In 1990, 678 School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) from what are now the Atlantic-Midwest and Central Pacific Provinces volunteered to participate in a study on aging, Alzheimer’s, and related dementias. To take part in the study, the sisters agreed to periodic cognitive and physical assessments throughout the rest of their lives as well as brain donation at death. The...Read more

Members of Dr. Margaret Flanagan’s lab, which continues work on the Nun Study at the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s & Neurodegenerative Diseases, presented at the 2025 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) held July 27-31 in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Flanagan presented a new project that she co-leads called the Brain Digital Slide Archive (BDSA), which helps scientists share and study...Read more

Sister Charlene Zeisset spoke with Libby Collins at Wisconsin’s WTMJ about the Nun Study, a research project fueled by data from the School Sisters of Notre Dame that has changed the way doctors and scientists understand Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The study has analyzed more than 30 years of aging and dementia patterns of 678 School Sisters of Notre...Read more

Dr. Maggie Flanagan, MD, director of the Nun Study at UT Health San Antonio, recently received a $100,000 Rising STARs award from the University of Texas Board of Regents to advance research relating to Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. This is exciting news for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who have had a particular connection to this work...Read more