Jaime Perales Puchalt, PhD, MPH

Professional Background

Jaime Perales Puchalt, Ph.D., MPH, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. His background is in psychology and public health. In addition to conducting research in Spain, England and the United States, Perales Puchalt has collaborated with teams from other countries in the European Union and the Americas.

With a primary focus on reducing Latino dementia disparities, his research has led to the development of a dementia educational/recruitment tool for Latinos. He has also studied the risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment among sexual and ethnoracial minorities. He currently leads federally funded grants to understand and reduce disparities in dementia care among Latinos. One of those grants includes the first text message caregiver support program for Latino family caregivers (CuidaTEXT).

Dr. Perales Puchalt holds a Ph.D. in biomedicine and public health and a MPH in public health from the University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. He also has a MSc in psychology from the University of Valencia. He joined the KU ADRC in 2017 after a postdoctoral position at JUNTOS: Center for Advancing Latino Health at KU Medical Center.

• BS, Psychology, Universitat de València, València, Spain
• MSC, Psychology, Universitat de València, València, Spain
• MPH, Public Health, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
• PhD, Public Health, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Community-based health research among Latinos and mHealth, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Alzheimer’s Disease, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS

• Hispanic Neuropsychological Society, Hispanic Neuropsychological Society Science committee, Consultant, 2022 - 2022
• KC Dementia Collaborative , Director, 2021 - Present
• KU ADC, Team for Justice through Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), Member, 2021 - 2024
• Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment, Diversity and Disparities PIA, Member, 2020 - Present
• Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment, AAIC preconference planning in science of recruitment for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias clinical studies, Member, 2020 - 2020
• Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment, Diversity PIA: LGBTQ SIG, Member, 2020 - Present
• Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment, ISTAART , Member, 2019 - Present

Research

Overview

My research interests can be defined using the keywords health, aging and social justice. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death." This idea motivates me, as I am aware of my privilege in being entrusted with a career contributed to reducing health disparities and transform the lives of populations through research. My personal experience with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) provides me a specialized niche in which I can impact individuals and families around the world by reducing the threat of ADRD. Up to now, I have contributed to reducing disparities by gaining a unique experience in diverse research methodologies including epidemiological research and clinical trials in population, clinical and community settings. I have worked with diverse populations focusing on age, gender, socioeconomic position, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity.

With a primary focus on reducing Latino dementia disparities, my research has led to the development of a dementia educational/recruitment tool for Latinos. I have also studied the risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment among sexual and ethnoracial minorities.

• Differential Effects of Exercise Modality on Cognition and Brain in Older Adults, NIH

• Whitaker, A., A, Alwatban, M, Freemyer, A, Perales-Puchalt, J, Billinger, S., A. 2020. Effects of high intensity interval exercise on cerebrovascular function: A systematic review.. PloS one, 15 (10), e0241248
• Vidoni, E., D, Szabo-Reed, A, Kang, C, Shaw, A., R, Perales-Puchalt, J, Grove, G, Hamill, M, Henry, D, Burns, J., M, Hillman, C, Kramer, A., F, McAuley, E, Erickson, K., I. 2020. The IGNITE trial: Participant recruitment lessons prior to SARS-CoV-2.. Contemporary clinical trials communications, 20, 100666
• Shaw, Ashley., R., Perales-Puchalt, Jaime, Valdivieso-Mora, Esmeralda, McGee, Jerrihlyn., L., Vaduvathiriyan, Prasanna, Vidoni, Eric., D.. 2022. Effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions on cognitive function among non-demented African American and Latino older adults in the USA: a scoping review. Ethnicity & Health, 27 (4), 929-945. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2020.1828292
• Perales, J, Moore, W., T, Fernandez, C, Chavez, D, Ramirez, M, Johnson, D, Resendez, J, Bueno, C, Vidoni, E., D. 2020. Feasibility of an Alzheimer's disease knowledge intervention in the Latino community.. Ethnicity & health, 25 (5), 747-758
• Perales-Puchalt, Jaime, Shaw, Ashley, McGee, Jerrihlyn., L., Moore, W.., Todd, Hinton, Ladson, Resendez, Jason, Monroe, Stephanie, Dwyer, John, Vidoni, Eric., D.. 2020. Preliminary Efficacy of a Recruitment Educational Strategy on Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge, Research Participation Attitudes, and Enrollment Among Hispanics. Hispanic health care international : the official journal of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, 18 (3), 144-149. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540415319893238