Professor Awarded Grant from Alzheimer's Association

Spotlight Archive

February 5, 1999
Professor Awarded Grant from Alzheimer's Association

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Alice Newcomb-Doyle (718) 951-5882

Brooklyn, NY - Michele G. Greene, professor of health and nutrition sciences at Brooklyn College, has been awarded a $180,000 grant from the Alzheimer's Association to research communication between physicians and patients with cognitive impairment.

Dr. Greene will receive funds over a three-year period from the Alzheimer's Association and will observe encounters between physicians and their patients who are experiencing a decrease in perception, reasoning, and intuition. The research will examine how discussions with patients about possible cognitive impairment are initiated; the quality and content of these discussions; the reactions of patients and accompanying persons; and physicians' diagnoses and recommendations for follow-up.

"By studying actual encounters between patients and physicians and identifying sensitive communication approaches, we can make a significant contribution to the practice of humane care for cognitively impaired individuals," said Professor Greene. She added that her research will result in a communication guidebook for advanced medical students, medical residents, geriatric fellows, and primary care physicians.

Brooklyn College, founded in 1930, is one of the eleven senior colleges of the City University of New York. It educates 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The school is known nationally for its core curriculum, which has been hailed as one of the "bright spots" in American higher education. Located on a 26-acre tree-lined campus in Flatbush, Brooklyn College has a diverse student body representing more than 70 of the borough's 100 ethnic groups.