Growing up, I was not familiar with the names of many neurodegenerative disorders that I know of today. All I knew was that my loved one was forgetful and clumsy at times. My family members would often make light of the situation and play it down to old age. It wasn’t until I was in higher education and started to learn about neural pathways and all the disorders that accompany them that I started to notice signs that were all too familiar, signs that my family members had. To have experienced a family member at the hands of Alzheimer’s disease was extremely disheartening. It’s what initially led me to pursue a degree in Neuroscience at Boston University (BU), in hopes of making more sense of the brain and how these diseases come to be.
At BU, to better understand the brain, I immersed myself in all the different fields of neuroscience there were. I studied cognitive neuroscience and how different classes of drugs affect the brain. Through many case studies that I’ve studied and listening to many lectures from guest speakers, I’ve come to realize a disconnect in communities where many did not know what these disorders were. Many communities lacked awareness and understanding of neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer’s disease. I wanted to find a way to address the misconceptions about neurodegenerative disorders in a way that is simple and direct for communities to understand.
I joined Project Neuro because I wanted to have an impact on raising awareness for diseases that affect so many of our loved ones and aim to make everlasting change. I believe through direct action and determination, we are capable of making a difference in the quality of care for people experiencing the disease and their families. I’m excited for the future work to be done and cannot wait to get started on the first of many projects. I’m looking forward to tackling the disconnect in communities and providing the information that can be of help. One of my goals is to find a way to simplify the science behind neurodegenerative disorders in a way that can be understood by many people across the world, regardless of background or educational level. I hope to do so by translating complex scientific processes into accessible language. Hopefully, by shining a light on issues like lack of resources, language barriers, stigma, and so many more, we can work together against diseases like Parkinson’s disease. I’m excited to be part of this organization that allows me to do so.
I welcome anyone that is interested to reach out and become part of this initiative.
Rita Oulds