Read our January 2024 Newsletter!​

• Laura Fenton received the Gold Family Fellowship Award for research related to her dissertation. Gold Family Fellows are chosen on the basis of extraordinary academic promise. Congratulations, Laura!

• Dr. Han was featured in the October 2023 issue of the Asian Neuropsychological Association Newsletter. Read the feature and learn more about Dr. Han's professional journey here. 

• Dr. Han was chosen as the next editor-in-chief of the psychological sciences section of The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, effective January 2024. Read more about it here.

• Dr. Han and Dr. Lim were interviewed for a U.S. News & World Report article, "Minorities Miss Out on Brain-Imaging Studies for Alzheimer's." Read the article here. 

• Dr. Han was featured in a KQED podcast episode on "How Dementia Can Threaten Financial Health." Listen to the episode here. 

• Dr. Gali Weissberger and Dr. Han were interviewed for the WUFT article, "Hidden violence: Elder abuse was already hard to track – then a pandemic made it more difficult." Read the feature here.

• The National Institute on Aging at the NIH publicly featured our work as a “Research Highlight”! Read about it here.

• Dr. Han has been invited to join the American Psychological Association (APA) Presidential Task Force on Race Norming. The task force was appointed to address issues related to the use of demographically-adjusted neuropsychological normative data.

• The Board of Directors of the National Academy of Neuropsychology has elected Dr. Han to be a Fellow of the Academy for his significant contributions to the field of neuropsychology. He will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony to be held at the upcoming Annual Conference in October 2022. Congratulations, Dr. Han!

• Dr. Han has been elected as one of the incoming International Neuropsychological Society Dementia Special Interest Group Co-Chairs! Congrats, Dr. Han!

• Dr. Gali Weissberger was featured in The Jerusalem Post for study findings she led regarding the association between financial altruism and Alzheimer’s disease neurocognitive profiles in older adults. Read the feature here.

• Dr. Han was a visiting professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland to meet with Dr. Simon Cox and other investigators of the Lothian Birth Cohorts study, one of the most well-known studies of aging. While at the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Han presented his research examining the possible links between brain changes and financial exploitation vulnerability in older adults. Check out the Twitter threads here and here.

• Various media outlets shared Dr. Gali Weissberger and Dr. Han's study about financial altruism and Alzheimer's disease. Read about it on the KSOM website, EurerkAlert.org, Alzheimer Europe, and Medical Xpress.

• Dr. Han has been invited to join the Scientific Advisory Board of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)! Congratulations, Dr. Han!

• Dr. Aaron Lim and Dr. Han are featured in the May 2022 Keck Medicine of USC Media news story, "Social dissatisfaction predicts vulnerability to financial exploitation in older adults." Read about it here.

• Out of a highly selective process, Dr. Han was chosen to be one out of 56 delegates to serve at the Minnesota Update Conference, which will set the education and training rules for the field of clinical neuropsychology for years to come. Congrats, Dr. Han!

• Dr. Han was ranked #3 in the country for NIH research funding for Family Medicine researchers by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research! Thank you to all of the Han Lab collaborators for their support!

• Dr. Han was quoted in the January 2022 AARP article, "How to Report Elder Financial Exploitation." Read about it here.

• Dr. Han was interviewed on how the pandemic has impacted our memory for the December 2021 The Times article, "Well, that was a bit of a blur: notes on 2021." Read about it here.

• Congratulations to Dr. Han for being elected a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, an honor bestowed upon APA members who have shown evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in the field of psychology! Dr. Han was elected a Fellow for his work, which has had a national impact on the field of psychology! Read the announcement here.

• Dr. Han was quoted in the October 2021 Science article, "The most common Alzheimer’s risk gene may also protect against memory loss." Read about it here.

• The Finance, Cognition, and Default Network in Aging (FCDNA) study was featured in the USC School News and Keck School News. Read the feature here. Learn more about FCDNA here!

• Congratulations to Dr. Annie Nguyen for having her article "Perceived Types, Causes, and Consequences of Financial Exploitation: Narratives From Older Adults" as the May 2021 “Editor’s Choice” feature of the Journal of Gerontology Social Sciences! Read her article here.

• Congratulations to Dr. Han on being awarded a 5-year, NIH-funded, RF1 Research Project Grant in April 2021! This grant will support the "Finance, Cognition, and Default Network in Aging" project. The overall goal of this study is to examine the association of financial exploitation in old age with markers of Alzheimer’s Disease.

• Congratulations to our postdoctoral scholar Dr. Jenna Axelrod on accepting a position as an Adult Neuropsychologist at the NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, IL! She will conduct comprehensive evaluations of adults presenting with a wide range of neurologic and psychiatric conditions including dementia, traumatic brain injury, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, stroke, depression, anxiety, and other condition that can impact cognitive functioning. Although these evaluations will primarily be outpatient, Dr. Axelrod will also serve inpatient and neurosurgical teams for assessments. Dr. Axelrod will participate in an active training program comprised of early career practicum students, as well as advanced technicians.

• In a Keck Medicine blog post, Dr. Han answers, "Can Brain Games Improve Your Memory?" Read about it here.

• In a December 2020 AARP article, Dr. Han shares our research findings in "Want to avoid fraud? Start by getting your eyes and ears checked." Read about it here.

• Dr. Han discusses our research findings in a November 2020 EurekAlert! press release, "New studies find financially exploited seniors show brain differences and are more frail." Read about it here.

• As a governance member, Dr. Han participated in the AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health 5th Anniversary Celebration! He is featured in the "October 28, 2020 @ 8 p.m." video segment from 32:44 until 43:12. Watch the webinar recordings here.

• Congratulations to former Han Research Lab postdoctoral scholar Dr. Gali Weissberger on becoming a Senior Lecturer in the Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences at Bar Ilan University in Israel! Her research interests include understanding contextual factors that impact cognitive aging, decision making, and financial exploitation of older adults. We are excited to follow her research!

• Congratulations to Dr. Han on his June 2020 promotion to full professor with tenure within the USC Department of Family Medicine!

• In a June 2020 Next Avenue article, Dr. Han speaks on the global trend of elder abuse during the pandemic in "Like Domestic Violence, Elder Abuse Appears to Be Climbing, Too." The article was also shared by Forbes and PBS NewsHour. Read the article here.

• Congratulations to Dr. Annie Nguyen on being granted a 5-year, NIH/NIA-funded, K01 Career Development Award in April 2020! Dr. Han celebrates her achievement has the primary mentor. Dr. Nguyen will be researching "Cognitive health, psychosocial factors, and behaviors relevant to aging successfully with HIV."

• Congratulations to our operations manager Caroline Nguyen on being accepted into the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Executive Master of Health Administration program! She will pursue her graduate degree while continuing to work in the Han Research Lab!

• Julie Schoen, Deputy Director of the National Center on Elder Abuse, and Dr. Han were interviewed about financial abuse of older adults for the November 2019 Alzheimer's Prevention Bulletin. Read the article here.

• Based on reports collected by the National Center on Elder Abuse, our research found financial abuse to be the most commonly reported type of elder abuse, with family members being the most frequently identified perpetrators of alleged abuse. In August 2019, our research was covered by Keck School News, FOXBusiness, MarketWatch, and ScienceDaily. Read the articles at the corresponding links.

• In a June 2019 The LAist article, Dr. Han is quoted in "People Are Ripping Off LA Seniors At Alarming Rates — And It's Making Them Sick." Read the article here.

• Dr. Han is featured in the May 2019 Marketplace (American Public Media, heard on National Public Radio) series "Brains and Losses." Listen to his May 16, 2019 feature here and his May 21, 2019 feature here.

• For the second year in a row, Dr. Han was awarded another grant from the Cathay Bank Foundation in support of our FINCHES pilot study! Thanks for your continued support of our work Cathay Bank Foundation!

• Congratulations to Dr. Han as he is appointed the Chair of the National Institute on Aging Neuroscience (NIA-N) grant review committee! As chair, Dr. Han will oversee the entire grant review process. His term as chair begins February 2019.

• Dr. Han was invited to be a standing member of the National Institute on Aging Neuroscience (NIA-N) review committee! The committee serves in an advisory role to the Director of the NIH and the Director of the NIA. His term will be for 6 years starting July 1, 2018.

• Along with Julie Schoen, Deputy Director of the National Center on Elder Abuse at the USC Keck School of Medicine, Dr. Han speaks with Julie Rose on a June 2018 episode of BYU Radio's "Top Of Mind." Listen to their conversation here.

• Dr. Han is referenced in the June 2018 Vice Motherboard article, "If Rich People Are the Variables in ‘Westworld,’ No Wonder the Experiment Sucks." Read the article here.

• Dr. Han was awarded a grant from the Cathay Bank Foundation in support of our FINCHES pilot study! Thanks for your support of our work Cathay Bank Foundation!

• Our research assistant, Jacqueline Chen, was accepted into the Progressive Master’s Program at the USC School of Gerontology. The program allows Jacqueline to earn a Master of Science in Gerontology, while simultaneously completing her Bachelor’s degree. We celebrate the exciting journey ahead for Jackie!

• Dr. Gali Weissberger was awarded a National Institute on Aging T32 fellowship through the USC School of Gerontology. The fellowship aims to provide training in multidisciplinary aspects of research on aging. Congratulations, Dr. Weissberger!

• The Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School features Dr. Han's discussion regarding "Future Directions: The Aging Brain and Financial Decision-Making" from the April 2018 "Our Aging Brains" conference. Listen to his talk here.

• The University of Southern California News features our research in a March 2018 article discussing "Why Seniors are Susceptible to Phone Scams and Fraud, and How to Stop Them." Read the article here.

• In a February 2018 National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) blog post, Dr. Han discusses "The Finance, Cognition, and Health in Elders Study: Toward Preventing Financial Exploitation of Older Adults." Read the blog post here.

• The Han Research Lab celebrates Dr. Gali Weissberger for being awarded the Postdoctoral Scholar Training & Travel Award from the USC Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the USC Postdoctoral Association!

• The Atlantic quotes Dr. Han in an October 2017 article regarding "How a Focus on Rich Educated People Skews Brain Studies." Read the article here.

• Peter Bowes speaks with Dr. Han on the Live Long and Master Aging (LLAMA) podcast to discuss "Detecting Alzheimer's disease long before symptoms emerge." Listen to the podcast here.

• CBS affiliates, KNX-AM (Los Angeles) and KCBS-AM (San Francisco), speak with Dr. Han about his recent findings on how neuropsychology tests can detect preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Listen to the interview here.

• In the June 2017 Express Daily UK, Dr. Han discusses our research on Alzheimer's disease in the article, "Alzheimer's test: Mental skills exam could detect disease years before symptoms develop." Read the article here.

• In the May 2017 EurekAlert! press release, Dr. Han discusses our research findings regarding "Detecting Alzheimer's disease before symptoms emerge." Read about it here.

• HealthDay quotes Dr. Han in an April 2017 article, "Seniors' Brain Changes Could Make Them Vulnerable to Scams." Read the article here.

• In a March 2017 National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) blog post and Twitter Chat, Dr. Han discusses "Financial Fraud in Later Life: A Growing Epidemic." Read the blog post here and the Twitter Chat here.

• In a February 2017 Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) blog post, Dr. Han discusses "Financial Literacy: A Way to Address the Problem of Financial Exploitation?" Read about it here.

• The National Institute of Aging features Dr. Han in a July 2016 article detailing how "Brain scans offer insights into loss of money skills." Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers analyze how brain regions are related to financial decision making. Read about it here.

• In the April 2016 University of Southern California Press Release, Dr. Han is featured in "Taxes on the Brain," in which he discusses the link between financial literacy and brain characteristics. Read about it here.

• The Global Council of Brain Health (GCBH) selected Dr. Han as one of thirteen scientists from around the world to serve on the inaugural Governance Committee. The GCBH is an independent collaborative of scientists and advocates convened by the AARP and AgeUK to provide the best thinking on what people and professionals can do to maintain and improve brain health. Read about it here.

• Dr. Han will serve as an oral examiner for the board certification process in clinical neuropsychology, which is conducted by the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN), a specialty board of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN). His term will begin in 2017.