Stephanie J. Monroe is Vice President and Senior Advisor of Health Equity and Access at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, a national advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. She leads the Center for Brain Health Equity, which is supported in part by CDC BOLD funding. She also directs African Americans Against Alzheimer’s, founded in 2013 and the first national network created specifically to respond to Alzheimer’s disease’s disparate impact on African Americans. By working nationally, locally, and through strategic partnerships, African Americans Against Alzheimer’s is raising awareness of the impact of Alzheimer’s health disparities on communities of color and women, the need for greater minority participation in clinical trials to find better treatments and hopefully a cure, and the importance of all communities, especially those most at risk, to begin to focus on brain health and adopt risk reduction strategies that promote brain health and healthy aging.
An attorney with three decades of federal public policy experience. Ms. Monroe is former Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights. Prior to serving in that position, she ended a 25-year career on Capitol Hill after holding a number of key staff positions in the United States Congress, including Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and Staff Director of the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families.
In addition to her work in Alzheimer’s, Ms. Monroe serves on the National Academy of Sciences Board for Children, Youth, and Families, addressing issues that impact vulnerable families, including health and education. She also advises academic centers, industry partners, federal agencies, and others on strategies to achieve inclusive participation clinical trials.
