In the midwest, the need to expand Alzheimer’s disease research is growing, and, according to Howard Fox, M.D., Ph.D., the upcoming Alzheimer’s Disease Colloquium is an important part of that effort. The UNMC College of Medicine is hosting the two-day event on Oct. 29 and 30 at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
The event is open to the UNMC and Nebraska Medicine communities and will inform attendees of ongoing clinical trials, advancements in diagnostics, current research and how the National Alzheimer’s Association works with caregivers and patients. The colloquium also will allow experts on campus to present their work to world leaders in Alzheimer’s research.
“Researchers here will present to national researchers to get recommendations, identify what else we need, and give us the opportunity to work with others to put us on the map to help people,” Dr. Fox said.
Dr. Fox hopes the event will create an opportunity for others within UNMC and Nebraska Medicine to get involved with Alzheimer’s research, whether it’s on campus or in conjunction with other medical centers around the nation.
“We clearly have outstanding work here,” Dr. Fox said. “But there’s a lot more we can do.”
Nebraska would be the only Midwestern medical center with significant research surrounding Alzheimer’s disease, and, for Dr. Fox, making that a reality is important to helping Nebraskans age cognitively healthy.
Featured presenters include:
- Clifford Jack, M.D., professor of radiology at Mayo Clinic;
- Helena Chui, M.D., chair and professor of neurology at the University of Southern California and principal investigator for the National Institute on Aging (NIA)-Alzheimer Disease Research Center in Los Angeles;
- William Mobely, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurology and associate dean of neuroscience initiatives, UC San Diego; and
- Keith Fargo, Ph.D., director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer’s Association.
Eliezer Masliah, M.D., director of the division of neurosciences for the NIA, will deliver the keynote address. There will be breakout sessions covering a variety of topics as well as a panel discussion about what is needed for progress in the field of Alzheimer’s Disease.
The conference will feature information on how to identify proper care for patients and their caregivers, and specifically how to do this in Nebraska’s rural areas, which don’t have the same access as more populated areas. The association will identify the special challenges in this care and help professionals identify solutions.