Alzheimer's Association Research Symposium Chicago

CAREGIVERS AND PROFESSIONALS

RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

Friday, November 8, 2024

9:30 am to 2:30 pm

Feinberg Pavilion Conference Center

Northwestern University

251 E Huron, 3rd Floor

Chicago, IL 60611

Historical Symposiums

Sponsorship

About the Annual Symposium

The Alzheimer's Association Illinois Chapter hosts a research symposium every year in November to honor National Family Caregivers Month – a time to celebrate the contributions of caregivers, increase their awareness and connect them with information and resources.

By hosting this annual symposium, we have the opportunity to bring together over 300 caregivers, patients, families and healthcare professionals to learn about the latest in Alzheimer's and dementia research and the Association's role in driving and leading global research initiatives. We are also able to provide the attendees with information, tools, and resources.

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Agenda

Objective: An in-depth review of clinical studies and lifestyle interventions from distinguished researchers, clinicians and dementia professionals at the Health Systems across the Chicagoland area. Discussions will also include topics on brain health, risk reduction and early detection.

9:30 am – 10:00 am

Breakfast, Registration, and Exhibitor Spotlight

10:00 am – 10:02 am

Welcome

Moderator: Karen Graham

Delia Jervier, Executive Director and Region 9 Leader

10:03 am – 10:15 am

Clinical Trial Awareness Presentation

Alzheimer’s Association Community Educator

10:17 am – 11:50 am

Plenary Session: Discussion of studies, recruitment, excitement in the research space

Moderator: Dr. Courtney Kloske, Alzheimer’s Association

Dr. Darren Gitelman, Advocate Health

Dr. Concetta Forchetti, Ascension

Dr. Christy Tangney, Rush University

Dr. Jeffrey Loeb, UIC College of Medicine

Dr. Ian Grant, Northwestern Medicine

11:50 am – 12:35 pm

Lunch and Exhibitor Spotlight

12:40 pm – 1:20 pm

Early Detection -what is involved

Moderator: Ben Lissner

Dr. Allison Lapins, Northwestern Medicine

1:20 pm – 1:50 pm

Communication/Behavior

Moderator: Nancy Tyrrell

Dr. Kimchi, University of Illinois at Chicago

1:50 pm – 2:20 pm

Legal Planning

Moderator: Olivia Matongo

Peck Ritchey – Kerry Peck

2:20 pm – 2:30 pm

Closing Remarks

Olivia Matongo, Vice President of Programs

Dr. Ajay Sood, Rush University

speakers

Speakers

Dr. Loeb is a practicing neurologist, epileptologist and neuroscientist who currently holds the John S. Garvin Chair, Professor and Head of the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation. He received his A.B. in Chemistry, M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. After completing a residency in Neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, he joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School where he also had fellowship training in epilepsy at Harvard's Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital. Dr. Loeb conducted postdoctoral work in the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School with Dr. Gerald Fischbach where he became interested in how understanding early neural development can teach us what goes wrong in human disease and suggest new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases including ALS and Alzheimer’s disease. His work in epilepsy and ALS has led to a one-of-a-kind large-scale, systems biology platform that links human brain tissues to genes, molecules, and cells to detailed clinical aspects. Dr. Loeb is director of the University of Illinois NeuroRepository, Chief Clinical Strategist for the Sturge-Weber Foundation, and is actively engaged in commercialization of many treatments and technologies he has developed.

Christine C. Tangney, PhD, FACN, CNS, Professor, Department of Clinical Nutrition & Department of Preventive Medicine and formerly associate dean for research in the College of Health Sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She serves as the site Principal Investigator for the ongoing US Pointer trial in Chicago, a Co-Principal investigator on the ongoing trial designed to address the Nutrition effects on brain OUtcomes and Recovery In Stroke after Hospitalization (NOURISH) Study. She is an expert in assessment of dietary behaviors of individuals and population samples in relation to cardiovascular and cognitive health. She has also mentored over 150 graduate students in clinical nutrition research for both masters’ theses and dissertations in the College of Health Sciences (Rush), College of Nursing (Rush) and the School of Health and Human Sciences at University of North Carolina). She was honored to serve as the University Marshal for the Rush 2017 Commencement ceremony.

Her early research focused on pulmonary disease and nutrition at the bench, but evolved to include population approaches in nutritional health. Much of her efforts focus on the development of short dietary screeners to monitor changes in dietary behaviors (to assess adherence) and key biomarkers of young pre-hypertensive African-American women, women who are middle-age or older with cardiovascular risk, individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease, as well as breast cancer survivors. Over the past 2 decades she has served as the Nutritionist, Co-investigator and Principal investigator or co-investigator on trials for the Women’s Health Initiative, as well as including weight loss interventions amongst breast cancer survivors, dietary behavior change interventions in pre hypertensive young African American (AA) women, in AA church communities on the Westside of Chicago, and most recently in the USPOINTER trial (site P/I) and NOURISH trials. Dr Tangney also served on the executive committees of the Medical Nutrition Council and the Chronic Disease & Aging Research Interest Committee of the American Society of Nutrition.

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Dr. Concetta M. Forchetti is a Board-certified Neurologist. She graduated from the University La Sapienza Rome did 3 years Post Doc at the NIH Bethesda, and her Neurology training at Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia. She is the Medical Director of the Center for Clinical Research and the Memory Disorder Clinic at Ascension Illinois.

For over 30 years, Dr. Forchetti has focused both her neurology practice and clinical research on the care and study of Degenerative Cognitive Disorders. Dr Forchetti has been the Principal Investigator in over 200 clinical trials.

For decades, Dr. Forchetti has been educating Physicians and Health Care Providers on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of individuals with Cognitive Disorders.

Courtney Kloske, Ph.D.

Director, Scientific Engagement
Alzheimer's Association

Courtney Kloske, Ph.D., is director, Scientific Engagement for the Alzheimer's Association®, where she leads efforts to accelerate the organization's scientific agenda by creating and delivering ongoing research education. She engages with all Association chapters nationwide, informing staff and the public of scientific initiatives and the organization's crucial role in advancing research to improve the lives of all those facing Alzheimer's and other dementias. She is also passionate about engaging early career researchers and works on other initiatives to support the next generation of dementia researchers.

Before this role, Dr. Kloske was the associate director of Science Engagement and Outreach at the Alzheimer's Association for two years, where she worked to communicate the research funded by the Association to the general public and other stakeholders through written communication and scientific presentations. Prior to joining the Association, Dr. Kloske led independent translational research studies in Alzheimer's disease focused on genetic risk factors of Alzheimer's and their role in neuroinflammation at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Kloske holds a Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Kentucky and a bachelor's degree in cellular and molecular biology from Auburn University

Dr. Allison Lapins is a behavioral neurologist in Chicago, Illinois and currently sees patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She received her medical degree from Chicago Medical School/Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine Science and completed residency in neurology at University of Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Lapins also completed a fellowship program in Medical Ethics at University of Chicago. She completed a fellowship in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry at Northwestern, and stayed on as faculty there where she continues seeing patients and conducting clinically focused research projects at the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease and working as sub-investigator on multiple clinical trials.

Dr. Kimchi is Visiting Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Co-Director of the Memory Disorders Clinic, Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry, and Director of Academic Initiatives at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). He completed his residency in 2013 at the University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt Psychiatry Residency Program and his geriatric psychiatry fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in 2014. He subsequently joined the Department of Psychiatry faculty at Johns Hopkins University until relocating to the Chicagoland area. Dr. Kimchi served on faculty at Rush University Medical Center from 2016 to 2022 as Associate Medical Director of the Section of Geriatric Psychiatry, Medical Director of Emergency Psychiatry, and Associate Residency Training Director of Psychiatry. He joined the Department of Psychiatry at UIC in 2022.

Dr. Kimchi’s clinical and research interests lie in dementia-related care, medical education, and emergency psychiatry. He has authored several textbook chapters related to geriatric psychiatry, cognitive disorders, behavioral disturbances in dementia, decision-making capacity, and emergency psychiatry. Dr. Kimchi has been invited to present Grand Rounds at academic medical centers and to chair panels at national conferences on dementia-related care and decision-making capacity.

Dr. Gitelman is a behavioral neurologist who serves as the Director of Cognitive Disorders for the Advocate Medical Group – Illinois, the Neuroscience Service Line – Midwest region, Medical Research Director, and the Senior Medical Director of the Advocate Memory Center. He is a clinical professor of medicine at the Chicago Medical School at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and an adjunct lecturer of neurology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Dr. Gitelman has been the recipient of numerous investigator- initiated and clinical trial grants. He has published on brain imaging and dementia. He is currently focused on transforming care pathways for patients with dementia and on clinical trials research in Alzheimer’s Disease.

Kerry R. Peck is the managing partner of the Chicago law firm Peck Ritchey, LLC where he concentrates his practice in Trust and Estate Litigation, Estate Planning/Administration, Guardianship, Fiduciary Litigation, and Elder Law. His clients have included families, hospitals, banks, the State of Illinois, County of Cook, and City of Chicago. Mr. Peck was a member of the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Illinois Chapter Board of Directors for over 5 years. Mr. Peck is past President of the 22,000-lawyer Chicago Bar Association; is currently a member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Law and Aging. Mr. Peck was recently appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court as chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Elder Law. He was retained by the City of Chicago Department of Aging to rewrite the State of Illinois Elder Abuse and Neglect Act. Kerry has been instrumental in working on legislation to protect older adults at the federal, state and local levels.

For over fifteen consecutive years he has been selected by his peers as a “Super Lawyer”, an attorney to whom other attorneys would refer their family, and he was named a member of the Leading Lawyers Network. U.S. News & World Report together with Best Lawyers named Peck Ritchey a Tier 1 Elder Law firm in Chicago, a designation reflecting the high level of respect a firm has earned in the community for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity. Mr. Peck is the recipient of the 2014 Justice John Paul Stevens Award, the Chicago Bar Association’s highest honor. He was also selected by IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law as one of their 125 Alumni of Distinction.

Kerry co-wrote the books Alzheimer’s and the Law and Don’t Let Dementia Steal Everything, published by the American Bar Association, and is a frequent speaker at continuing education seminars for attorneys and healthcare professionals across the country. He has presented for the Alzheimer’s Association at numerous events.

Committee

For decades, Dr. Forchetti has been educating Physicians and Health Care Providers on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of individuals with Cognitive Disorders.

Karen Lowe Graham, PhD, is the Manager of Community Relations at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. She is responsible for developing and implementing recruitment and education activities of the RADC. She develops and manages relationships with key partners and stakeholders — including working with representatives of the RADC, local elected officials, and various members and leaders of numerous targeted communities and overseeing community engagement efforts and related communications. She works in close partnership with other core groups in the aging field. This includes acting as a liaison between communities of color and the RADC. In this role, she contributes to strategically planning effective means of translating the findings of the center's studies into practical applications and programming for communities of color. In addition to these duties, she is the chair of the Education Committee of the RADC. Karen has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master's degree in psychology from Roosevelt University in Chicago. She is a recent graduate of Rush's College of Nursing's PhD in Nursing Research program. While there, she served on the PhD Curriculum Committee, the Student Council, and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Karen holds several leadership positions in aging organizations locally and nationally.

Ben Lissner is a biomedical engineering graduate from Boston University College of Engineering, with a background in medical device design and biomedical software development. During his time at university, Ben was actively involved in various projects and groups, including a research lab and the Mars Rover Team, where he gained hands-on experience and practical skills.

Currently, Ben is a Biomedical Solutions Specialist at Level Ex, where he works on the development of innovative educational medical games and collaborates on projects aimed at creating advanced healthcare solutions. Proficient in various programming languages and design tools, Ben is passionate about leveraging his skills to make a positive impact in the medical field. In his free time, Ben enjoys volunteering, playing soccer, and participating in game jams.

Darby Morhardt, PhD, LCSW is Research Professor, Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease and Department of Preventive Medicine (Public Health Practice), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Morhardt directs the Mesulam Center’s Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core, Clinical Social Work Services, Quality of Life Initiatives, and the Miller Post-Graduate Social Work Fellowship in Neurocognitive Disorders.

Areas of research include the experience of individuals and families living with dementia; the process of tailoring care to specific needs and symptoms; and the development and evaluation of quality-of-life enrichment interventions.

Dr. Morhardt has a long history of community engaged research partnerships to address inequities in dementia education, awareness, research participation and quality of life enhancing programs throughout Chicago especially with underrepresented groups.

Appointed to the State of Illinois Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Committee since 2000 she has contributed to the writing of the Illinois Alzheimer’s Disease State Plan and was a founding leader of the Illinois Cognitive Resources Network (Ilbrainhealth.org). Dr. Morhardt also serves on the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Elder Law, tasked to more effectively address the needs and legal issues of older adults.

Monica Long is a Clinical Research Nurse Educator and Certified Dementia Practitioner
(CDP) who currently works with Share Network's Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program
(GWEP) at UChicago Medicine on the South Side of Chicago. Her primary role includes creating geriatric curriculum to expound on evidence-based practices & integrating Age-Friendly principles, ensuring equitable & inclusive care, and to transform healthcare clinical environments to improve health care for older adults. Monica has also developed a train the trainer dementia education, Dementia Resource Champions (DRC), with special attention to train faith-based organizations to become knowledgeable about Dementia and mentor organizations to create Caregiver Support Groups within their congregation. In addition, Monica has created a memory cafe to support caregivers and people living with dementia (PLWD). Monica currently serves on the National Association of Geriatric Education (NAGE) and Chicago Hyde Park Village (CHPV) Board of Directors to advocate for older adult health initiatives with a goal to educate, increase community engagement and empower all to maintain healthy lifestyles.

Nancy is the Director of Academic Partnerships for Portal Innovations. Her past experience includes serving for the past seven years as the Director of Translational Science Programs and Initiatives for the Chicago Biomedical Consortium where she managed a program to provide funding to academic researchers to advance their therapeutic discoveries. She has over 25 years of experience in business development with entrepreneurial life sciences start-ups. Nancy is a past president of Women In Bio and has served on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Kris Lonsway, PhD, is an organizational psychologist, certified leadership and life coach, and speaker who evolved into an Alzheimer's prevention and wellness advocate when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's the same year her son was diagnosed on the autism spectrum about 18 years ago.

Kris currently leads a health and wellness initiative in the western suburbs of Chicago educating the community on healthier lifestyle choices that lower the risk of Alzheimer's and other chronic diseases. Kris also serves on the Community Memorial Foundation Board of Directors, chairs its Building Organizational Effectiveness Committee, and is a member of its Regional Health and Human Services Agenda Implementation Council to measurably improve health and wellness, access to healthcare, and non-profit capacity in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Perla Castro – MIS, PMP

Perla Castro is deeply committed to Alzheimer's research, advocacy, and education. She passionately fights stigma and actively advocates for increased aging-in-place support services for all those affected by the disease, particularly within the Latino community. For 22 years, Perla was a dedicated caregiver for her mother, who was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer's in her early 50s. She volunteers her time and expertise as a Project Manager for various community organizations in Chicago and Guatemala.

With over 20 years of experience, Perla has driven significant global program success for Fortune 500 companies, government entities, and non-profit organizations. As the Interim Executive Director of LA CARE, an organization dedicated to the advocacy, research, and education of Alzheimer’s disease, she leads efforts to advance awareness and support within the Latino community. Additionally, as the owner of Alpha PM Consulting, she excels in building team consensus and cultivating exceptional relationships across cultures, industries, and organizations. Perla is a dedicated entrepreneur and community advocate who is fluent in Spanish and English.

Ajay Sood, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of Neurology with the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He completed Medical School at the University College of Medical Sciences (India), PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Medical College of Georgia, Internship in Internal Medicine at Loyola University, Chicago, Neurology residency at Loyola University Chicago, and State University of New York, Syracuse. After completing his neurology residency, Sood received further training in Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease at Baylor University, Houston, TX. He is board-certified in Neurology and Psychiatry. Sood’s academic career interests include understanding the underlying mechanisms responsible for neurodegenerative conditions and advancing therapeutics in these conditions, improving quality of care for patients suffering from dementia and associated conditions, and providing education and best care practices to community and physicians treating these conditions.

After completing his education, Sood worked as a cognitive neurologist at AMITA Health, IL, for about five years, before joining the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He served as a principal investigator and sub-investigator for several pharmaceutical-sponsored, NIH-sponsored trials in dementia. Sood is also involved in epidemiological research at Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. He is also a part of the clinical care team to evaluate patients with various cognitive complaints at Rush memory center.

Sood serves as a member of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Illinois chapter research committee and dementia working group international committee for ASPREE-XT. He is a member of the American Academy of neurology and Alzheimer’s association. He has authored/co-authored several manuscripts on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, including quality improvement parameters in patients with mild cognitive impairment (part of the AAN committee). He is currently involved in multiple projects involving dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Historical Symposiums

Research Conference and Webinar: Connecting the Dots

November 12, 2022

9:00 AM – 12:15 PM CST

An in-depth review of clinical trials and lifestyle activities that may reduce the risk of the developing Alzheimer’s disease, and signs to watch for to ensure early diagnosis.

Watch the Recording

Slide Decks

Agenda

Who Should Attend?

Clinical, research, and family tracks are designed for:

Attendee with early dementia or MCI
Family, friend, or family care partner* of person with dementia (*Non-Professional)
Professional I (Professional caregiver, direct care staff, administrator: please note: no continuing education credits offered)
Professional II (Health and allied health professionals with CEU or CME)

Continuing Education

3.0 CEU, CME credits offered for attendees registered as a Professional II only. The following professionals are eligible for continuing education credit: