— College of Medicine — Department of Internal Medicine — Divisions — Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Medicine — Research Activities

Research Activities

Our division’s research strives to:

Develop research tools that advance collection and analysis of functional data in ambulatory older adults
Conduct research ranging from basic science to clinical trials to find the best interventions that improve older individual's functional status
Educate health professionals, patients and their families, and by doing the above, improve health care for a wide variety of medically and socially at-risk older adults
Help all older adults age successfully in body, mind and spirit

Learn about our clinical trials and how you can participate through UNMC.

Find a Clinical Trial

Research Awards

The division of geriatrics, gerontology and palliative medicine gratefully acknowledges the Kinman-Oldfield Family Foundation for support of two annual research awards - The Vada Kinman Oldfield Award for Research in Alzheimer’s Disease and The Nancy and Ronald Reagan Scholarship Awards. These awards follow the directive of Colonel Barney Oldfield to support the initial efforts of junior faculty and students in investigating the cause, evaluation and treatment of late-life cognitive disorders.

Vada Kinman Oldfield Award for Research in Alzheimer’s Disease

Nancy and Ronald Reagan Scholarship Awards

Vada and Barney Oldfield

The Vada Kinman Oldfield Alzheimer's Research Fund was established by Barney at the University of Nebraska Foundation after Vada’s eleven-year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease ended in February 1999.

In 1999, Col. Barney Oldfield made a $20,000 gift to the NU Foundation to establish the Vada Kinman Oldfield Alzheimer's Research Fund at UNMC. The fund commemorates the life of his wife, Vada, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease for 11 years before her death on Feb. 25, 1999.

The Oldfield Alzheimer's Research Fund is awarded annually to an individual with a promising new idea in Alzheimer's research. The endowment fund also has drawn a record number of contributions from friends and admirers of the Oldfields as a tribute to Vada and her work. The fund will support Alzheimer's research efforts at UNMC. Once Alzheimer’s is cured, the fund will support research to address other diseases of late-life.

Recent Awardees

2017 Thuy T. Koll, MD
2018 Kelly L. Stauch, Ph.D
2019 David Warren, Ph.D.
2020 Yuri Lyubchenko, Ph.D
2021 Matthew Van Hook, Ph.D & Xinglong Wang, Ph.D
2022 Susmita Sil, PhD

President Ronald Reagan & Col. Barney Oldfield

To honor President Reagan’s memory, the Kinman Oldfield Family Foundation has established the Nancy and Ronald Reagan Alzheimer’s Scholarship Fund Award. Each year the award recognizes investigators pursuing promising, innovative work in Alzheimer’s research.President and Mrs. Reagan dedicated themselves to helping accelerate Alzheimer's research. In 1995 they joined with the Alzheimer's Association to create the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute. This Institute, with its focus on cutting-edge basic science, enabled the Association to develop the biological segment of its research program and move toward funding innovative research aimed at precise molecular targets.

Recent Awardees

2017 Rachel Coburn, Alex Hansen, Claire Svec, and Kaleb Thomas
2018 Katherine Olson, PhD
2019 Carly Faller, Claire Ferguson, and Ran Jing
2020 Ahmed Morsy, Karen Zagurski, Connor Phipps
2021 Tami Braley and Abi Heller
2022 Nashanthea Roland , BS, Seth Springer, BS, Meghan Ramirez, BS, Louise Dow, Mchem, Zachary Van Roy, BS, Luis Daniel Estrella, BS

Researchers work to understand chemo brain

In the flurry around cancer treatment, patients often find themselves feeling a fog. "Chemo brain" is stressful for cancer patients, said Thuy Koll, MD, an assistant professor of internal medicine and geriatric medicine researcher whose interests include oncology and hematologic diseases.

Research Activities

Faculty Research Interests

Al Fisher, MD, PhD

Thuy Koll, MD

Lou Lukas, MD

Natalie Manley, MD, MPH

Research Awards

Researchers work to understand chemo brain