Jessica Rexach, MD, PhD was the Turken Research Award recipient for 2019. Dr. Rexach received her degree from UCLA and presented her lecture on “A Functional Genomics Quest for Causal and Regulatory Mechanisms of Dementia.” Her research focuses on the application of human genetics, computational “systems biology,” and experimental validation for unbiased discovery of glial and immune-associated disease mechanisms in neurodegeneration.

The Sam and Ida Turken Charitable Foundation has provided scholarships to promising early career investigators in the field of Alzheimer’s disease since 1990, in hopes of keeping these brilliant scientists in the field of Alzheimer’s research. In honor of Sam and Ida Turken, this $23,000 gift was celebrated on November 1, 2019, at the Turken Award Luncheon in UCLA. Beth Devermont, the great granddaughter of Sam and Ida Turken, presented the gift in conjunction with Heather Cooper Ortner, President and CEO of Alzheimer’s Los Angeles; and Debra Cherry, Executive Vice President at Alzheimer’s Los Angeles. The award provides an opportunity to highlight Alzheimer’s-related research at UCLA and is sponsored through Alzheimer’s Los Angeles.

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