Title
Contact Information:
Mailing Address
Department of Psychology
P-217 Biological Sciences Bldg
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB
Canada T6G 2E9
Email

vlslab@ualberta.ca

Director and Principal Investigator
Dr. Roger A. Dixon

VLS Co-Founder and Professor

Canada Research Chair

Professor of Psychology

University of Alberta

Canada

RAD Website: https://sites.ualberta.ca/~vlslab/DixonHomepage/

Dr. Roger A. Dixon
Recent VLS Leadership and Research Contributors
Dr. Christopher Hertzog

VLS Co-Founder and Professor

School of Psychology

Georgia Institute of Technology

USA

Selected VLS Publications
  • Hertzog, C., McFall, G.P., Small, B.J., & Dixon, R.A. (2019). Age, cohort, and period effects on metamemory beliefs. Psychology and Aging, 34(8), 1077–1089.
  • Hertzog, C., & Dixon, R.A. (2005). Metacognition in midlife. In S.L. Willis & M. Marting (Eds.), Middle adulthood: A lifespan perspective (pp. 355–379). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
  • Hertzog, C., Dixon, R.A., Hultsch, D.F., & MacDonald, S.W.S. (2003). Latent change models of adult cognition: Are changes in processing speed and working memory associated with changes in episodic memory? Psychology and Aging, 18, 755–770.
  • Hertzog, C., Hultsch, D.F., & Dixon, R.A. (1999). On the problem of detecting effects of lifestyle on cognitive change in adulthood. Psychology and Aging, 14, 528–534.
Dr. Christopher Hertzog
Dr. David F. Hultsch

VLS Co-Founder and Professor (ret)

Department of Psychology

University of Victoria

Canada

Selected VLS Publications
  • Hultsch, D.F., Hertzog, C., Dixon, R.A., & Small, B.J. (2010). Memory change in the aged. Cambridge University Press.
  • Hultsch, D.F., Bielak, A.A.M., Crow, C.B., & Dixon, R.A. (2009). The way we were: Perceptions of past memory change in older adults. In H.B. Bosworth & C. Hertzog (Eds.), Cognition in aging: Methodologies and applications (pp. 197–216). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • Hultsch, D.F., MacDonald, S.W.S., & Dixon, R.A. (2002). Variability in reaction time performance of younger and older adults. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 57, P101–115.
  • Hultsch, D.F., MacDonald, S.W.S., Hunter, M.A., Maitland, S.B., & Dixon, R.A. (2002). Sampling and generalizability in psychological research on aging: Comparison of a random sample and samples of convenience. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 26, 345–359.
  • Hultsch, D.F., Hertzog, C., Small, B.J., & Dixon, R.A. (1999). Use it or lose it: Engaged lifestyle as a buffer of cognitive decline in aging? Psychology and Aging, 14, 245–263.
Dr. David F. Hultsch
Dr. G. Peggy McFall

Research Associate

Department of Psychology

University of Alberta

Canada

Selected VLS Publications
  • Xu, Y., McFall, G.P., Rydén, L., Skoog, J., Chang, E., Cysique, L.A., Harris, K., Kedwell, S., Lim, M.L., Anstey, K.J., Anderson, C.S., Dixon, R.A., Skoog, I., Tully, P.J., & Peters, R. (2025). Cumulative blood pressure load and cognitive decline in older adults: An observational analysis of two large cohorts. Cerebral Circulation: Cognition and Behavior, 8, Article 100375.
  • McFall, G.P., Bohn, L., Drouin, S.M., Gee, M., Fah, H., Han, W., Li, L., Camicioli, R., & Dixon, R.A. (2023). Identifying key multi-modal predictors of incipient dementia in Parkinson's disease: A machine learning analysis and Tree SHAP interpretation. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 15, Article 1124232.
  • McFall, G.P., McDermott, K.L., & Dixon, R.A. (2019). Modifiable risk factors discriminate memory trajectories in non-demented aging: Precision factors and targets for promoting healthier brain aging and preventing dementia? Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 70, S101–S118.
Dr. G. Peggy McFall
Dr. Stuart W.S. MacDonald

Associate Professor

Department of Psychology

University of Victoria

Canada

Selected VLS Publications
  • MacDonald, S.W.S., Keller, C.J.C., Brewster, P.W.H., & Dixon, R.A. (2018). Contrasting olfaction, vision, and audition as predictors of cognitive change and impairment in non-demented older adults. Neuropsychology, 32(4), 450–460.
  • MacDonald, S.W.S., Hundza, S., Love, J., DeCarlo, C.A., Halliday, D.W., Brewster, P.W., Lukyn, T.V., Camicioli, R., & Dixon, R.A. (2017). Concurrent indicators of gait velocity and variability are associated with 25-year cognitive change: A retrospective longitudinal investigation. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 9, 17.
  • DeCarlo, C.A., Tuokko, H.A., Williams, D., Dixon, R.A., & MacDonald, S.W.S. (2014). BioAge: Toward a multi-determined, mechanistic account of cognitive aging. Ageing Research Reviews, 18, 95–105.
Dr. Stuart W.S. MacDonald
Dr. Linzy Bohn

Post-doctoral Scholar

University of Alberta

Canada

Selected VLS Publications
  • Bohn, L., Vandenburg, P., Fah, H., Rajah, M.N., Einstein, G.E., & Dixon, R.A. (2026). Evaluating sex and gender as independent and interactive predictors of memory aging trajectory classes: An integrative data-driven approach. Biology of Sex Differences, 17, Article 80.
  • Bohn, L., Han, A.Y., McFall, G.P., Drouin, S.M., Pettersen, J.A., Einstein, G., Rajah, M.N., Anstey, K.J., & Dixon, R.A. (2024). Gender selectively mediates the association between sex and memory in cognitively normal older adults. Innovation in Aging, 8(11), Article igae0894.
  • Bohn, L., Zheng, Y., McFall, G.P., & Dixon, R.A. (2021). Portals to frailty? Data-driven analyses detect early frailty profiles. Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, 13, Article 1.
Dr. Linzy Bohn
Dr. Sebastian Caballero

Post-doctoral Scholar

University of Alberta

Canada

Selected VLS Publications
  • Caballero, H.S., Bohn, L., Vergote, D., Andrews, S.J., Jhamandas, J.H., & Dixon, R.A. (2026). Polygenic risk scores, vascular health and sex interactively predict memory aging trajectories: A dynamic Alzheimer's disease biomarker network approach. (Submitted for Publication)
  • Caballero, H.S., McFall, G.P., Wiebe, S., & Dixon, R.A. (2021). Integrating three characteristics of executive function in non-demented aging: Trajectories, classification, and biomarker predictors. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 27(2), 158-171.
  • Caballero, H.S., McFall, G.P., Zheng, Y., & Dixon, R.A. (2021). Data-driven approaches to executive function performance and structure in aging: Integrating person-centered analyses and machine learning risk prediction. Neuropsychology, 35(8), 889-903.
Dr. Sebastian Caballero
Jill Friesen, BSc

Research Assistant

VLS Lab and Web Manager

University of Alberta

Canada

Jill Friesen
VLS Consultants and Co-Investigators
Dr. Kaarin J. Anstey

Professor

University of New South Wales

Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA)

Australia

Selected VLS Publications
  • Zheng, L., Eramudugolla, R., Cherbuin, N., Drouin, S.M., Dixon, R.A., & Anstey, K.J. (2023). Gender specific factors contributing to cognitive resilience in APOE ɛ4 positive older adults in a population-based sample. Scientific Reports, 13, 8037.
  • Anstey, K.J., & Dixon, R.A. (2021). Resilience in midlife and aging. In K.W. Schaie & S.L. Willis (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging (9th ed., pp. 287–300). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
  • Anstey, K.J., Peters, R., Mortby, M., Kiely, K.M., Eramudugolla, R., Cherbuin, N., Huque, H., & Dixon, R.A. (2021). Association of sex differences in dementia risk factors with sex differences in memory decline in a population-based cohort spanning 20–76 years. Scientific Reports, 11, Article 7710.
Dr. Kaarin J. Anstey
Dr. Lars Bäckman

Professor

Karolinska Institutet

Sweden

Selected VLS Publications
  • McFall, G.P., Bäckman, L., & Dixon, R.A. (2019). Nuances in Alzheimer's genetic risk reveal differential predictions of non-demented memory aging trajectories: Selective patterns by APOE genotype and sex. Current Alzheimer Research, 16(4), 302–315.
  • McFall, G.P., Wiebe, S.A., Vergote, D., Westaway, D., Jhamandas, J., Bäckman, L., & Dixon, R.A. (2015). ApoE and pulse pressure interactively influence level and change in the aging of episodic memory: Protective effects among ε2 carriers. Neuropsychology, 29, 388–401.
  • Dixon, R.A., Wahlin, Å., Maitland, S.B., Hultsch, D.F., Hertzog, C., & Bäckman, L. (2004). Episodic memory change in late adulthood: Generalizability across samples and performance indices. Memory & Cognition, 32, 768–778.
  • Nyberg, L., Maitland, S.B., Rönnlund, M., Bäckman, L., Dixon, R.A., Wahlin, Å., & Nilsson, L.-G. (2003). Selective adult age differences in an age-invariant multi-factor model of declarative memory. Psychology and Aging, 18, 149–160.
Dr. Lars Bäckman
Dr. Richard Camicioli

Professor

Department of Medicine (Neurology)

University of Alberta

Canada

Selected VLS Publications
  • Buzatto, A.Z., Tatlay, J., Bajwa, B., Mung, D., Camicioli, R., Dixon, R.A., & Li, L. (2021). Comprehensive serum lipidomics for detecting incipient dementia in Parkinson's disease. Journal of Proteome Research, 20(8), 4053–4067.
  • Han, W., Sapkota, S., Camicioli, R., Dixon, R.A., & Li, L. (2017). Profiling novel metabolic biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease using in-depth metabolomic analysis. Movement Disorders, 32(12), 1720–1728.
  • Thibeau, S., McFall, G.P., Camicioli, R., & Dixon, R.A. (2017). Alzheimer's disease biomarkers interactively influence physical activity, mobility, and cognition associations in a non-demented aging population. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 60(1), 69–86.
  • Dolcos, S., MacDonald, S.W.S., Braslavsky, A., Camicioli, R., & Dixon, R.A. (2012). Mild cognitive impairment is associated with selected functional markers: Integrating concurrent, longitudinal, and stability effects. Neuropsychology, 26, 209–223.
Dr. Richard Camicioli
Dr. Ian Deary

Professor

University of Edinburgh

Scotland

Influential Related Publications
  • Deary, I.J., Gow, A.J., Pattie, A., & Starr, J.M. (2012). Cohort profile: The Lothian Birth Cohorts of 1921 and 1936. International Journal of Epidemiology, 41(6), 1576–1584.
  • Harris, S.E. & Deary, I.J. (2011). The genetics of cognitive ability and cognitive ageing in healthy older people. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15, 388–394.
  • Deary, I.J., & Der, G. (2005). Reaction time, age, and cognitive ability: Longitudinal findings from age 16 to 63 years in representative population samples. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 12(2), 187–215.
  • Deary, I.J., Whiteman, M.C., Pattie, A., Starr, J.M., Hayward, C., Wright, A.F., Carothers, A., & Whalley, L.J. (2002). Cognitive change and the APOE epsilon 4 allele. Nature, 418(6901), 932.
Dr. Ian Deary
Dr. Christopher Hertzog

VLS Co-Founder and Professor

School of Psychology

Georgia Institute of Technology

USA

Selected VLS Publications
  • Hertzog, C., McFall, G.P., Small, B.J., & Dixon, R.A. (2019). Age, cohort, and period effects on metamemory beliefs. Psychology and Aging, 34(8), 1077–1089.
  • Hertzog, C., & Dixon, R.A. (2005). Metacognition in midlife. In S.L. Willis & M. Marting (Eds.), Middle adulthood: A lifespan perspective (pp. 355–379). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
  • Hertzog, C., Dixon, R.A., Hultsch, D.F., & MacDonald, S.W.S. (2003). Latent change models of adult cognition: Are changes in processing speed and working memory associated with changes in episodic memory? Psychology and Aging, 18, 755–770.
  • Hertzog, C., Hultsch, D.F., & Dixon, R.A. (1999). On the problem of detecting effects of lifestyle on cognitive change in adulthood. Psychology and Aging, 14, 528–534.
Dr. Christopher Hertzog
Dr. Scott Hofer

Mohr Chair and Professor

University of Victoria

Canada

Selected VLS Publications
  • Brown, C.L., Robitaille, A., Zelinski, E.M., Dixon, R.A., Hofer, S.M., & Piccinin, A. (2016). Cognitive activity mediates the association between social activity and cognitive performance: A longitudinal study. Psychology and Aging, 31(8), 831–846.
  • Dixon, R.A., Mungas, D.M., Hofer, S.M., & Piccinin, A.M. (2012). Social activity and cognitive functioning over time: A coordinated analysis of four longitudinal studies. Journal of Aging Research, 2012, Article 287438.
  • Lindwall, M., Cimino, C.R., Gibbons, L.E., Mitchell, M.B., Benitez, A., Brown, C.L., Kennison, R.F., Shirk, S.D., Atri, A., Robitaille, A., MacDonald, S.W.S., Zelinski, E.M., Willis, S.L., Schaie, K.W., Johansson, B., Praetorius, M., Dixon, R.A., Mungas, D.M., Hofer, S.M., & Piccinin, A.M. (2012). Dynamic associations of change in physical activity and change in cognitive function: Coordinated analyses of four longitudinal studies. Journal of Aging Research, 2012, Article 493598.
Dr. Scott Hofer
Dr. John J. McArdle

Professor

University of Southern California

USA

Selected VLS Publications
  • McArdle, J.J. & Nesselroade, J.R. (2014). Longitudinal data analysis using structural equation modeling. Washington, DC: APA Books.
  • Dixon, R.A., Small, B.J., MacDonald, S.W.S., & McArdle, J.J. (2012). Yes, memory declines with aging--but when, how, and why? In M. Naveh-Benjamin & N. Ohta (Eds.), Memory and aging (pp. 325–347). New York: Psychology Press.
  • Small, B.J., Dixon, R.A., McArdle, J.J., & Grimm, K.J. (2012). Do changes in lifestyle engagement moderate cognitive decline in normal aging? Evidence from the Victoria Longitudinal Study. Neuropsychology, 26, 144–155.
  • Small, B.J., Dixon, R.A., & McArdle, J.J. (2011). Tracking differences in cognition-health changes from 55 to 95 years of age: Findings from the Victoria Longitudinal Study. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 66B, i153–i161.
Dr. John J. McArdle
Dr. Brent J. Small

Professor

University of North Carolina

USA

Selected VLS Publications
  • Runge, S.K., Small, B.J., McFall, G.P., & Dixon R.A. (2014). APOE moderates the association between lifestyle activities and cognitive performance: Evidence of genetic plasticity in aging. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 20(5), 478–486.
  • Small, B.J., Dixon, R.A., & McArdle, J.J. (2011). Tracking differences in cognition-health changes from 55 to 95 years of age: Findings from the Victoria Longitudinal Study. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 66B, i153–i161.
  • Small, B.J., Hertzog, C., Hultsch, D.F., & Dixon, R.A. (2003). Stability and change in adult personality over 6 years: Findings from the Victoria Longitudinal Study. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 58B, 166–176.
Dr. Brent J. Small
VLS Emeritus
Dr. David F. Hultsch

Formerly Professor

Department of Psychology

University of Victoria

Canada

Dr. David F. Hultsch
Dr. Esther Strauss

Formerly Professor

Department of Psychology

University of Victoria

Canada

Dr. Esther Strauss
Recent VLS Student Research Awards and Publications
Linzy Bohn, PhD
  • 2026 Instructor in Aging, Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease
  • 2022 Poster Award (Postdoctoral Category) at the Virtual CCNA Science Day Conference
  • 2020 Gyro Club of Edmonton Graduate Scholarship — Doctoral Level
  • 2020 Thelma R. Scambler Scholarship
  • 2019 International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development Graduate Scholarship
  • 2019 President's Doctoral Prize of Distinction
  • 2018 President's Doctoral Prize of Distinction
  • 2017–2020 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship
Sebastian Caballero, PhD
  • 2024 Instructor in Aging, Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease
  • 2019 SynAD Award for Enhancing Training Capacity in ADRD
  • 2018 Government of Alberta Graduate Student Scholarship
  • 2018 Poster Award at the Campus Alberta Neuroscience International Conference on Promoting Healthy Brain Aging and Preventing Dementia: Research and Translation
  • 2018 University of Alberta Graduate Student Association Graduate Student Research Assistant Award
Cindy de Frias, PhD
  • de Frias, C.M., Dixon, R.A., & Strauss, E. (2009). Characterizing executive functioning in older special populations: From cognitively elite to cognitively impaired. Neuropsychology, 23, 778–791.
  • de Frias, C.M., Dixon, R.A., Fisher, N., & Camicioli, R. (2007). Intraindividual variability in neurocognitive speed: A comparison of Parkinson's disease and normal older adults. Neuropsychologia, 45, 2499–2507.
  • de Frias, C.M., Dixon, R.A., & Strauss, E. (2006). Structure of four executive functioning tests in healthy older adults. Neuropsychology, 20, 206–214.
  • de Frias, C.M, & Dixon, R.A. (2005). Confirmatory factor structure and measurement invariance of the Memory Compensation Questionnaire. Psychological Assessment, 17, 168–178.
Shannon Drouin, PhD
  • 2024–2025 Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • 2023 Instructor in Aging, Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease
  • McFall, G.P., Bohn, L., Drouin, S.M., Gee, M., Fah, H., Han, W., Li, L., Camicioli, R., & Dixon, R.A. (2023). Identifying key multi-modal predictors of incipient dementia in Parkinson's disease: A machine learning analysis and Tree SHAP interpretation. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 15, Article 1124232.
  • 2022 Dallas Treit Graduate Research Award in Psychology
  • Drouin, S., McFall, G.P., & Dixon, R.A. (2022). Subjective memory concerns, poor vascular health, and male sex predict exacerbated memory decline trajectories: An integrative data-driven class and prediction analysis. Neuropsychology, 36(2), 128–139.
  • Drouin, S.M., McFall, G.P., Potvin, O., Bellec, P., Masellis, M., Duchesne, S., & Dixon, R.A. for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (2022). Data-driven analyses of longitudinal hippocampal imaging trajectories: Discrimination and biomarker prediction of change classes. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 88, 97–115.
  • 2021 Brendan Gail Rule Graduate Scholarship
  • 2021 Poster Award at the Virtual CCNA Science Day Conference
  • 2020 Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship
  • 2020–2023 Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarship — Data-Enabled Innovation
  • 2020 Brendan Gail Rule Graduate Scholarship
  • 2020 International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development Graduate Scholarship
  • Drouin, S.M., McFall, G.P., & Dixon, R.A. (2020). In multiple facets of Subjective Memory Decline sex moderates memory predictions. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, 12(1), e12089.
  • 2019 Alberta Excellence Graduate Scholarship
  • 2019 Brendan Gail Rule Scholarship
  • 2019 CIHR-CCNA Travel Award to attend CCNA Science Days
  • 2018 ASC-CCNA (Alzheimer's Society of Canada - Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging) Poster Award in the Postdoctoral Category at the CCNA Science Day, Toronto, ON
  • 2018 Brendan Gail Rule Graduate Scholarship
  • 2018 Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship
G. Peggy McFall, PhD
  • 2019 Press Release for Article in Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Entitled, "Modifiable Risk Factors Discriminate Memory Trajectories in Non-Demented Precision Factors and Targets for Promoting Healthier Brain Aging and Preventing Dementia?"  Click Here to View
  • 2018 ASC-CCNA (Alzheimer's Society of Canada - Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging) poster award in the Postdoctoral category at the CCNA Science Day, Toronto, ON
  • 2017 ASC-CCNA (Alzheimer's Society of Canada - Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging) Poster Award in the Postdoctoral category at the CCNA Science Day, Toronto, ON
  • 2017 Connie Varnhagen Excellence in Teaching Psychology Award, University of Alberta
Shraddha Sapkota, PhD
  • Sapkota, S., McFall, G.P., Masellis, M., & Dixon, R.A. (2021). A multimodal risk network predicts executive function trajectories in non-demented aging. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 13, Article 621023.
  • Sapkota, S., & Dixon, R.A. (2018). A network of genetic effects on non-demented cognitive aging: Alzheimer’s genetic risk (CLU + CR1 + PICALM) intensifies cognitive aging genetic risk (COMT + BDNF) selectively for APOE ε4 carriers. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 62(2), 887–900.
  • Sapkota, S., Huan, T., Tran, T., Zheng, J., Camicioli, R., Li, L., & Dixon, R.A. (2018). Alzheimer's biomarkers from multiple modalities selectively discriminate clinical status: Relative importance of salivary metabolomics panels, genetic, lifestyle, cognitive, functional health, and demographic risk markers. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 10, 296.
  • 2017–2019 Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Alzheimer Society of Canada (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto)
  • 2017 Postdoctoral Fellow, Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (University of Alberta)
  • 2014 Emerging Scholar Award from the Gerontological Society of America
Sheri Thibeau, PhD
  • 2019/2020 Instructor in Aging, Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease
  • Thibeau, S., McDermott, K.L., McFall, G.P., Rockwood, K., & Dixon, R.A. (2019). Frailty effects on non-demented cognitive trajectories are moderated by sex and Alzheimer's genetic risk. Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, 11, 55.
  • Thibeau, S., McFall, G.P., Camicioli, R., & Dixon, R.A. (2019). Physical activity and mobility differentially predict non-demented executive function trajectories: Do sex and APOE moderate these associations? Gerontology, 65, 640–648.
  • 2018 Poster Award at the Campus Alberta Neuroscience International Conference on Promoting Healthy Brain Aging and Preventing Dementia: Research and Translation
  • 2018 Queen Elizabeth II Doctoral Scholarship
  • 2017 ASC-CCNA (Alzheimer's Society of Canada - Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging) Poster Award in the PhD Category at the CCNA Science Day, Toronto, ON
  • Thibeau, S., McFall, G.P., Camicioli, R., & Dixon, R.A. (2017). Alzheimer's disease biomarkers interactively influence physical activity, mobility, and cognition associations in a non-demented aging population. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 60(1), 69–86.
Harrison Fah, MSc
  • Fah, H., Greiner, R., Bennett, D.A., & Dixon, R.A. (2026). Estimating delays in Alzheimer’s disease onset from risk factor modification using reinforcement learning: A ROSMAP study. (Submitted for Publication)
  • Fah, H., Greiner, R., & Dixon, R.A. (2026). Temporally consistent survival prediction for non-uniform longitudinal data. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 176, 104996.
  • Fah, H., Bohn, L., Greiner, R., & Dixon, R.A. (2025). Comparing machine learning classifier models in discriminating cognitively unimpaired older adults from three clinical cohorts in the Alzheimer’s disease spectrum: Demonstration analyses in the COMPASS-ND study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 17, Article 1542514.
Mackenzie Heal, MSc
  • 2023 Press Release for Article in Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Entitled, "Bridging Integrator 1 (BIN1, rs6733839) and sex are moderators of vascular health predictions of memory aging trajectories."  Click Here to View
  • Heal, M., McFall, G.P., Vergote, D., Jhamandas, J.H., Westaway, D., & Dixon, R.A. (2022). Bridging Integrator 1 (BIN1, rs6733839) and sex are moderators of vascular health predictions of memory aging trajectories. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 89, 265–281.
  • 2021 Poster Award at the Virtual Promoting Healthy Brain Aging and Preventing Dementia: Research and Translation International Conference
Kirsty McDermott, MSc
  • 2016 Outstanding Student Poster at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference
  • McFall, G.P., McDermott, K.L., & Dixon, R.A. (2019). Modifiable risk factors discriminate memory trajectories in non-demented aging: Precision factors and targets for promoting healthier brain aging and preventing dementia? Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 70, S101–S118.
  • McDermott, K., McFall, G.P., Andrews, S.J., Anstey, K.J., & Dixon, R.A. (2017). Memory resilience to Alzheimer's genetic risk: Sex effects in predictor profiles. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 72(6), 937–946.
  • McFall, G.P., Sapkota, S., McDermott, K.L., & Dixon, R.A. (2016). Risk-reducing apolipoprotein E and clusterin genotypes protect against the consequences of poor vascular health on executive function performance and change in non-demented older adults. Neurobiology of Aging, 42, 91–100.
A VLS Loss
Dr. Esther Strauss

We regret that our cherished colleague and friend, Esther Strauss, passed away in June 2009. A neuropsychology maven, she was a major contributor to the VLS initiatives in that area since the late 1990s. Her loss is felt in many other dimensions as well.

Photo (in Hawaii) by RAD, one of Esther's many friends.

Passages
  • Terry Perkins: We are saddened to learn of the passing of our former Victoria lab coordinator and research assistant. Terry's friendliness and professionalism were legendary among VLS participants and colleagues, with whom he worked for almost two decades.
  • Peggy McFall retired from her positions as Research Associate (University of Alberta) and Assistant Director (VLS) in May 2023. We wish her every success in her new life activities. We will miss her cheerful energy, broad expertise and supportive spirit.
  • John (Jack) McArdle was a valued friend, collaborator and consultant of the VLS. His passing was marked with profound sadness by friends and colleagues from around the world. The VLS benefited greatly from his prodigious expertise in quantitative modeling of complex longitudinal data.
  • Dianne Wolcott has long served as one of our friendly and loyal participant coordinators. She retired in 2015 and we wish her well on her many new activities.
  • David Hultsch, after an outstanding academic career, retired from the University of Victoria in 2011. Dave was one of the three founders of the VLS. We are pleased that latest reports have him enjoying life on a small island off the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
  • Maureen Pugh was with the VLS from its inception until the early 2000s. Her enormous dedication to the project and to the VLS participants will be missed.