Remembering What’s Most Important: Christine Dengler-Crish

Getting out in the community is incredibly important to Christine Dengler-Crish, Ph.D.

The assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences likes to remind her team of the significance of community-based events, like the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

“I want us to talk to the people suffering with the disease and see the caregivers and agencies that are helping them,” says Dr. Crish. “As researchers, we need that interaction to help fuel our passion for what we’re doing, because science is hard. To know that there’s something bigger than our successes and failures in lab – that’s what motivates us.”

Dr. Crish, who is part of the collaborative Neurodegenerative Disease and Aging research team at NEOMED, specializes in studying pre-symptomatic brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease, glaucoma and related brain disorders.

She also serves on the executive advisory board for the Alzheimer’s Association Greater East Ohio Area Chapter.

“The services that Alzheimer’s Association provides for families and caregivers, along with the information sources they supply for researchers is astonishing. The Association raises and provides grant funds to researchers like me, who are trying to find cures for the disease,” says Dr. Crish.

Recognized for mentoring

One of two NEOMED 2018 Junior Faculty Award recipients, Dr. Crish was recently recognized by students for being “passionate, organized, supportive and kind.” A mentor to young scientists, Dr. Crish is currently working with two graduate students on research projects — one on how to visualize Alzheimer’s pathology in the eyes of animal models and the other on a new, neuroprotective hormone called Irisin.

She teaches human anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology to College of Pharmacy students, neurobiology to College of Medicine students, and research methods to the College of Graduate Studies students.