My publications focus on cognitive aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain health equity, with an emphasis on community engaged neuropsychological research. Much of my work addresses how culture, language, and context influence cognitive assessment, diagnosis, and research participation in culturally and linguistically diverse populations. I aim to produce scholarship that informs both scientific understanding and real-world clinical and community practice.
orcid.org/0000-0001-8163-7772Selected Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications
Assessment & Measurement
- Medina, L. D., Henry, S., Torres, S. MacDonald, B., & Strutt, A. M. (2023). The measurement of acculturation in neuropsychological evaluations of Hispanic/Latino individuals across the lifespan: A scoping review of the literature. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 38, 365-386. doi: 10.1093/arclin/acac114
- We reviewed acculturation measures used with Hispanic/Latino populations and found they’re often outdated, inconsistent, and rarely designed for older adults—highlighting the need for better tools across the lifespan.
- We reviewed acculturation measures used with Hispanic/Latino populations and found they’re often outdated, inconsistent, and rarely designed for older adults—highlighting the need for better tools across the lifespan.
- Medina, L. D., Torres, S., Alvarez, E., Valdez, B., & Nair, K. (2019). Patient reported outcomes in multiple sclerosis: Validation of the Neurological Quality of Life (Neuro-QoL) Short Forms. Multiple Sclerosis Journal: Experimental, Translational and Clinical, 5. doi: 10.1177/2055217319885986
- We tested quality-of-life questionnaires for people with multiple sclerosis and found they work fairly well, but some need improvement to better track symptoms and daily challenges in real-world clinics.
Brain Health Equity & Cultural Neuroscience
- Arce Renteria, M., Mobley, T. M., Evangelista, N. D., Medina, L. D., Deters, K. D., Fox-Fuller, J. T., Minto, L. R., Avila-Rieger, J., & Bettcher, B. M. (2023). Representativeness of samples enrolled in Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 15:e12450. doi: 10.1002/dad2.12450
- We compared a major Alzheimer’s research database to a national sample and found big differences in age, education, and health—especially across racial and ethnic groups—highlighting the need for more representative studies.
- We compared a major Alzheimer’s research database to a national sample and found big differences in age, education, and health—especially across racial and ethnic groups—highlighting the need for more representative studies.
- Torres, S., Alexander, A., O’Bryant, S., & Medina, L. D. (2020). Cognition and the predictive utility of three risk scores in a multi-ethnic sample. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 75, 1049-1059. doi: 10.3233/JAD-19128
- We tested three common risk scores in a diverse rural sample and found they predict thinking skills in both Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic groups, but work differently by ethnicity—showing why cultural factors matter in dementia risk.
- We tested three common risk scores in a diverse rural sample and found they predict thinking skills in both Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic groups, but work differently by ethnicity—showing why cultural factors matter in dementia risk.
- Martinez, M. N., Murphy, E. R., Gallagher, M. W., Woods, S. P., Arboleda-Rios, P., Falcón, L. M., & Medina, L. D. (2025). The role of stress, perceived discrimination, and skin tone on cognitive performance in Puerto Rican adults. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, ePub ahead of print. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000740
- We analyzed data from Puerto Rican adults and found that stress—especially from discrimination and life challenges—was linked to lower thinking skills, with stronger effects in those with darker skin tones.
- We analyzed data from Puerto Rican adults and found that stress—especially from discrimination and life challenges—was linked to lower thinking skills, with stronger effects in those with darker skin tones.
- Medina, L. , Sadler, M., Yeh, M., Filoteo, J. V., Woods, S. P., & Gilbert, P. E. (2019). Collectivism is associated with greater neurocognitive fluency in older adults. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 13:122. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00122
- We explored how cultural identity shapes thinking in older adults and found that those with a collectivist mindset performed better on certain verbal tasks, suggesting culture influences cognitive abilities.
Cognitive Aging & Alzheimer’s Disease
- Avila, J. F., Arce Rentería, M., Jones, R., Vonk, J. M. J., Turney, I., Sol, K., Seblova, N., Arias, F., Hill-Jarrett, T., Levy, S.-A., Meyer, O., Racine, A., Tom, S. E., Melrose, R. J., Deters, K., Medina, L. D., Carrion, C., Diaz-Santos, M., Byrd, D., Chesebro, A., Colon, J., Igwe, K. C., Maas, B., Schupf, N., Mayeux, R., Brickman, A. M., & Manly, J. (2020). Education differentially contributes to cognitive reserve across racial/ethnic groups. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 17, 70-80. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2020.1817453
- We found that education helps protect memory and language from brain changes in White older adults, but not in Black or Hispanic adults—showing that cognitive reserve works differently across groups.
- We found that education helps protect memory and language from brain changes in White older adults, but not in Black or Hispanic adults—showing that cognitive reserve works differently across groups.
- Medina, L. D., Heffernan, K., Holden, S., Simpson, A., & Bettcher, B. M. (2021). The white matter retrogenesis hypothesis and daily function: Neural correlates of three performance-based functional assessments. Neuropsychology, 35, 103-110. doi: 10.1037/neu0000649
- We tested real-world task performance in older adults and found that managing medications was linked to healthier brain connections, suggesting these practical tests could help spot early Alzheimer’s changes.
Community-Engaged Research & Methods
- Vardeman, J., Cajina-Clark, J., Medina, L. D., Woods, S. P., Mullen, R., John, S. E., Kunik, M., Pressman, P., Moeller, S., Martinez, M., Arroyo Miranda, M., Stocker, M., Lopez-Esquibel, N., & Ochoa, L. (2025). “Recuerdos de Mi Abuelo”: Producing telenovelas to engage Latinos about Alzheimer’s disease. Health Communication, 1-6, ePub ahead of print. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2025.2526810
- We teamed up with Hispanic/Latino communities to share brain health information and encourage participation in Alzheimer’s research, helping close gaps in care and representation.
- We teamed up with Hispanic/Latino communities to share brain health information and encourage participation in Alzheimer’s research, helping close gaps in care and representation.
- Medina, L. D., Woods, S. P., Mullen, R., John, S. E., Kunik, M. Pressman, P., Moeller, S., Martinez, M., Arroyo Miranda, M., Stocker, M., Lopez-Esquibel, N., & Vardeman, J. (2023). A boot camp translation of Alzheimer’s disease in Hispanic/Latino communities. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 9:e12390. doi: 10.1002/trc2.12390
- We partnered with Hispanic/Latino communities to create clear, culturally relevant messages about Alzheimer’s disease, helping improve understanding and reduce barriers to joining brain health research.
- We partnered with Hispanic/Latino communities to create clear, culturally relevant messages about Alzheimer’s disease, helping improve understanding and reduce barriers to joining brain health research.
Training in Neuropsychology
- Stringer, A. Y., Fuchs, K., Bordes Edgar, V., Bristow, T., Correia, S., Penna, S., Reyes, A., Whiteside, D. M., Block, C., Bodin, D., Butt, S., Calamia, M., Didehbani, N., Dodzik, P., Dotson, V., Fernandez, M., Freece, K., Fuller, R., Getz, G., Harder, L., Irani, F., Janzen, L., Johnstone, B., Kaseda, E., Kramer, M., Kubu, C., LaFosse, J., Lee, J., MacDonald, B., Macias Strutt, A., Mador, M., McBride, W., Medina, L. D., Mucci, G., Nayar, K., Paltzer, J., Ray, C., Ready, R., Schmitt, T. R., Rush, B., Singh, S., Sperling, S., Stanford, L., Stiers, W., Stricker, N., Thornton, A., Van Patten, R., Vandermorris, S., Verroulx, K., Wilson, J., Wright, I., Zartman, A., Bilder, R., Fujii, D., Heffelfinger, A., Parsons, T., Puente, A., Rey-Casserly, C., Roper, B., & Schmitter-Edgecombe, M. (2025). The Minnesota Conference proposed guidelines for education and training in clinical neuropsychology. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 1-42. doi: 10.1080/13854046.2025.2520957
- We worked with experts and organizations to update neuropsychology training guidelines, creating a modern framework that emphasizes diversity, technology, and essential skills for future specialists.
- We worked with experts and organizations to update neuropsychology training guidelines, creating a modern framework that emphasizes diversity, technology, and essential skills for future specialists.
- Krause, C. A., Escamilla, K. J., Hyland, M. T., Gonzalez, A. S., Woods, S. P., Cirino, P. T., Williams, M. W., & Medina, L. D. (2025). An Initial Review of Doctoral Clinical Neuropsychology Coursework Syllabi: Common Trends and Core Competencies. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 1-11, ePub ahead of print. doi: 10.1080/13803395.2025.2494650
- We reviewed neuropsychology course syllabi to see what students are learning and found common topics like brain disorders and cognitive theories, but also opportunities to include more advanced thinking skills.
- We reviewed neuropsychology course syllabi to see what students are learning and found common topics like brain disorders and cognitive theories, but also opportunities to include more advanced thinking skills.
For a more extensive and up-to-date list of publications, please visit:
Luis D. Medina, PhD 