{"id":141488,"date":"2024-05-13T14:10:26","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T18:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=141488"},"modified":"2025-04-15T20:30:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T00:30:27","slug":"ucf-professor-awarded-fulbright-grant-to-conduct-brain-health-research-in-finland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-professor-awarded-fulbright-grant-to-conduct-brain-health-research-in-finland\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Professor Awarded Fulbright Grant to Conduct Brain Health Research in Finland"},"content":{"rendered":"
Su-I Hou<\/a> has traveled all over the world to share her research<\/a> on public health and aging<\/a> in community. Her next opportunity is about to take her to Northern Europe.<\/p>\n Hou, a professor of global health management and informatics<\/a> in the College of Community Innovation and Education<\/a>, has been named the 2024-25 Fulbright-Saastamoinen Foundation Distinguished Chair in Health Sciences.<\/p>\n The U.S. Fulbright Program partners with universities worldwide, inviting leading scholars to study and teach abroad in short-term appointments. The Distinguished Chairs Program is one of its most prestigious awards. Candidates are typically senior scholars with significant publication and teaching records.<\/p>\n On her upcoming trip, Hou will visit the University of Eastern Finland to work on the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability project, also known as the FINGERS study. This study shows that five lifestyle changes \u2014 nutrition, exercise, mental stimulation, social activities and cardiovascular risk management \u2014 can protect and promote brain health and slow cognitive decline.<\/p>\n Building on insights from the original trial, Hou will help the FINGERS research team explore the effects of digitally enhanced lifestyle interventions.<\/p>\n \u201cResearchers have found that these lifestyle changes are linked to better thinking and problem-solving abilities,\u201d Hou says. \u201cThey emphasize the importance of sticking to these changes for lasting benefits.<\/p>\n With ongoing concerns about global aging and increased digital communication post-pandemic, we need new trial designs based on the successful FINGERS model. Although the original study was very successful, transitioning these lifestyle interventions to a digital format presents new challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n One of these new trials will study the correlation between hearing impairment and cognitive decline. Hou will evaluate the digital self-assessment tool using mixed-methods research, her area of expertise.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t typically link hearing impairment with mental decline, but the team is trying to study how personalized hearing rehabilitation may impact the cognitive function so we can better understand how older adults use digital tools,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n This study is a natural extension of Hou\u2019s research on aging in community, which focuses on helping older adults live independently while fostering connections with their communities to improve their well-being. Hou has presented her research at numerous universities overseas through hundreds of presentations, workshops and seminars.<\/p>\n