Suzanne Tyas

Joint appointment with the Department of Psychology

Teaching interests

Epidemiologic methods, epidemiology of aging

Courses

PHS 606: Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health

HSG 672/PSYCH 788: Epidemiologic Methods in Aging Research

Research interests

The long-term goal of my research program is to identify strategies that preserve intact cognition and thus increase the likelihood of healthy aging for all. To meet this goal, I have focused my research on predictors of late-life cognition, encompassing cognitive impairment, cognitive reserve and healthy aging. Current research projects include studying multilingualism as a protective factor for dementia; investigating determinants of healthy aging; identifying vascular risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease; and examining predictors of the trajectory of cognitive impairment from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

Major funding sources

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• Alzheimer’s Association

Selected publications 

(*indicates student author)

• Wang H, Odegaard A, Thyagarajan B, Hayes J, SantaCruz K, Desrosiers MF, Tyas SL, Gross MD. Blood folate is associated with asymptomatic or partially symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease in the Nun Study. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 2011;28:1-9.

• *Medehouenou TC, Ayotte P, Carmichael PH, Kröger E, Verreault R, Lindsay J, Dewailly E, Tyas SL, Bureau A, Laurin D. Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in plasma of older Canadians. Environmental Research 2011;111:1313-1320. 

• SantaCruz KS, Sonnen JA, Pezhouh MK, Desrosiers MF, Nelson PT, Tyas SL. Alzheimer disease pathology in subjects without dementia in 2 studies of aging: The Nun Study and the Adult Changes in Thought Study. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology 2011;70:832-840. 

• *Foebel AD, Heckman GA, Hirdes JP, Tyas SL, Tjam EY, McKelvie RS, Maxwell CJ. Clinical, demographic and functional characteristics associated with pharmacotherapy for heart failure in older home care clients. Drugs & Aging 2011;28:561-73. 

• Roher AE, Tyas SL, Maarouf CL, Daugs ID,  Kokjohn TA,  Emmerling MR,  Garami Z,  Belohlavek M,  Sabbagh MN, Sue LI, Beach TG. Intracranial atherosclerosis as a contributing factor to Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Alzheimer’s & Dementia 2011;436-444. 

• Roher AE, Garami Z, Tyas SL, Maarouf CL, Kokjohn TA, Belohlavek M, Vedders LJ, Connor D, Sabbagh MN, Beach TG, Emmerling MR. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound blood flow velocity and pulsatility index as systemic indicators for Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s & Dementia 2011;445-455. 

• St. John PD, *Snow WM, Tyas SL. Alcohol use among older adults. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology 2010;20:56-68.

• Tyas SL, Snowdon DA, Desrosiers MF, Riley KP, Markesbery WR. Early-life linguistic ability, late-life pathology and asymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease: Findings from the Nun Study. Alzheimer’s & Dementia 2009;5:P103-104.

• *Yu L, Tyas SL, Snowdon DA, Kryscio RJ. Effects of ignoring baseline on modeling transitions from intact cognition to dementia. Computational Statistics & Data Analysis 2009;53:3334–3343. 

• St. John PD, Montgomery PR, Tyas SL. Alcohol misuse, gender and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling seniors. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 2009;24:369–375. 

• Tyas SL, *Salazar JC, Snowdon DA, Desrosiers MF, Riley KP, Mendiondo MS, Kryscio RJ. Transitions to mild cognitive impairment, dementia and death: Findings from the Nun Study. American Journal of Epidemiology 2007;165:1231–1238. 

• Tyas SL, Snowdon DA, Desrosiers MF, Riley KP, Markesbery WR. Healthy ageing in the Nun Study: Definition and neuropathologic correlates. Age and Ageing 2007;36:650–655. 

Selected professional activities and networks

• American College of Epidemiology
• Association of Public Health Epidemiologists of Ontario
• Canadian Association on Gerontology
• Canadian Public Health Association
• Canadian Society for Epidemiology & Biostatistics
• Gerontological Society of America
• International Society to Advance Alzheimer Research and Treatment (ISTAART)
• Ontario Public Health Association
• Vas-Cog (The International Society for Vascular Behavioral and Cognitive Disorders)