02/20/2026
What drives Tina C. Franklin, PhD., in her work on Alzheimer’s and dementia goes beyond the lab. A close friend,someone who was like family, had the disease. “Her journey, and the resilience of those around her, motivates me to keep striving for answers.”
Her path into Alzheimer’s research began when she was studying how stress affects the body. Over time, she noticed that the same parts of the brain and immune system that change under long‑term stress also show up again and again in Alzheimer’s disease research. “This pushed me to focus on how stress biology may increase vulnerability to Alzheimer’s and whether non-invasive, non-pharmacological interventions could interrupt those trajectories.”
Today, Dr. Franklin’s work connects her personal experiences with what she studies in the lab. She is motivated not just by the science, but by how closely her research matches what families say they see every day. “Our findings are starting to bring real clarity, which makes the work feel both urgent and hopeful
She shares that being helped “connect me to the Alzheimer’s research community, which has been critical for shaping my thinking and pushing the work forward. That support has truly accelerated both my science and my trajectory in the field.”
💜 Thank you, Dr. Franklin, for the questions you ask, the paths you’re opening, and the hope you bring to families everywhere.