Alex Lyda, MSJ, is the communications manager at the Univ. of Texas at Dallas’ Center for Vital Longevity, a UT Dallas neuroscience center studying memory and healthy cognitive aging. Alex holds a master’s degree from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. His first position out of graduate school was with The Associated Press reporting on science, education and many other issues. After several years as a journalist, he joined Columbia University as a public information officer, promoting scientific research and clinical care at Columbia’s medical center campus. While there, he was accepted to the Columbia Program in Narrative Medicine. As a student, Alex undertook an independent study of medical student reflective essays at UT Southwestern, under the mentorship of Dr. John Z. Sadler, before joining UT Dallas. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, The San Diego Union-Tribune and many other media outlets.