As a geriatrician, Kerry has been working with elderly patients for over a decade, seeing them in her clinic for personalized treatment and in innovative group medical visits. Cognitive impairment and dementia, primarily Alzheimer’s disease, are common in this population, but few treatments are effective. Seeing patients and their families deal with the terrible effects of these diseases, Kerry’s goal through her research is to find a way to prevent onset and delay progression. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and diabetes, are also risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and women account for two-thirds of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. Kerry wants to understand how these diseases differ between men and women and how sex hormones, namely estrogen, play a role in their onset and progression.



Kerry’s interest in research grew as she became acquainted with colleagues on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus during her fellowship. Working with Dr. Wendy Kohrt and the renowned IMAGE (Investigations in Metabolism, Aging, Gender and Exercise) Research Group in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Kerry has been able to link up with an ongoing clinical trial to obtain data on the role of estrogen in blood vessel and brain function. She uses cognitive tests as well as ultrasound and functional MRI to observe differences in cognitive function and vasculature in healthy women nearing menopause who are receiving a medication to suppress their estrogen levels as part of this clinical trial.

Kerry loves to enjoy the beautiful Colorado outdoors with her nine year old son. She also loves reading, cooking and traveling when she’s not hard at work in her lab.