Gabriela Bustamante, BSN, RN
Gabby Bustamante graduated from Villanova University in 2015 with her Bachelors of Science in Nursing and a minor in Psychology. She is currently employed as the Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator at the Penn FTD Center at the University of Pennsylvania. She helps manage patients’ clinical care as well as assist in a variety of research evaluations. Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) refers to a family of disorders characterized by the progressive loss of neurons in the frontal and temporal regions of the brain. Patients with FTD can present with a variety of symptoms, including behavioral impairment, language difficulty, and motor dysfunction. An estimated 10,000 people are diagnosed with FTD each year and symptoms often first appear between the ages of 50 to 65 years old. There is currently no known cure for FTD. The Penn FTD Center’s research is centered on improving the diagnosis, treatment, and care for these individuals.
Prior to starting at the Penn FTD Center in late 2017, Gabby worked as an inpatient medical-surgical nurse for over two years at Main Line Health's Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, PA. While at Riddle, Gabby completed evidence based practice research on hospice care to improve patient and family education when transitioning to end-of-life care. Research has always been a great interest of hers and a family member's experience with neurodegenerative disease motivated her transition to a career in Neurology. Gabby hopes to continue following her passion of research and work towards improving techniques in managing patient care. She is currently working on a research project to better evaluate patients with severe cognitive impairment. She is hoping this assessment will be helpful in providing better clinical care and collecting longitudinal data throughout the disease process.
Prior to starting at the Penn FTD Center in late 2017, Gabby worked as an inpatient medical-surgical nurse for over two years at Main Line Health's Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, PA. While at Riddle, Gabby completed evidence based practice research on hospice care to improve patient and family education when transitioning to end-of-life care. Research has always been a great interest of hers and a family member's experience with neurodegenerative disease motivated her transition to a career in Neurology. Gabby hopes to continue following her passion of research and work towards improving techniques in managing patient care. She is currently working on a research project to better evaluate patients with severe cognitive impairment. She is hoping this assessment will be helpful in providing better clinical care and collecting longitudinal data throughout the disease process.
