The use of convent archival records in medical research: The school sisters of Notre Dame archives and the nun study

Abstract

The School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) archives program is a cooperative system for the arrangement and preservation of the records of the SSND provinces in North America, including records of individual sisters. Archival records include autobiographies, school and college transcripts, employment histories, and family socioeconomic data. The Nun Study, a longitudinal study of Alzheimer's disease and aging in 678 SSND sisters, compares data extracted from these records with data on late-life cognitive and physical function and post-mortem brain neuropathology to explore early life factors that may affect late-life cognitive function and longevity.