Sue Peschin, CEO of the Alliance, and Adina Lasser, Public Policy Manager — represented the Alliance in Philadelphia last week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). Beth Mathews-Bradshaw, Vice President for Patient Engagement and Research, also attended virtually. AAIC is an event dedicated to advancing research and treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Over 8,700 attendees participated in this year’s AAIC conference.

Among the highlights of the conference were the sessions around detecting Alzheimer’s disease with biomarker blood tests, sessions on the mechanistics of tau and practices for inclusive ADRD clinical trial recruitment, the closing plenary on the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI’s) 20th anniversary and all that has been learned through ADNI data which is available to researchers around the world free & without embargo, and the inclusion of those with lived experience such as Talk NERDY’s own Cynthia Huling Hummel, a member of the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium Advisory Board & Research Ambassador, and ADNI participant since 2010, who was thrilled with the emphasis on inclusion and diversity in research studies and inclusion of the voices of those with LIVED experience (those with a diagnosis and care partners) on research advisory boards.  As a retired pastor, she regards Alzheimer’s as her new ministry, giving hope to those who have been diagnosed.  Cynthia graduated from the “Talk Nerdy” program in May 2024.

Beyond the scientific breakthroughs, Sue and Adina had the opportunity to connect with patient groups and other advocacy partners, strategize with key stakeholders on how to ensure that new legislation and regulations best serve patients, and work with other attendees on methods to ensure that those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s — including Medicare beneficiaries — can benefit from the latest medical advancements without financial barriers. The duo also learned about a new initiative to stop the use of the word dementia because of its close association with the word “demented”. The Alliance agreed to go through our materials and change that word out for less discriminatory synonyms. We recommend you do, too! Learn more at notdemented.com.

To keep abreast of the Alliance’s work in the rapidly evolving Alzheimer’s space, visit our news section.