researchers representing 24 countries.
“I want to help them get the most out of their ISTAART experience,” Logan said. “I already have a couple of ideas for them on how they can engage and network more in their communities.”
One of the biggest roles for ambassadors includes volunteering at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). The team works behind the scenes, helping run sessions and other activities, answering questions about ISTAART and assisting plenary speakers. As the lead ambassador, Logan will be a main point of contact for all ambassadors at the conference.
The AAIC 2024 is July 28 to Aug. 1 in Philadelphia. IU School of Medicine is well represented at the annual event with more than 150 faculty and trainees presenting at the conference.
“I want to support and inspire the current cohort throughout their ambassadorship it's important for them to feel engaged and seen in the Alzheimer’s research community,” Logan said. “We get to meet our peers, wonderful scientists that we get to build connections with throughout the year. It's also a great way to meet people in the Alzheimer's field, such as scientists who are doing groundbreaking research.”
While volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Indiana Chapter, Logan has worked closely with Vivien Carter, the chapter’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion and research champion. This past June, they co-presented on the latest advancements in Alzheimer’s research for Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month.
“Paige is no stranger to rolling up her sleeves in support of the community,” Carter said. “She embodies the essence of a volunteer leader. The Alzheimer's Association relies on dedicated individuals like her who not only contribute great ideas but also mobilize others and coordinate activities. Their commitment helps us achieve our mission of creating a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementias.”
Logan, who started working at the IU School of Medicine in 2019 after earning a master’s degree in neuroimaging and informatics at the University of Southern California, first learned about the ISTAART ambassador program when she attended AAIC in 2022 with members in her lab, led by Liana Apostolova, MD, MS, an IU Distinguished Professor and the Barbara and Peer Baekgaard Professor of Alzheimer’s Disease Research at the IU School of Medicine.
“I am very proud of Paige’s ambassadorship,” said Apostolova, who is also the associate dean of Alzheimer’s disease research at the school. “She embodies many leadership qualities and a unique perspective on how to amplify the work we all do in the Alzheimer’s disease space. Notably, she serves the Alzheimer’s Association with utmost devotion as she understands their important work.”
Because of her experience with ISTAART, Logan is contemplating shifting her focus from solely laboratory research to patient-centered occupational therapy. She enrolled as a student at IU to take prerequisites for occupational therapy. Logan said she likes the combination of working with people as an occupational therapist while also continuing research.
At the 2023 AAIC, she learned about companies that are designing and researching wearable technology to monitor daily function and potentially disease progression for Alzheimer’s patients.
“There are other parts of the dementia research field that are really awesome and involve community engagement and making people aware of Alzheimer's disease,” Logan said. “In occupational therapy, you can still be on the research side while also helping out patients.”
