Renowned Researcher Steven T. DeKosky, M.D., Named Medical Honoree of Alzheimer's Association's 2003 Chicago Rita Hayworth Gala

Alzheimer's Association
Wednesday, 19 March 2003

Association cites outstanding scientific contributions, advocacy efforts on behalf of Alzheimer's victims

The Alzheimer's Association has named Steven T. DeKosky, M.D., Medical Honoree of its 16th Annual Chicago Rita Hayworth Gala. DeKosky, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and professor and chair of the department of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh, will be recognized for his outstanding contributions to Alzheimer research, care and advocacy on behalf of individuals with Alzheimer's and their caregivers at the gala on May 10 at the Civic Opera House.

"Dr. DeKosky is the embodiment of the association's dual mission of advancing research and enhancing care," said Sheldon Goldberg, president and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association. "He has been extremely effective in conveying the momentum and urgency within the Alzheimer's scientific community to much broader audiences. His research achievements combined with his selfless work on behalf of the association make him the model scientist/advocate."

DeKosky's broad interdisciplinary work covers the spectrum of Alzheimer research, from structural and neurochemical changes in the human brain in aging and neurogenerative disease, to diagnosis, neuroimaging, and genetic risk factors. His interest in behavioral and neuropsychiatric aspects of dementia have moved his work increasingly toward drug development and clinical trials of Alzheimer treatments and preventive strategies. He currently serves as the principal investigator in a 3,000-participant multicenter trial of the plant extract Ginkgo biloba in the prevention of dementia funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

"Dr. DeKosky is a leader in Alzheimer's disease research and in the field of neurology. He is one of the few modern investigators whose research ranges from cell function to clinical trials to patient care. His pioneering work at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center is yielding breakthroughs that are helping the scientific community better understand the mysteries of Alzheimer's disease," said Bill Thies, vice president, medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer's Association.

DeKosky served on the Alzheimer's Association's National Board of Directors for eight years beginning in 1994. He was board vice chair from 1998 to 2002 and chaired the association's Medical and Scientific Advisory Council from 1997 to 2002, where he oversaw the expansion and computerization of the research grants program. In addition, he was a founding board member of the Lexington-Bluegrass Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. In 2002 he was elected chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Panel of Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), a worldwide organization of the national Alzheimer's Association.

Throughout his career, DeKosky has been active in Washington D.C. as a consultant for NIH and as a member and chair of the Neuroscience Study Section of the National Institute on Aging (NIA). He has testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Appropriations several times to advocate for increases in Alzheimer's research funding.

A faculty member with the University of Pittsburgh since 1990, DeKosky earned his medical degree and neurology residency at the University of Florida, and completed his medical internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Virginia. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles, and serves on the editorial boards of the Annals of Neurology, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders. He is also associate editor of the Archives of Neurology. In 2002, he was elected to the Neurology Council of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is one of eight neurologists who oversee neurology board certification in the U.S.

Tickets for the 16th Annual Chicago Rita Hayworth Gala begin at $500 per person. For more information about the gala or to order tickets, call the Alzheimer's Association at (312) 335-5893. All monies raised through the Chicago Rita Hayworth Gala directly support research into the causes, treatment, prevention, and cure of Alzheimer's disease. Since its inception in 1987, the Chicago Rita Hayworth Gala has raised more than $10 million.

For more information, or to contact Alzheimer's Association, see their website at: www.alz.org