Phelan Glenn is a Ph.D. student in Neuroscience at UCLA (she/her), where her research focuses on brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease, with a particular emphasis on health disparities affecting Black and African American communities. Her work integrates large-scale neuroimaging, family history, and genetic data to identify early markers of Alzheimer’s risk across diverse populations. In addition to her Alzheimer’s research, Phelan is a student volunteer on the Feathers & Feelings project through the Bird and Garden Group, a community-engaged initiative examining how interactions with urban green spaces support mental and brain health. She is committed to advancing brain health equity through rigorous computational research, community-engaged scholarship, mentorship, and science communication.
Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia and Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, Black communities have largely been excluded from research and clinical trial studies. This exclusion directly impacts our understanding of risk for this group and prohibits the necessary steps towards intervention. The goal of this project is to generate culturally tailored approaches to engage Black individuals in Los Angeles in brain health research by prioritizing trust, visibility, and community leadership. By developing an intentional social media strategy, fostering personal connections with community leaders, and maintaining a consistent presence at community-based events, this project seeks to create accessible entry points into brain health conversations. The inclusion of citizen panels will elevate community members as partners rather than participants, allowing them to guide research priorities, communication strategies, and pathways for community benefit. These efforts are designed to promote meaningful, sustained engagement and to ensure that brain health research is responsive to the needs and perspectives of Black communities in Los Angeles.
Feathers & Feelings (F&F) is building bird-friendly garden “sanctuaries” to foster emotional well-being and cross-generational connection.
PIs: Stephanie White, PhD | Sung-Jae Lee, PhD
Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. However, Black communities have largely been excluded from research and clinical trial studies. This exclusion directly impacts our understanding of risk for this group and prohibits the necessary steps towards intervention. The goal of this proposal is to generate culturally tailored approaches to engage Black individuals in Los Angeles in brain health research, the first step in the development of the Black Brain Health Network.
PIs: Kacie Deters, PhD | Jennifer Adrissi, MD MS | Courtney Thomas Tobin, PhD
