An Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
In collaboration with our community partners, PMC provides health education, services, research, and job opportunities to the West Philadelphia community in effort to create more equitable health outcomes. This work relies on the funding of our generous supporters.
Oct. 3 marks the start of the Penn Memory Center’s annual fundraiser, A Celebration of Hope! This is an asynchronous virtual event that features an online auction. The auction will open for bidding on Oct. 5 at 12 p.m. and close on Oct. 8 at 12 p.m. Click here to register for our auction.
A Celebration of Hope welcome video
“Sharon is an exceptional practitioner and colleague,” said PMC Executive Director Felicia Greenfield, MSW, LCSW. “She consistently goes above and beyond to care for our patients and their families.”
Best’s primary duty was assisting the team of neurologists, geriatricians, social workers, and neuropsychologists in developing innovative approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
“A curious professional, Sharon delighted in challenging herself to learn new things and she enthusiastically shared her knowledge with others,” said Greenfield.
Cognitive Comedy is a free improv comedy workshop for people with cognitive impairment and their loved ones. Participants can get out of their own heads and experience “group mind” while learning about improv comedy. This program starts on September 21. Register for Cognitive Comedy.
Penn Memory Center Co-director Jason Karlawish, MD, will be the featured speaker at the Mayo Clinic’s first Conference on Brain Health and Dementia. The Conference will take place October 29 from 10:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST. The Conference will recognize all that people who live with dementia and their families have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts will cover the latest on brain health and dementia research.
Dr. Jason Karlawish and Dr. Emily Largent offer their takes on using driving performance and credit scores to predict the onset of dementia. Should entities like auto insurance companies have access to test results of these predictors? Dr. Largent weighs in.
By Cait Kearney
“PMC is a wonderful organization, and having been a part of helping advance its mission has been a rewarding experience I will cherish forever,” Johnston Esparza said.
Johnston Esparza joined PMC as a clinical research coordinator for the REVEAL-SCAN Study (Risk Evaluation and Education of Alzheimer’s Disease: The Study of Communicating Amyloid Neuroimaging), a project investigating the impact of learning one’s personal risk of having Alzheimer’s disease on thinking and health behaviors.
“Melissa is a stellar coordinator. She stepped into a study that was in distress and quickly turned it around and into a great scientific success,” said Jason Karlawish, MD, co-director of PMC and co-principal investigator of the REVEAL-SCAN Study.
In JAMA Network Medical News, Dr. Jason Karlawish expressed his concern that Aduhelm’s approval will have a negative impact on the enrollment of future clinical trials.
Matthew Ferrara, MS Ed., is leaving the Penn Memory Center (PMC) after three years as a clinical research coordinator.
“Matt has been an absolute delight to work with in his time here at the PMC,” said PMC Co-Director David Wolk, MD, “Matt will be missed by our faculty, staff, and research participants.”
Ferrara joined PMC in 2018 as a coordinator for PMC’s largest study — the Aging Brain Cohort (ABC) Study. Data collected through the ABC Study is used by scientists across the nation and the world to research Alzheimer’s disease and life-long brain health.
“He displayed a remarkable dedication to the success of the ABC study to the benefit of our research participants and the numerous studies that depend on these data,” Dr. Wolk said.
In a recent Vox article, assistant director of social work Alison Lynn, MSW, PMC researcher Emily Largent, PhD, JD, RN, and PMC co-director Jason Karlwish, MD, offered insight into the uncertainties people with an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and their caregivers may face and discussed the added stress they may feel from the controversy around Aduhelm. (Image: Christina Animashaun/Vox)