Ms Gurpreet Hansra
Gurpreet is currently a PhD candidate and Research Assistant with the Centre for Health Brain Ageing (CHeBA) in the department of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales. Her work involves the identification of molecular biomarkers in the blood for the early detection and prognosis of vascular contributions to dementia (VCID). Furthermore, she is currently working on developing a method for the measurement of oxytocin in the blood for social cognition. Gurpreet is supervised by Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev.
Gurpreet graduated with a dean's commendation in high achievement for her degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Queensland. She holds a MPhil in Medicine from the University of Sydney, where she utilised microscopy and 3D imaging to investigate the link between cerebrovascular disorders (microvascular dysfunction) and Alzheimer’s disease in human brain tissue. Prior to joining CHeBA, Gurpreet worked as a Manager (Outreach) and Lecturer in Life Sciences in Singapore, where she taught nursing students and led research projects on dementia collaborating with fellow Scientists.
Apart from her academic endeavours, Gurpreet holds active positions in various capacities. She serves as the Early Career Investigator Representative for the International Society of Vascular Behavioral and Cognitive Disorders (VasCOG) and oversees communications for an Elsevier journal, "Cerebral Circulation: Cognition and Behaviour."
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
- University International Postgraduate Award, UNSW, Australia [2022-2026]
- NHMRC Vascular Contributions to Dementia Care (VCD-CRE) Top Up Scholarship, CheBA, Australia [2023 - Ongoing]
- Kwan Fung and Yuet Ying Fund Healthy Brain Ageing Research Award Fund, Australia [2023]
- Staff Excellence Award - Production & Transformation, School of Health Sciences' NextGen ICT-enabled learning with Immersive Technologies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore [2022]
- Excellence in Teaching Award, School of Health Sciences, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore [2022]
- NGW and Mrs Ann Macintosh Memorial Scholarship, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Australia [2016]
- Excellence Service Award - Gold, Science Centre Singapore [2014]
- Dean's Commendation for High Achievement, University of Queensland, Australia [2010]
- Fellowship Award, Singapore's Business and Professional Women's Association for Academic and Leadership Excellence [2006]
Publications
- Hosoki, S., Hansra, K.G., Jayasena, T., Poljak, A., Mather, K.A., Catts, V.S., Rust, R., Sagare, A. Kovacic, J.C., Brodtmann, A., Wallin, A., Zlokovic, B.V., Ihara, M. & Sachdev, P.S. (2023). Molecular Biomarkers for Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Dementia, Nature Reviews Neurology, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-023-00884-1
- Hansra, G.K.,Lim, H.,Cheong, C.Y., Yap,P. (2023). Knowledge and attitudes towards dementia among the general public in Singapore. A comparative analysis. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, doi: https://doi.org/10.1159/000530271
- Hansra, G.K., Popov, G., Banaczek, P.O., Vogiatzis, M., Jegathees,T., Goldsbury, C.E., Cullen, K.M.(2019), The neuritic plaque in Alzheimer's disease: Perivascular degeneration of neuronal processes, Neurobiology of Aging, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.06.009
- Peh, A., Han, M., Hansra, G., Lim, H., Yu, J., & Mahendran, R. (2020). Gait Control and Cognition in Community Living Elderly in Singapore. [Virtual Scientific Symposium]. Behavioural Health in Extraordinary, Unprecedented Times, Singapore