Sarah Fraser

I pivoted in my life when my grandmother fell and was later diagnosed with cognitive impairment. I wanted to understand how and why this happened and how I could prevent something like this happening to other people. I changed my career plans and switched to studying multitasking (walking and talking) at Concordia University with Drs. Li and Penhune. Best move I ever made! As a postdoctoral fellow, I continued studying multitasking but delved into interventions and neuroimaging with Dr. Bherer at the Institut de gériatrie in Montreal. Then I took a leap and tried something completely different, qualitative research with people with sensory impairments with Drs. Wittich and Southall at McGill. All these experiences have made me the interdisciplinary researcher I am today.

Professor Fraser will be accepting students for thesis supervision starting in 2025.

• Cognitive aging
• Neuroimaging with functional near infrared spectroscopy
• Ageism
• Mobility and multitasking

The aim of my interdisciplinary research program is to track factors that influence cognitive abilities in older adults. My research focuses on four areas: (1) cognitive aging, (2) motor control, (3) neuroimaging and (4) ageism.

I explore older adults “in action” during everyday activities (for example, while walking and talking, that is, multitasking). Thanks to portable technology, I can measure changes in brain activity in real-time as people perform these activities. I also involve people in the community in fall prevention using a phone app developed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at uOttawa and UHN Toronto.

Lastly, ageism is a clear problem in our society with a negative impact on older adults. If cognitive decline is perceived as “normal” and expected with age, why do anything about it? Using qualitative methods, I explore what people say and think about older adults. We all age. How would you like to be treated when you’re 70, 80, 90 years old?

Co-lead of Stigma and Social inclusion group and member of Team 12 of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging.

Member of:

• LIFE Research Institute
• Brain and Mind Research Institute
• Bruyère Research Institute

See Sarah Fraser’s publications on Google Scholar, ResearchGate or Web of Science.