Old Members’ Trust Graduate Travel Report – Naiara Demnitz, Psychiatry

Earlier this month I attended the 48th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego to present a poster, titled “Is gait associated with hippocampal volume in older adults” (Figure 1). This poster presented the baseline findings from a study I have been working on throughout my DPhil, the Retirement in Action (REACT) MRI sub-study. Through discussions at my own poster and by visiting other presentations, I was introduced to a handful of similar studies currently being conducted. This was incredibly useful as we were able to exchange analysis plans and findings to date. In addition to my own presentation, I was able to attend talks on a wide set of topics, ranging from the implications of adolescent research for social policy to inspiring roundtable discussions at the Women in Neuroscience Luncheon.

I am currently in the final stages of my DPhil. As such, I am in the process of considering and planning my next career stages. Presenting my research at what is the largest conference in my field was a fantastic opportunity to disseminate findings while also meeting other lab groups and identifying potential work opportunities. For example, as a result of an interesting scientific discussion with a researcher from the University of Cardiff who is looking to hire a new postdoctoral researcher next year, I have organized to present my findings to his lab group next month.

In sum, I am very grateful for the travel grant awarded by the Old Members’ Trust, which helped make this visit possible.

Find out more about the range of travel grants and scholarships available to assist Univ students on our Travel Grants page or read further travel reports.

Published: 28 January 2019

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