News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2011
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
Non-federal members named to HHS advisory council on Alzheimer’s
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced 12 individuals to serve on the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services. The 12 non-federal members are Alzheimer's disease patient advocates, caregivers, health care providers and others with Alzheimer's disease-related expertise who will advise the Secretary on federal programs that impact people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
“We are pleased to have this group of experts and advocates assisting HHS in developing a national plan for Alzheimer’s disease," said Secretary Sebelius. "We received an overwhelming number of nominations, demonstrating not only the impact of this debilitating condition but the widespread commitment to address it.”
The full Advisory Council, established May 23, also includes federal members and will meet quarterly to assist in the development of a national plan by HHS, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation to address the disease. The Advisory Council is required by the National Alzheimer’s Project Act and its members will serve for overlapping four-year terms.
"We are reviewing and coordinating our efforts to address the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” said Donald Moulds, deputy assistant secretary for planning and evaluation. “With the input of the Advisory Council, we will create a national plan to help reduce financial and care impacts faced by people with the disease as well as promote research toward its prevention and treatment.”
Alzheimer’s disease currently affects 5.1 million Americans and is expected to affect more than 20 million by 2050. The National Alzheimer's Project Act, signed by President Obama in January, will help people and families across the country whose lives are touched by Alzheimer’s disease. The Act will help strengthen Alzheimer’s research, and health and long-term care services for affected individuals.
For more information on the Advisory Committee, please visit http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/napa/
NON-FEDERAL NAPA ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS
Chair -- Ronald Petersen, Ph.D., M.D.
Dr. Petersen is the Cadieux Director of the Mayo Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. He has authored over 400 peer-reviewed articles on memory disorders, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease and edited four books on related topics. His current research focuses on the study of normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Anita Albright, M.A.
Ms. Albright is the Director of the Office of Healthy Aging and Disability in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Laurel Coleman, M.D., FACP
Dr. Coleman is an attending physician at Maine Medical Center’s Geriatric Assessment Clinic and Central Maine Medical Center’s Palliative Care Team. She is actively involved in the Alzheimer’s Association, both as a past-president of the Maine Chapter and as a former member of the national Board of Directors. Currently, she is a Board Member of the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM).
Eric J. Hall
Mr. Hall is the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Inc. Under his leadership the Foundation has brought together over 1,600 member organizations, forged strategic partnerships with other national organizations, has established national initiatives including National Memory Screening day, formed a groundbreaking division for dementia care professionals and national standards for excellence in care at dementia care settings; introduced the nation’s first magazine for dementia caregivers; and introduced the nation’s first Alzheimer’s disease telethon, Together for Care, on December 4, 2010.
David P. Hoffman, M.Ed.
Mr. Hoffman is the Director of the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Long-Term Care Restructuring, and Partnership within the Office of Long Term Care in the New York State Department of Health. Mr. Hoffman oversees the development and implementation of the New York State Plan to address Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor at the University at Albany’s School of Public Health and serves as Chair of the National Policy Committee of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, Adjunct Professor at Maria College of Albany New York, and co-chair of the Research to Prevention (R2P) Coalition in Washington. Mr. Hoffman is also a recent graduate of the Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College.
Harry M. Johns
Mr. Johns is the President and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association, the world's leading nonprofit organization in Alzheimer research, care and support. With more than 70 chapters and nearly 300 offices, the Association provides nationwide support to individuals and families through community-based programs and a 24 hour a day / 365 days a year Help Line. Under Mr. Johns’ leadership, the Alzheimer's Association has undertaken a campaign to change the conversation about Alzheimer's in America through public education and has played a leading role in convening, supporting, and advancing Alzheimer's research as well as informing public policy.
Jennifer J. Manly, Ph.D.
Dr. Manly is an Associate Professor in the Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain and the G.H. Sergievsky Center, within the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center. Her research focuses on health disparities in dementia, and cultural and educational influences on the epidemiology, biomarkers, and neuropsychology of Alzheimer's disease.
Helen M. Matheny, M.S., A.P.R.
Ms. Matheny is the Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Outreach and Registry Program (AORP) at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute. Under her leadership, the Alzheimer’s DiseaseOutreach and Registry Program provides training and tools to physicians to assist with screening, diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The unique program also maintains the West Virginia Alzheimer’s Disease Registry, collecting information on Alzheimer's cases from physicians to create reports that are used for research and the development of policy to support the growing number of Alzheimer's cases in the state.
David Hyde Pierce
Mr. Pierce is best known as an actor. He lost his grandfather to Alzheimer's disease and shared caregiving duties with his brother and sisters when his father developed dementia. Mr. Pierce has served as a patient advocate, testified before Congress, and served on Congressional Panels on Alzheimer's disease.
Laura Trejo, M.S.G., M.P.A.
Ms. Trejo is the General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging. She is the founder of El Portal: Latino Alzheimer's project and a local provider of long-term services and supports, including Older Americans Act programs. Ms. Trejo was the California delegate to the White House Conferences on Aging in both 1995 and 2005.
George Vradenburg
Mr. Vradenburg chairs the national advocacy network USAgainstAlzheimer's and the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer's Initiative, and co-convenes the Alzheimer's-serving coalition Leaders Engaged in Alzheimer's Disease. Under his leadership, USAgainstAlzheimer's successfully advocated for a new dual-use Alzheimer's research program in the Department of Defense and has launched a national grassroots campaign to Stop Alzheimer's by 2020. Mr. Vradenburg has overseen Geoffrey Beene Foundation's major support for "HBO's The Alzheimer's Project" and launch of the national public service campaign "Rock Stars of Science". Alzheimer's advocacy has been a major focus of Mr. Vradenburg's civic and philanthropic work since his retirement in 2003 as a senior executive of AOL/Time Warner.
Geraldine Woolfolk
Ms. Woolfolk is a former teacher who served as a caregiver for both her mother and father, and has been caring for her husband for the past 11 years. She actively participates in support groups for caregivers and has advocated on Capitol Hill for research funding and community supports for caregivers. She assisted in the Alameda County plan for Alzheimer’s disease and is known in the area for her conference presentations and work on these issues.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last revised: August 23, 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment