Indira C. Turney, Ph.D.

Dr. Turney's research program centers on advancing our understanding of brain health disparities, particularly within historically marginalized and underserved communities. As the director of the Brain Health Equity (BHE) Unit, she investigates how environmental, sociocultural, and biological factors shape brain health, with an emphasis on diverse Black adults across the lifespan. Dr. Turney uses advanced neuroimaging techniques, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), along with comprehensive epidemiologic and genomic analyses to investigate how lifecourse factors influence brain health.

Key areas of focus include assessing how stress, social disadvantage, and structural factors affect brain health and contribute to disparities in brain aging and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). The BHE Unit conducts both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies to assess the cumulative effects of these factors, analyzing biomarkers like oxidative stress, inflammation, and genetic variations. By identifying critical periods of vulnerability and resilience, Dr. Turney's research aims to inform targeted interventions to improve brain health outcomes for Black adults and other at-risk populations. Ultimately, the goal of the BHE Unit is to develop a comprehensive understanding of brain health inequalities and create effective strategies to promote equitable brain health across diverse communities.

Dr. Indira C. Turney is a distinguished cognitive neuroscientist whose research has made significant strides in understanding brain aging among diverse populations. She completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix, and earned her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Pennsylvania State University in 2018. Following her doctoral studies, Dr. Turney joined Columbia University Irving Medical Center as a Postdoctoral Scientist in the Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain. Her research focused on identifying socio-cultural mechanisms that contribute to disparities in molecular, structural, and functional aspects of the aging brain. By 2022, she became an Associate Research Scientist in the same department, further establishing her role as a leading expert in the field. Dr. Turney's work has garnered significant recognition, including funding from an NIH Diversity Supplement, the NIH AD-RCMAR CIRAD Pilot Grant, and the NIH/NIA K99/R00 Pathways to Independence Award. She has also been honored as an NIH Butler-Williams Scholar and a BRAINS (Broadening the Representation of Academic Investigators in NeuroScience) fellow. In 2024, Dr. Turney joined the NIA's Laboratory of Epidemiology and Populations Sciences, Health Disparities Research Section as an Earl Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator and an NIH Distinguished Scholar. She continues to engage in research focused on advancing brain health equity and addressing health disparities.

• Turney IC, Lao PJ, Rentería MA, Igwe KC, Berroa J, Rivera A, Benavides A, Morales CD, Rizvi B, Schupf N, Mayeux R, Manly JJ, Brickman AM. Brain Aging Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Middle-Aged and Older Adults. JAMA Neurol. 2023 Jan 1;80(1):73-81. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.3919. PMCID: PMC9664371.
• Morris EP, Turney IC, Palms JD, Zaheed AB, Sol K, Amarante E, Beato J, Chesebro AG, Morales CD, Manly JJ, Brickman AM, Zahodne LB. Racial and ethnic differences in the relationship between financial worry and white matter hyperintensities in Latinx, non-Latinx Black, and non-Latinx White older adults. Neurobiol Aging. 2023 Sep;129:149-156. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.05.008. Epub 2023 May 18. PMCID: PMC10878173.
• Avila-Rieger J, Turney IC, Vonk JMJ, Esie P, Seblova D, Weir VR, Belsky DW, Manly JJ. Socioeconomic Status, Biological Aging, and Memory in a Diverse National Sample of Older US Men and Women. Neurology. 2022 Nov 8;99(19):e2114-e2124. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201032. Epub 2022 Aug 29. PMCID: PMC9651454.
• Katz B, Turney I, Lee JH, Amini R, Ajrouch K, Antonucci T. Race/Ethnic Differences in Social Resources as Cognitive Risk and Protective Factors. Res Hum Dev. 2020;17(1):57-77. doi: 10.1080/15427609.2020.1743809. Epub 2020 Jul 1. PMCID: PMC8174783.
• Turney IC, Chesebro AG, Rentería MA, Lao PJ, Beato JM, Schupf N, Mayeux R, Manly JJ, Brickman AM. APOE ε4 and resting-state functional connectivity in racially/ethnically diverse older adults. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2020 Sep 22;12(1):e12094. doi: 10.1002/dad2.12094. PMCID: PMC7508460.