Darlingtina Esiaka, PhD, CPG, CPH

On Friday, October 31, 2025, our lab attended the 2025 Markesberry Symposium. Thank you to the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging for hosting such a meaningful event.

Reminder: BIGG Visibility Day is on Friday, October 3, 2025. Join us to celebrate the beautiful Black minds in the field of aging research, teaching, and practice.

Charting New Frontiers for Black Men's Brain Health: Implications for Dementia Research and Public Engagement This essay critically explores the intersection of brain health and dementia research within the context of Black men's lived experiences. It interrogates dominant narratives of brain health that pri...

🚨 My latest essay on Black men’s brain health interrogates dominant narratives of brain health that prioritize individual responsibility while neglecting systemic and structural determinants of health.

doi.org/10.1002/hast...

We still need your help to achieve our goal of supporting 15 students to attend GSA this year. No amount is too small. Please support us and share with your network. Thank you. 🙏🏾

gofund.me/589f8c18

Donate to BIGG Impact: Send Students to GSA, organized by Black in Gerontology and Geriatrics Your gift empowers students to research, connect, and change the… Black in Gerontology and Geriatrics needs your support for BIGG Impact: Send Students to GSA

🗣️🆘Support Black in Gerontology and Geriatrics (BIGG) Students and Scholars

Your gift empowers students to research, connect, and change the future of aging.

For further details on how you can help, visit: gofund.me/0e984158

Happy to see that people are viewing our article “Is to persevere dangerous for brain health?…” #humbled

#Humbled

Is to persevere dangerous for brain health? Effect of active coping and grit on subjective cognitive decline in Black American males Introduction One strategy for early detection of risk of dementia is identification of subjective cognitive decline (SCD). However, there is a paucity of data examining the intricate interplay betwe.....

⭐BSEA Article Highlight ⭐
Author @dkesiaka.bsky.social will present newly-published work featured in #BSEA: “Is to persevere dangerous for brain health? Effect of active coping and grit on subjective cognitive decline in Black American males”
alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Yes. August would have made it 2 years into a 4-year grant.

🥺 I received official notice that my NIH grant, "Early Characterization of Cognitive Status & AD Risk in African American Men," has been terminated. I have no clue how to process the news. Nonetheless, I remain committed to this line of inquiry & advancing research on Black men’s brain health.

Celebrating 40 years of the University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Four decades of the National Institute on Aging's sponsored research into Alzheimer's disease (AD) have resulted in symptomatic and mechanistic therapies, lifestyle interventions, increased understa...

As one of the nation’s elite Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers, the UK Sanders Brown Center on Aging has played a crucial role in advancing scientific knowledge around ADRD and improving patient care. Take a look back at our 40 years of doing the work that matters!

doi.org/10.1002/alz....

‘Grit’ and relentless perseverance can take a toll on brain health − particularly for people facing social stresses like racism Perseverance helps people achieve goals and is linked with well-being. But combined with chronic societal stressors, it can lead to cognitive overload that puts a strain on brain health.

“In this more realistic definition, perseverance can include self-care and rest. Knowing when to take a break or prioritize self-care is a practical strategy for maintaining cognitive health in the face of challenges.” —DKE @hamplab.bsky.social @blackinneuro.bsky.social

tinyurl.com/4dr7jafc

New Study Exposes Sexism in Dementia Research Careers - DEMENTIA RESEARCHER Over half of women ECRs in dementia research report experiencing sexism, a new global study reveals. Read the full paper and access the data on our website.

🧠 A new global study reveals over half of women early-career dementia researchers have experienced sexism—ranging from microaggressions to institutional bias. #DementiaResearch #SexismInScience

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/new-study-ex...

Have you preordered your own “Aging while Black — the book” today? It’s never too late to do so. Visit: agingwhileblack.co/awb-the-book/
@hamplab.bsky.social @blackingeron.bsky.social

I made it a mission at the #Altersummit2025 to get selfie with the incredible Fayron Epps PhD, RN, FGSA,FAAN. You inspire me so much, and I am privileged to call you my mentor. @hamplab.bsky.social @blackingeron.bsky.social

UK researcher selected to work with Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria Darlingtina K. Esiaka's project aims to address challenges in the early detection and diagnosis of cognitive impairment in low- and middle-income countries by leveraging low-cost, mobile, wearabl...

Your girl is in the news!

uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-...

Check out some of the amazing authors that contributed to #BSEA publications @ketlynesol.bsky.social, @dkesiaka.bsky.social!

Great research being published in #BSEA!

Alzheimer's & Dementia: Behavior and Socioeconomics of Aging (#BSEA) launches its inaugural issue March 2025!

A&D's newest journal has published 6 peer-reviewed articles!

Check out the most recently published articles: alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/doSea...

#AlzResearch

Is to persevere dangerous for brain health? Effect of active coping and grit on subjective cognitive decline in Black American males Introduction One strategy for early detection of risk of dementia is identification of subjective cognitive decline (SCD). However, there is a paucity of data examining the intricate interplay betwe...

New publication alert. 🚨

Our findings reveal that, contrary to expectations, high levels of both grit and active coping may paradoxically exacerbate SCD symptoms in Black American males, suggesting a complex relationship between these factors. @hamplab.bsky.social
 
doi.org/10.1002/bsa3...

I am excited for this opportunity to advance my work with Black refugees in the US.🎯

Next generation brain health: transforming global research and public health to promote prevention of dementia and reduce its risk in young adult populations Efforts to prevent dementia can benefit from precision interventions delivered to the right population at the right time; that is, when the potential to reduce risk is the highest. Young adults (aged 18–39 years) are a neglected population in dementia research and policy making despite being highly exposed to several known modifiable risk factors. The risk and protective factors that have the biggest effect on dementia outcomes in young adulthood, and how these associations differ across regions and groups, still remain unclear.

“Efforts to prevent dementia can benefit from precision interventions delivered to the right population at the right time; that is, when the potential to reduce risk is the highest.”— Farina et al. 2024

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

A must-attend webinar for anyone seeking out summer undergraduate research opportunities!

There’s still time to register for the first-time reviewers workshop with @reviewerzero.bsky.social!

Geared toward people in the 🧠 sciences but useful and open to all ✨

Register 👇🏽 blackinneuro47.wildapricot.org/event-5883989

#Neuroskyence #Blackademics #PhDSky #AcademicSky #BlackInSTEM 🧪

Thank you!

Thank you!

Sometimes you push all the doors and not even one of them opens. Sometimes, more than one doors open in front of you unexpectedly and are full of beauty. @hamplab.bsky.social @blackingeron.bsky.social

I took a last minute advantage of the early bird registration to book a spot at On Aging 2025. See you all in Orlando! @blackingeron.bsky.social @hamplab.bsky.social

Careers at NIA Explore current career opportunities at NIA.

NIA is hiring! Open positions include:
• Health Science Policy Analyst (Planning & Reporting Branch)
• Health Science Policy Analyst (Analysis and Evaluation Branch)
Please email your CV to NIA Careers and *not* via a DM. I'm not HR, sorry.
#geronsky #ADRD #dementia #federalemployment

We have added over a dozen accounts since we first made this started pack! Please let us know if we missed you 🧠

Black In Neuro starter pack: go.bsky.app/F8PpdPe

#Blackademics #BlackInSTEM #Neuroscience 🧪