Dr. Appelt is a professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology at PCOM. She is the director of the Biological Imaging Facility, the director of the neuroscience course for 2nd year medical students, and the co-coordinator for the masters neuroscience program. She earned her Ph.D. in Anatomy and Neurobiology from the MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine in 1996. She has done extensive research in the field of aging and is nationally and internationally recognized for her work on Alzheimer's disease. Currently, she is a co-investigator of an Alzheimer Association funded study entitled "Chlamydia pneumoniae infection of Mice triggers Alzheimer-like pathology". She is also a co-investigator in the Adolph and Rose Levis Foundation Laboratory for Alzheimer's disease Research focusing on Chlamydia pneumoniae's role in the pathogenesis of sporadic Alzheimer's disease as well as co-investigator for an NIH funded study on the mechanisms of cadmium toxicity in epithelial cells.
Dr. Appelt is a member of several professional associations including the Soceity for Neuroscience and Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society. In addition, she is an active member in the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging at PCOM. She is a recipient of the Society for Neurosciences' Women in Neuroscience Travel Award, and the American Society for Cell Biology's Glenn Foundation Award for Outstanding Research in Aging. Dr. Appelt was instrumental in the organization of the Challenging Views of Alzheimer's Disease presented at PCOM in 2004 in conjunction with the 9th International Alzheimer's Conference held in Philadelphia.
