Project Title: The Benefits of Nicotinamide Riboside Upon Cognition and Sleep in Older Veterans
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution: State University of New York at Buffalo
Funding NIH Institute/Center: National Institute on Aging
Grant ID: K99AG079117
Carleara Weiss grew up in Miracema, a small town in rural Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was raised in an intergenerational household, surrounded by strong and driven women. Her great-grandmother was a doula and ignited her curiosity in biomedical sciences. As a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Weiss joined the Federal Fluminense University Nursing Program in Brazil, hoping to become a midwife. However, the influence of her intergenerational household steered her toward a career as a geriatric nurse to improve quality of life of people with dementia. She earned an MS in health care from Federal Fluminense University and a PhD from University at Buffalo School of Nursing in New York, studying the impact of sleep disturbances on fatigue and quality of life of older adults. She then pursued a National Institutes of Health T32 fellowship, exploring mouse models of circadian disruptions and cognitive impairment. Currently, Dr. Weiss combines laboratory and clinical expertise to explore biomarkers associated with cognition and sleep in older adults, with particular interest in racially minoritized communities. She founded the Brazilian Students and Scholars Conference to support the networking and career development among Brazilian scientists in the United States. She also regularly mentors biomedical science students from diverse backgrounds. As a MOSAIC scholar, she hopes to continue empowering diversity in science.