Tayona PEARSON

Biography

Tayona Pearson is a Program Analyst in the Population Studies and Genetics Branch of the Division of Neuroscience. Prior to joining the Division of Neuroscience, Ms. Pearson worked in the Office of Communication and Public Liaison (OCPL) in the Office of the Director at NIA. While there, she served as a Pathways Intern, assisting her colleagues with research highlights, blog posts, administrative duties, and media outreach. She also served as a Pathways Intern for the Division of Neuroscience before joining as a Program Analyst.  As a Program Analyst, Ms. Pearson provides programmatic and scientific support for the branch. 

Ms. Pearson received a Bachelor of Science in Bio-Behavioral Health from The Pennsylvania State University, where she served as a research student studying neurons in rat brain samples to understand the effects of neuron growth and neurodegeneration. She obtained a Master of Public Health in infectious disease epidemiology from George Mason University. She is interested in scientific areas related to minority health and health disparities and infectious disease epidemiology. Ms. Pearson is also a Registered Behavior Technician implementing Applied Behavior Analysis therapy on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).