Cecilia Alagappan, RN, has been at the UCSF Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center since 2011 and serves as a clinical and research nurse. She has over 30 years of nursing experience caring for older patients with various medical conditions, including those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, cardiac disease, and cancers needing home infusion therapy and pain management. As a nurse educator in a home care agency, Cecilia trained caregivers to care for patients with dementia, including assisting the family with behavior management and activities of daily living. At the Fein Memory and Aging Center ambulatory clinic, she worked in an administrative and educational capacity, helping primary care physicians with referrals and assisting family caregivers with dementia resources. She is the primary nurse for the Huntington’s Disease Center of Excellence at the Fein Memory and Aging Center.
Cecilia is the project manager working with Dr. Howie Rosen on a grant that focuses on implementing the Assessment of Cognitive Complaints Toolkit for Alzheimer’s disease in primary care practices. This project has enabled her to collaborate with various practices in California to incorporate Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis into their clinics. Cecilia and Dr. Rosen collaborated with the Alzheimer’s Association to begin a Project ECHO series at the MAC. These Project ECHO educational sessions have been a valuable resource for primary care providers in Northern California. Cecilia is grateful to have the opportunity to assist in promoting the improvement of care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by empowering the primary care community with the tools to care for and diagnose the increasing number of patients with dementia.