Sarah McEwen

Dr. McEwen, Ph.D., is an Assistant Research Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. McEwen received her B.A. in Psychology in 2004, her Ph.D. in Psychology in 2010 from the Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and carried out her Postdoctoral Fellowship in the UCLA Department of Psychology from 2010-2013. She is the founder and Organizer for the UCLA Exercise and Cognition Research symposium and research interest group, an interdisciplinary research group that draws on the fields of psychology, neuroscience, exercise science, education and psychiatry. Her expertise focuses on cognitive psychology and the neurobiological mechanism contributing to the risk, development and treatment of schizophrenia. She also serves as the neuroimaging section editor for NeuroReport along with being a Ad Hoc Reviewer for Schizophrenia Research, Biological Psychiatry, NeuroImage, Schizophrenia Bulletin, Frontiers in Neuroscience and many more. Dr.McEwen has authored in more than 25 journals and receives funding from the NIMH and several other sources for her current projects that all seek to understand how physical activity impacts brain plasticity in various clinical populations including: schizophrenia, Parkinson's Disease, and mild cognitive impairment patients.Dr. McEwen is also an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer and is the Founder of Genius Gyms LLC.

Titles for current projects:

Enhancing Cognitive Training Through Exercise After a First Schizophrenia Episode;

Biological Mechanisms of Enhanced Neuroplasticity in First-Episode Schizophrenia;

MPTF/UCLA Longevity Center Research on Simultaneous aerobic exercise and memory training in older adults with subjective memory impairments;

Exercise targeting cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease (Cognition, Parkinson's Disease, Cognitive Exercise, neuroplasticity, aerobic exercise); Mobile-based physical exercise program to improve cognition in schizophrenia