NAB 2023/24 Virtual Symposium Recording
Are you curious about how experts in the field are working to advance dementia care?
If so, join us for this two-part discussion with leaders in the field of dementia care, such as the Head of Donanemab Development at Eli Lilly, the Program Director at the National Institute of Aging, the Chief Diversity Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, and other prominent medical experts. Our theme this year encapsulates the many recent breakthrough treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease while also highlighting the strides being taken to address disparities in Alzheimer’s research, community education, and quality of care.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, February 3rd
Time:
Pacific Standard Time: 10AM - 12:30PM
Mountain Standard Time: 11AM - 1:30PM
Central Standard Time: 12PM - 2:30PM
Eastern Standard Time: 1PM - 3:30PM
Schedule
Speakers
Part 1 : Keynote Speakers
Dr. John Sims, MD
Eli Lilly and Company, Associate Vice President, Head of Medical Development for Donanemab and Global Brand Development Leader for solanezumab, Neuroscience Business Unit
John Sims joined Eli Lilly in 2009 as Medical Advisor for early phase Neuroscience Development. He joined the Biomedicines Unit as a Senior Medical Director in support of Phase 3 studies in 2014. He currently serves in the Neuroscience Business unit supporting multiple assets in the development phase. In his prior roles, he was acting Early Phase Medical Director-Neuroscience in Lilly Research Laboratories overseeing planning and execution of Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials. He has experience in various disease states including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Epilepsy, Pain, and Phase 3 trials for Alzheimer’s disease, devices and diagnostics. Prior to joining Eli Lilly and Company, Dr. Sims was an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Neurocritical Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition, he ran an NIH-funded, basic science research laboratory focused on brain injuries and neural regeneration. He was board certified in Neurology, Vascular Neurology and Neurocritical Care.
Dr. Cerise Elliott, PhD
Program Director for the Clinical Interventions and Diagnostics Branch of the Division of Neuroscience (DN) at the National Institute on Aging.
Dr. Cerise Elliott is currently a Program Director for the Clinical Interventions and Diagnostics Branch of the Division of Neuroscience (DN) at the National Institute on Aging. She has been a member of the DN staff since January 2008, creating evaluation and management systems for multiple research portfolios. She co-leads the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers program and maintains an interest in health equity for Alzheimer’s disease research. She previously held positions at the NIH in the Office of Intramural Research and the Office of Extramural Research for the Office of the NIH Director from 2004 to 2008 where she was the liaison with non-profit organizations, patient advocacy groups, drug industry and individuals to disseminate NIH policies and programs effectively and creatively to stakeholders.
Dr. Elliott received her B.S. in Chemistry from Creighton University in Omaha, NE and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Nebraska Medical Center also in Omaha, NE. Her scientific research focused on cell apoptosis controlled by peripheral T cells in multiple sclerosis. Her recent programmatic interests are creating new and effective scientific collaborations, facilitating successful mentoring relationships among grantees, and providing effective evaluation of program development. Dr. Elliott is published in journals and has served on a number NIA and NIH committees and workgroups.
Physician-Scientist Panel: Advancing Dementia Care
DR. JOSEPH MASDEU, MD, PhD
Joseph C. Masdeu, MD, PhD is the director of the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at the Houston Methodist Hospital and is a professor of Neurology at Cornell University. He completed residencies in Psychiatry and Neurology, and a fellowship in Neuropathology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital of Harvard Medical School. He has been a professor of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York, and Chairman of Neurology at the New York Medical College and the University of Navarra, as well as a Senior Staff Clinician and Scientist at the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health. He is the author of 179 peer-reviewed papers, 63 book chapters, and of seven books, including “Localization in Clinical Neurology,” now in its 8th edition. Dr. Masdeu has been a director of the American Academy of Neurology and of the United Council for Neurological Subspecialties and president of the American Society of Neuroimaging, as well as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuroimaging.
DR. JAGAN PILLAI, MD, PhD
Dr. Jagan Pillai is a Board-Certified Neurologist, Diplomate in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry and trained in basic and translational neuroscience. He is an Associate Professor of Neurology and a staff neurologist at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Cleveland Clinic. He has an extensive background in clinical translational research in aging related cognitive changes and dementia. His research on neurodegenerative diseases is currently supported by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and the Keep Memory Alive Foundation.
Dr. Loren Alving, MD
Loren Alving is an HS Clinical Professor of Neurology at UCSF who specializes in Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology and runs the UCSF Fresno Alzheimer & Memory Center. She is the Director of the San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME), a track of UCSF School of Medicine in which students do their clinical work in the San Joaquin Valley. She is a member of the UCSF Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators and currently holds the Mr. And Mrs. David George Rowe and Stephen W. Rowe Endowed Chair for Teaching in Neurology.
PART 2: KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Carl V. Hill, PhD, MPH
Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the Alzheimer’s Association
Carl V. Hill, Ph.D., MPH, is the chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for the Alzheimer’s Association, overseeing strategic initiatives to strengthen the Association’s outreach to all populations, and providing communities with resources and support to address the Alzheimer’s crisis.
In this role, Dr. Hill is responsible for driving Association-wide messaging and mobilization efforts addressing systemic health inequities in treatment, clinical trials and research. With support from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), Dr. Hill led the Association’s work to convene the first national conference dedicated specifically to addressing disparities and promoting equity in dementia science. AAIC Advancements: Toward Health Equity in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias brings together researchers from around the world annually to examine disparities in dementia prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Hill also develops cross-functional partnerships with organizations to advance Alzheimer’s and other dementia awareness efforts and to deliver disease education to those who are disproportionately impacted and underserved. As a result of his leadership, the Association has broadened its reach to previously underserved communities with over 30 new national partners such as the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, National Indian Council on Aging, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Human Rights Campaign, National Black Nurses Association, and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses. In addition, under Dr. Hill’s guidance, the Association has extended partnerships with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) and SAGE, while also establishing innovative partnerships such as the collaboration with GDavis Productions and Films to develop “Unforgettable,” a community-focused stage play that focuses on a family navigating Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving.
Within the Association, Dr. Hill collaborates with Human Resources to attract talent and develop resources that champion staff diversity and a culture of inclusion. He authored an editorial in the Journal of New England Medicine (JAMA) Neurology highlighting the need for more diverse, representative perspectives to address disparities and pursue equity in dementia science.
Dr. Hill previously served as the Association’s vice president of Scientific Engagement. Prior to joining the Association, he served as director, Office of Special Populations at the NIA, where he led the development of the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, where he trained with the Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health (CRECH) and the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA). He is an alumnus of the National Medical Fellowships Inc./W.K. Kellogg Foundation Health Policy Fellowship Program and holds a master’s degree in public health from Morehouse School of Medicine, and he received its Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2019.
Addressing Disparities Panelists
Dr. Sarah Biber, PhD
Dr. Sarah Biber is the Executive Director for the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC), based at the University of Washington. NACC serves as the data, communication, and collaboration hub, and centralized data repository for NIA’s National Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRC) Program, comprising 33 centers across the United States. NACC is home to one of the largest (48,600+ participants), oldest, and most powerful AD/ADRD datasets. Dr. Biber co-leads NACC’s scientific and strategic direction and $58 million project and grant portfolio with NACC PI and Director, Dr. Walter Kukull. Within this role, she represents NACC with national partners, spearheads national initiatives, leads development of major grant applications, leads academic and industry partnerships, and oversees NACC’s tech, operations, research, communications, and grants and finance teams. Under her leadership, NACC is modernizing data infrastructure and expanding interoperability across the national Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) ecosystem to advance research and discovery. She has a PhD in molecular and cellular biology and extensive experience leading strategy for complex centers and programs focused on advancing research and innovation.
Dr. Jennifer Lingler, PhD, CrNP
Dr. Lingler is Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Health & Community Systems at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. She is Core faculty at Pitt’s Center for Bioethics and Health Law, and NIA-funded Alzheimer Disease Research Center, both in the School of Medicine. Her research focuses on psychosocial and ethical issues in dementia care and research, with current and recent projects testing approaches to promoting ethnoracial diversity in research on Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD) and examining patient and family decision-making around biomarker testing for Alzheimer’s disease. She is a leading contributor to the literature on communicating potentially sensitive results to participants in ADRD research. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Alzheimer’s Association, Adira Foundation, John A, Hartford Foundation and Neuroscience Nursing Foundation. Dr. Lingler received her BSN from Case Western Reserve University and her MSN and PhD degrees in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Bioethics from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Lingler is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a proud alumnus of the Brookdale Leadership in Aging Fellowship Program (2008 cohort). She is also a recent recipient of a Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award at Pitt.
Katie Scott, MPH
Katie Scott, MPH is the President of CarePartners, a nonprofit organization that provides care, education, and support to older adults and their families. A native Houston, she attended Rice University and holds a Master of Public Health degree in Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Texas School of Public Health. For over 15 years, Katie has worked in health-related nonprofit programs and has led multiple programs focused on supporting individuals with dementia and their families. Katie has directed a dementia specific adult day center, developed nationally recognized dementia case management and caregiver support programs, and has led multiple federally funded projects focused on improving the community's response to people with dementia and their caregivers. Serving older adults, including those with dementia, and their families is Katie's passion, and she is committed to developing quality programming and innovative interventions for individuals and families to improve their wellness and quality of life.
Melissa Sanchez, JD
Melissa Sanchez, J.D. is the Texas Public Policy Director for the Alzheimer's Association. She has been advocating for Texans affected by Alzheimer's and related dementias for 8 years. Melissa leads the state and federal advocacy work of the six Alzheimer's Association chapters in Texas. She works together with her team and the hundreds of advocates across the state to ensure that Alzheimer's disease remains a priority in our state and national capitol. Melissa advocates in honor of her grandmother who died from Alzheimer's disease in 2011, and for the future of her two young children.
NAB 2023/2024 Virtual Symposium Sign-up
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