Austin Texas United States
SCHOLAR DIRECTORY
Maegen MacKenzie, RN, MSN
University of Texas-Austin
PhD
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Biography
Maegen MacKenzie is a PhD student at the University of Texas. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Texas Woman’s University in 1998, and her master’s degree in Adult Holistic Nursing with Role Specialty in Teaching from the University of Texas in 2017. Twenty years of clinical nursing experience and impactful teaching experiences inspired her desire to pursue a PhD in Nursing. Maegen’s scholarship and dissertation topic explores the role of sleep in the progression of Mild Cognitive Impairment. Her dissertation research examines personal, environmental, and social contributors to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) adherence in individuals presenting with comorbid Mild Cognitive Impairment and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Professional memberships include Sigma Theta Tau, Sleep Research Society and the Gerontological Society of America. In her free time, Maegen enjoys knitting and local adventures with her four teenage boys, husband and menagerie of pets.
Notes
Research/Clinical Practice Area: Jonas Scholar – Chronic Health
Dissertation: Title: Sleep and Mild Cognitive Impairment Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional stage between normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Progression from MCI to AD often results in severe decline in everyday function and can lead to institutionalization. Interventions that effectively delay or stabilize cognitive decline and improve everyday function in MCI are critically important. A promising opportunity for stabilizing cognitive decline and improving everyday function in MCI is treatment of comorbid conditions that may accelerate their decline. One such condition is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is effectively treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. However, many people have difficulty adhering to CPAP therapy at a therapeutic level (at least 4hr/night). There are multiple factors that may contribute to successful adherence of CPAP therapy in persons with MCI. Current dissertation research aims to explore personal, environmental, and social contributors to CPAP adherence in individuals who participated in a larger interventional study aimed at evaluating the impact of CPAP therapy on the progression of neurocognitive impairment over the course of a year in persons presenting with comorbid MCI and OSA.