Speaking up for Dementia Self-Advocacy
Today, January 30, the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center hosted Taking Action: Dementia Self-Advocacy Forum.
What is dementia self-advocacy? We learned that self-advocacy mean having a voice; being able to represent yourself; being able to express your views and needs. Having a voice can mean literally giving speeches or lobbying legislators, but it also encompasses a broad range of self-expression such as creating art, challenging social stigma in conversation, or suggesting changes to services or programs. Read New Resources Equip Budding Self-Advocates and learn about one example of dementia self advocacy in action this past summer in A Kaleidoscope of Experience” at the Dementia Without Borders Event.
Today's audience heard from MBWC's Marigrace Becker and engaging panelists from the community, including Myrna Norman, Myriam Marquez, Nancy Olsen, and Sarah Parkhurst who all shared examples of their advocacy on behalf of themselves or loved ones. Topics ranged from the benefit of taking part in dementia-friendly communities, to the importance of protecting one's rights to respect, dignity, and privacy.
Washington State residents have the opportunity to engage in advocacy in a few weeks. Peter Newbould, Senior Public Policy Manager for the Alzheimer's Association, WA State Chapter presented information about Advocacy Day on February 18th, when volunteers will raise awareness in Olympia about key action items in the Washington State Plan to Address Alzheimer's and Other Dementias. More info here. This kind of advocacy works, says Newbould. For example, the Improving HOPE for Alzheimer's Act is gaining legislative support and the Younger Onset Alzheimer's Disease Act has passed the House and has bipartisan support in the Senate.
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Register for Spring Session here or call Marigrace at 206-744-2017
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Register here or call Marigrace at 206-744-2017
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Announcing "Maude's Awards" for Innovation in Alzheimer's Care! Open to all, Maude's Awards, a program of the Richard and Maude Ferry Foundation, will make eight annual awards - three $25,000 awards to organizations and five $5000 awards to individuals (including persons with dementia or caregivers) for innovations in one of four categories of care. Award applications will open on March 3, 2020. More info here; see flyer in box below.
Whatcom County Museum hosts new arts engagement program for people with memory loss and family. Enjoy conversation-based gallery tour and studio art activity. Every first Tuesday of even-numbered months. Next session, 1 - 3 p.m. Tuesday 2/4. Questions or RSVP: Chelsea Macias, camacias@cob.org, 360-778-8935. More info here.
Join the Alzheimer's Association for two upcoming conferences, more info here.
- Journey Conference for family caregivers, Saturday 2/22, Everett, WA
- Discovery Conference for healthcare professionals, Wednesday 4/1, Lynnwood, WA
There's still space in the Frye Art Museum's annual Creative Aging conference! This year's theme is "Perspectives on Legacy." 8:15 a.m. - 6 p.m. Friday, 3/6, Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA. More info and register here.
Mark your calendars for the Alzheimer's Association "Advocacy Day" - 10 a.m. - 3:15 p.m., Tuesday 2/18. Join other advocates to raise awareness in Olympia about key action items in the Washington State Plan to Address Alzheimer's and Other Dementias. More info here.
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 The UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center welcomes a new Geriatric Psychiatrist to the clinic team! Michael J. Schrift, DO, is Professor and Medical Director of Neuropsychiatry & Brain Health at the UW. He previously served as Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry Division of Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Dr. Schrift is interested in the neuropsychiatry of all forms of frontotemporal degeneration and atypical Alzheimer's disease, as well as Lewy Body dementia, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease. He has experience in neuromodulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), to address depression, and would like to apply this technique to neurological disorders.
At the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center clinic, he looks forward to working with patients and families living with challenging diagnoses, in particular frontotemporal degeneration. He enjoys providing education and advice to care givers and spouses to increase understanding and management of symptoms, and to help plan for the future.
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 Franklin Faust, previous Dimensions contributor and Research Scientist assistant, has returned from three months of solo-travel and is now back to work at the UW ADRC!
He visited many cities and world heritage sites in Europe, Morocco, and Turkey, and has returned with many new experiences which he will treasure for many years to come. Now that he is back stateside, Franklin will continue to collaborate with the UW ADRC Communications team's Genevieve Wanucha and create content in his new role as a Public Information Specialist. Welcome back Franklin!
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Dementia Healthcare Providers - Survey for Raffle Prize
The Indiana University School of Medicine is asking ADRC's for help spreading the word about a healthcare survey! They are looking to poll dementia healthcare providers to clarify healthcare and current needs.
As part of their educational mission to provide and expand information and resources concerning healthcare, they have created a short, anonymous (no identifying information) IRB-approved 5-10 minute survey in order to obtain providers’ perspectives. Your participation is voluntary. Refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.
The survey may be completed at: https://iu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6QNx0xOCDUTjzE1
Upon completion of the survey, you may enter a raffle for an Amazon gift card (either $50 or $25 denomination).
With your input, the Indiana University School of Medicine may be able to assess which healthcare resources would be beneficial for healthcare providers. This information will be extremely helpful in directing future efforts. They intend to publish these results with no identifiable information.
If you have any questions, please contact PI Dr. Daniel Bateman (darbate@iupui.edu) or Co-PI Dr. Dustin Nowaskie (dnowaski@iupui.edu). Thank you in advance for your time and attention.
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Noteworthy
- The January 2020 issue of Alzheimer’s and Dementia dedicated a section entirely to research articles on frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), highlighting work made possible by the ALLFTD research network. According to AFTD Scientific Director Nadine Tatton, "These are seminal papers advancing our understanding of FTD."
NIA Featured Research
New Grant Awards
Congratulations to Dr. Brian Kraemer, PhD, for new 1 R01AG066211-01 funding for 'Protection from pathological tau by activation of the ER unfolded protein response'. The aims of this project are to: 1) Identify the molecular mechanisms of XBP1s mediated suppression of tauopathy; 2) Examine UPR branch crosstalk contributing to tau clearance and ER associated degradation, 3) Address the disease relevance of XBP-1s target genes to neurodegeneration in both human disease and mouse models of tauopathy. Read: Decade-long research study reveals a new genetic target for fighting Alzheimer’s and FTD pathology.
Outreach/Science Writing Opportunity
Would you like to contribute an article, essay, or story idea to Dimensions Magazine about your research and receive science writing experience with help from a professional editor? Please contact Genevieve Wanucha at gwanucha@uw.edu.
Funding & Educational Opportunities
Applications are open for Neurohackademy 2020
The Neurohackacademy is a two-week hands-on summer institute in neuroimaging and data science, held at the University of Washington eScience Institute, July 27th – August 7th, 2020. Participants will learn about technologies used to analyze human neuroscience data, and to make analysis and results shareable and reproducible.
Apply: https://neurohackademy.org/apply/
Info and FAQ: https://neurohackademy.org/frequently-asked-questions/
NIH Accepting Applications for New Career Development Award
NIH is accepting applications for a new career development award: The MOSAIC K99/R00. This award will kick-start careers of investigators from diverse backgrounds. NIH efforts to enhance diversity have focused on earlier training stages, with programs for undergraduates and predocs. The Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) awards bring these efforts into later career stages. For more information, please visit https://edgeforscholars.org/nih-offers-new-type-of-k99-r00/.
Maude’s Awards for Innovation in Alzheimer’s Care Open to all, Maude’s Awards, a program of the Richard and Maude Ferry Foundation, will make eight annual awards – three $25,000 awards to organizations and five $5,000 awards to individuals – for innovations excelling in one of four categories of care. For more information about Maude’s Awards and award categories, visit www.maudesawards.org. Award applications will open March 3, 2020.
The UW Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology are pleased to announce the 2nd annual request for applications for Building Bridges Awards (BBA) for Creating Research Partnerships.
Applications will be funded at a level of $10,000 to $20,000 each. Four applications will be funded, with the potential for 2 more (6 total), depending on the quality and quantity of applications. More information.
Spring 2020 Round of the Royalty Research Fund (RRF) Grant Program: The purpose of the Royalty Research Fund (RRF) is to advance new directions in research, particularly: in disciplines for which external funding opportunities are minimal, and/or for faculty who are junior in rank, and/or in cases where funding may provide unique opportunities to increase applicants’ competitiveness for subsequent funding. Proposals are due Monday, March 2, by 5 PM. Awards will be announced by June 15, 2020.
NIH Issues ORCID iD Reminders for Fellowship and Career Development Award Applicants: The NIH encourages everybody from graduate students to senior scientists to register for an ORCID account and link it to their eRA Commons personal profile (see this eRA video for a quick step-by-step). ORCID iDs are required for PD/PIs on individual fellowship and career development applications submitted for due dates on or after January 25, 2020.
Students: Apply now to be a STAR at NIA’s summer research training program!
The NIA welcomes highly motivated students to NIH to immerse themselves in a unique experience: NIA's Summer Training in Aging Research (STAR) Program. Learn more from past participants about how the Program broadened their career horizons, and then be sure to apply by February 1 (high school students) and March 1 (college, medical school and graduate students)! Read the full NIA blog post.
Notice of Special Interest: Alzheimer’s-focused administrative supplements for NIH grants that are not focused on Alzheimer’s disease - NIA has issued a Notice advertising a program through which NIH grantees can apply for administrative supplements to add Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) research components to grants that are not currently focused on AD. Applications are due on March 6, 2020, by 5:00 p.m. local time of the applicant organization. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-AG-20-008.html
Population Health Initiative accepting pilot research grant applications until January 31, 2020.
The Population Health Initiative will begin accepting pilot research grant applications. Awards of up to $50,000 each will be available to interdisciplinary teams seeking to address a population health grand challenge. Application Deadline: January 31, 2020 (11:59 p.m. Pacific) More information
NIA Butler –Williams Scholars Program
The Butler-Williams Scholars Program provides unique opportunities for junior faculty and researchers who are new to the field of aging to gain insight about research on aging from a number of perspectives.
Date: July 6-10, 2020
Location: NIH Main Campus, Bethesda, MD
Application Deadline: February 14, 2020
For more details and to apply, please visit: https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/butler-williams-scholars-program-2020
Insight Fellows Program
The Insight Fellows Programs are tuition-free fellowships for graduating students looking to transition to thriving careers as data scientists, engineers, and other cutting-edge professionals.
Learn More
Apply to the Insight Fellows Program by February 10
BEAT-PD (Biomarker and Endpoint Assessment to Track Parkinson’s Disease) DREAM Challenge - $25K in prize money
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) and Sage Bionetworks have partnered with Evidation Health, Northwestern University, Radboud University Medical Center, and BRAIN Commons to launch the BEAT-PD (Biomarker and Endpoint Assessment to Track Parkinson’s Disease) DREAM Challenge. BEAT-PD is a data challenge designed to benchmark new methods to predict Parkinson’s disease severity. Winners from the Challenge will share a $25,000 prize.
More Information from SageBio
Register for the Challenge Submissions to the BEAT-PD Challenge are due by April 22, 2020.
Interested applicants are invited to attend a webinar on Feb. 4, 2020, at 8 a.m. PST. The winning team and a runner-up will be announced in May 2020.
Resources
Accelerating Medicines Partnership launches data knowledge portal for Parkinson’s disease
The Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) program for Parkinson’s disease (PD) has launched a data portal to provide de-identified information collected from 4,298 PD patients and healthy controls to researchers working to develop effective therapies for the disease. The portal enables researchers to study complex data sets and perform genome-wide analyses at a scale previously impossible.
Using ADRC and Related Resources
The ADRC has a new website page for researchers. We hope to help researchers, especially those new to the ADRD field, effectively utilize these rich resources and expertise in basic and translation science, clinical and population/epidemiological research, big data and animal models.
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February 3, 4pm - 5pm
ADRC Toward Precision Medicine Symposium: MicroRNA Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease: Performance in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Traumatic Brain Injury (Flyer)
Speaker: Dr. Julie Saugstad, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University
Location: 908 Jefferson St. Seattle, WA 98104. Ninth & Jefferson Building Rm. 1007 (10th floor conference room).
*Of interest to researchers and students.
February 5th, 2020 8:30am – 3:00pm
Committee on Women in Medicine and Science Seminar: 8th Annual Women Faculty Day
Sign up
Description: This popular program is organized by the Committee on Women in Medicine and Science and has a focus on leadership development. Attendees will learn mentoring skills and hear from past winners of the Excellence in Mentoring Women Faculty Award. Speakers include Susan Graham, MD, MPH, PhD, who was sponsored to attend the AAMC Mid-Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar, and Virginia Broudy, MD, Professor of Medicine. There will be an interactive case-based skills development on communication strategies in the afternoon. All faculty members are welcome to attend this event.
February 6, 10am - 11am
ADRC Pilot Project Update: Obesity and Dementia: MicroRNAs from Adipocyte-derived Small Extra Vesicles are Associated with Neurodegenerative Pathways.
Speaker: Robert J. Freishtat, MD, MPH, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Location: Harborview Medical Center, Ninth and Jefferson Building NJB 1207 (12th Floor Conference Room).
*Of interest to researchers and students.
March 3 - 5, 2020
Hindsight 2020 is a meeting featuring the latest insights from researchers in the fields of cell lineage and developmental recording, chaired by Jay Shendure, M.D., Ph.D. and Michael Elowitz, Ph.D., of the Allen Discovery Center at UW Medicine.
Location: Allen Institute, 615 Westlake Avenue N. Seattle, WA 98109
Learn more and apply to attend
*Of interest to researchers and students.
April 1, 7:30am – 4:00pm
Discovery Conference 2020 (health care professionals)
The Alzheimer’s Association Washington State Chapter volunteers, staff, Discovery 2020 sponsors, exhibitors and presenters, are proud to offer an enriching day of evidence-based education, professional growth, resources and networking opportunities, for health care professionals. MBWC's Dr. Kris Rhoads, PhD, will be a speaker, as well as UW's Tatiana Sadak, PhD, and Susan McCurry, PhD.
Location: Lynnwood Convention Center, 3711 196th St SW, Lynnwood, WA 98036
Flyer
Register
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SAVE THE DATE!
8th Annual ACT Research Symposium
August 17-18, 2020
Washington State Convention Center
Please save the date for the 2020 ACT Symposium! The registration website and call for abstracts will open in April 2020.
Funding for this conference was made possible, in part by 1R13AG057087-01 from NIA.
For any questions, please contact at KPWA.ACTproposals@kp.org
13TH Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) -
November 4-7, 2020 - Boston, MA More info
International LBD Conference
Researchers interested in Lewy Body Dementia can plan far in advance for the next International LBD Conference, to be held June 16-18, 2021 in Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K
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