Dr. Frederico Faria (Project Manager & Operations)

    Frederico is a Postdoctoral fellow in medicine at University of Western Ontario/Parkwood Institute supervised by Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso, having previously obtained a PhD in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. He is currently investigating the influence of depression on balance control of individuals with mild cognitive decline and also the impact of obstacle negotiation on walking stability in the same population. Frederico has been recently awarded a Postdoctoral fellowship from Lawson Foundation to research the neural correlates of obstacle negotiation during walking in individuals with mild cognitive impairment. Additionally, he is co-investigating the benefits of combined interventions using physical exercises, cognitive training and vitamin D supplementation on cognition and mobility deficits in seniors with mild cognitive impairment. Overall, his research aims to unveil and fix the underlying mechanisms of falls in older populations with cognitive impairments.

      Munira is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Gait and Brain Lab at Parkwood Institute supervised by Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso. She obtained her PhD in Health Science from Western University. Her PhD thesis involved reduction of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia with virtual stimulation therapy. She also is a physician (Dhaka University, Bangladesh) with a Master’s in Public Health (Sydney University, Australia). She spent ten years in clinical and academic research on cognitive health in Canada, and five years in community health research in various parts of the world (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Kenya). Her research interests are cognitive health, person centered care, and health innovation. She is curious to learn how biological mechanisms play a role in dementia progression. She is working to characterize those individuals at a higher risk of dementia based on their metabolomics profile, slowing of gait, and decline in cognition at present.  

    Jia Qi (Jackie) Liu, BMSc, is a pharmacy student enrolling in the Entry to Practice Doctor of Pharmacy program (2022-2026) at the University of Alberta. Jackie obtained her Bachelor's in Honors Specialization in Interdisciplinary Medical Science at Western University in 2022. During her last two undergraduate years, she volunteered as a website developer for the World Falls Guidelines website and data entry assistant for the COMPASS-ND study — both in Gait and Brain Lab at Parkwood Institute.