The 2020 National Alzheimer's Summit

This session will explore the role that healthful eating plays in maintaining good brain health and will feature tips for whipping up a brain healthy snack from one of the nation’s leading experts in functional medicine. "Alzheimer’s Talks" host Meryl Comer will interview Dr. Mark Hyman about his book Food Fix and explore the foods he has in his kitchen for brain health. This session will also include a glimpse into the risk reduction research and community education taking place at the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Center, including visits to their research kitchen and exercise lab.

Join brain health conscious playwrights, actors and producers for a dialogue about the power of the arts – film, theater, music and television – to help society better understand the different faces of Alzheimer’s, from caregiving to clinical research.

What are the latest innovations in the drug pipeline?  How important is the need to develop diagnostics that can improve diagnosis and draw more patients into clinical trials, especially patients at high risk of Alzheimer’s? The panel will underscore the critical importance of progress on detection, diagnosis, research and treatments to stop Alzheimer’s. Key question: Will the U.S. meet our national goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's disease by 2025?

Evidence shows that individuals can reduce dementia risk by modifying lifestyle and other health factors across their lifetime. Dementia is interconnected with conditions such as heart disease and diabetes and with obesity, income security and other social determinants of health. Together, these factors translate into higher impacts of Alzheimer’s on communities of color and women and demonstrate the need for a comprehensive approach to brain health. Join experts and advocates for a conversation about brain health across the life span. Key question: How do we build a multisector movement to reduce the prevalence of dementia by 30 percent or more by 2030?

This discussion will explore opportunities to reimagine our healthcare system to promote brain health equity for all communities, from access to research to access to preventative health services.

Join two of our nation’s leading voices on aging and health justice—Dr. David Satcher, the 16th U.S. Surgeon General, and best-selling author and NPR host Diane Rehm—for a discussion about their life’s work and their latest books My Quest for Health Equity: Notes on Learning While Leading and When My Time Comes: Conversations About Whether Those Who Are Dying Should Have the Right to Determine When Life Should End, respectively. The conversation, moderated by award-winning journalist Yvonne Latty, will focus on sharing lessons learned from a lifetime of public advocacy to respect the dignity of patients, individuals, and caregivers as they age.

Join policy and advocacy experts for a crash course in advocating for brain health during the COVID-19 pandemic. From an overview of key issues such as paid family leave and early detection to tips on educating policymakers in a virtual world, this session will equip you to advance your brain health agenda during this challenging time.

‍With a special message from Civil Rights Leader Dolores Huerta.

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The impacts of systemic racism are being discussed more openly than ever before, from policing to COVID-19’s effects on people of color. This town hall will explore the role that systemic racism has played in shaping access to Alzheimer’s research and health services, from exclusionary study protocols to discrimination against researchers of color. Speakers will explore solutions for addressing the effects of racism through equity-centered research, policymaking and infrastructure development. Key question: What goals can we set to help address the effects of systemic racism in access to Alzheimer’s health services and research?

‍With a special message from Reverend Al Sharpton.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had disproportionate and dangerous effects throughout the Alzheimer’s and dementia community, from increased stress and financial strain for those living with dementia and their caregivers to the disruption of critical Alzheimer’s clinical trials. This town hall will examine the impacts of COVID-19 on the dementia community, particularly on Black and Latino families, and explore opportunities to build resiliency against the next pandemic through supportive public policies like paid family and medical leave, improved caregiver supports and strengthened research infrastructure. Key question: How can our nation build resiliency against future pandemics to protect the dementia community?

Keynote Conversation with George Vradenburg and the Honorable Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor of New Mexico