Dr. Judy Illes, Professor of Neurology at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Musqueam Traditional Territory, Canada) recently received the Alvin J. Thompson Award from the Board of the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR) for a research partnership on early onset Alzheimer Disease with the Tahltan First Nation.
The Northwest Association of Biomedical Research (NWABR) recently named BRAIN-funded researcher Dr. Judy Illes, Professor and Distinguished University Scholar, Distinguished Scholar in Neuroethics at the University of British Columbia (UBC) (Vancouver, Musqueam Traditional Territory, Canada) as one of the recipients for the Alvin J. Thompson award. The award recognizes collaborative research programs between academic researchers and a First Nations community that "brought together knowledge and expertise to advance research and wellness." Other recipients of the award include:
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Dr. B. Lynn Beattie – Emerita professor founder, and former head of the Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders Clinic at UBC
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Mr. Chad Norman Day - President of the Tahltan First Nation
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Ms. Christine Ball - Director of Health Programs at Tahltan Health & Social Services Authority
The research program focuses on the relevance of early onset Alzheimer's Disease within the Tahltan First Nation. This First National community mainly lives in the current region known as British Columbia, Canada. This unique partnership provides a broad spectrum of knowledge and expertise to advance research and wellness for the Tahltan First Nation.
One of Dr. Illes's research projects received support from the NIH BRAIN Initiative to develop neuroethical frameworks for the use of novel neurotechnologies in pediatric epilepsy surgery. In addition, she is a member of the working group for the BRAIN-funded multi-year research project led by Dr. Susan Wolf, Professor of Law, Medicine & Public Policy, University of Minesota. The project brings together a group of experts in neuroethics, neurolaw, and neuroscience fields to address ethical challenges of highly portable and cloud-enabled neuroimaging research in new and diverse populations in field setting.