Han Research Lab

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR

S. Duke Han, PhD, ABPP-CN

Duke Han, PhD, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology in Clinical Neuropsychology, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Director of the Neuropsychology Division in Family Medicine, and a tenured Professor of Family Medicine, Neurology, Psychology, and Gerontology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a specialization in Neuroscience from Duke University, and his PhD Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He received training in clinical neuropsychology and experimental neuroimaging techniques through various programs of Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital. He continued his clinical neuropsychology and neuroimaging activities during his clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship years at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and the San Diego VA Healthcare System. He maintains an active research collaboration with the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center (RADC) in Chicago where he was formerly a tenured faculty member.

Dr. Han is interested in the factors that affect cognition and decision making in aging. He also has special interests in leveraging novel empirical approaches to better understand these factors, and in the advocacy of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations in aging and neuroscience research. He was the recipient of the prestigious Paul B. Beeson fellowship, which is considered the premiere career development award of the National Institute on Aging (NIA). He is the primary investigator or co-investigator on multiple research grants extramurally funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and private foundations. He is actively involved in the peer-review of aging and Alzheimer’s Disease research grants, and has previously served as the Chair of the NIA Clinical and Translational Research of Aging review committee (NIA-T) and the Neuroscience of Aging review committee (NIA-N). Dr. Han is a founding governance committee member of the Global Council on Brain Health, an international independent science collaborative convened by AARP that is tasked with offering the aging public the best advice about brain health. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and the American Psychological Association (APA) Presidential Task Force on Neuropsychological Test Norming in Diverse Populations. Dr. Han has served as an oral examiner for the clinical neuropsychology board certification process for the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN), and he currently holds multiple service or mentorship roles in the International Neuropsychological Society (INS), the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN), the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN), and the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (Division 40) of the APA. His work has been featured in multiple media outlets, including Reuters, CBS, PBS, Forbes, Fox Business News, and U.S. News and World Report.

USC CTSI Profile

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RESEARCH TEAM

Jenna Axelrod, PhD

Staff Scientist

Dr. Jenna Axelrod is an Adult Neuropsychologist and staff scientist in the lab. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and she completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship with a neuropsychology emphasis at the Long Beach VA HealthCare System’s psychology internship program. While there, she dedicated part of her time to being a member of the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Team where she developed a deep appreciation for working with elderly populations. She also previously worked at the NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, IL where she conducted 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. Dr. Axelrod joined the Han Research Lab to help research factors that contribute to financial decision-making and susceptibility to scams.

Aaron Lim, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Aaron Lim is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab. He received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology with emphases in behavioral neuroscience and quantitative psychology from University of California Los Angeles. He completed his pre-doctoral clinical internship with a gero-neuropsychology emphasis at the West Los Angeles VA Hospital psychology internship program. Dr. Lim’s research interests include elucidating psychiatric and medical comorbidities that contribute to dementia risk, health disparities in financial decision making, and potential impacts of substance use on cognitive aging.

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Laura Fenton

Graduate Student

Laura is a PhD student in the Clinical Psychology Program at USC. She received her B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley and spent two years working as the lab manager of a neuroscience lab studying aging and dementia, before beginning graduate school. Laura’s research interests include early detection of neurodegenerative disease through the use of neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment and the study of modifiable factors that can reduce dementia risk and promote successful aging. As part of her graduate program, Laura is also being trained in neuropsychological assessment and psychotherapy and has a specific interest in working with older adult populations.

Daisy Noriega-Makarskyy

Graduate Student

Daisy is a PhD student in the Clinical Psychology Program at USC. In 2019, she received her B.A. in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Before beginning graduate school, she spent two years at Massachusetts General Hospital working as a bilingual Clinical Research Coordinator for the Boston Latino Aging Study. Her research interests include understanding the biopsychosocial risk factors associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia, particularly in diverse groups through the use of biomarkers and culturally appropriate neuropsychological measurements.

Jennifer Herrera

Operations Manager

Jennifer Herrera is a recent graduate from the University of California, Berkeley where she earned her B.A. in Psychology. She spent two years volunteering at a developmental lab studying cognitive development and decision-making in young children. At the Han Research Lab, Jennifer hopes to expand her knowledge on the neurological factors that influence decision-making throughout adulthood and later stages in life. She is eager to grow with the lab as she continues to pursue her passions for neuroscience and learning about the intricacies of the human brain.

Nathan Wei

Project Assistant

Nathan is a recent graduate from USC with a B.S. in Neuroscience. His goal is to help older adults live informed, guarded lives by contributing to research focused on identifying elder abuse risk factors. Along with risk factor identification, Nathan hopes to learn how neuropsychological vulnerabilities develop in older adults, and how these vulnerabilities can eventually be addressed in regard to developing protective policies and lifestyle recommendations for the older adult population.

Camille Erdman

Project Assistant

Camille is a recent graduate from USC where she earned her B.S. in Neuroscience. She is interested in the intersection between lifestyle and longevity and the important role that interpersonal connections play in health and well-being. As an aspiring physician, Camille’s hopes to help improve and maintain the quality of life in older adult populations. At the Han Research Lab, Camille is excited to gain experience in a research setting as well as learn about protecting older adults against financial vulnerability.

Riddhi Mandavia