The National Institute on Aging funds Alzheimer’s Disease Centers (ADCs) at major medical institutions across the United States. Researchers at these Centers are working to translate research advances into improved diagnosis and care for people with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as finding a way to cure and possibly prevent Alzheimer’s. The Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center is one of 32 centers funded by the NIH across the country and the only center in Michigan.
In addition to these 32 centers, there is also The National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center which coordinates data collection and fosters collaborative research among all 32 ADCs. The National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center is made up of an executive committee and five steering committees. The five steering committees mirror the structure of the ADC’s themselves and include: the Administrators Steering Committee, the Neuropathology (NP) Core Steering Committee, the Outreach, Recruitment, and Education (ORE) Core Steering Committee, the Data Core Steering Committee, and the Clinical Core Steering Committee.
The Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center is proud to announce that our own Neuropathology Core Leader, Dr. Andrew Lieberman, has recently been elected to serve on the Neuropathology Core Steering Committee for the Coordinating Center. Dr. Lieberman is also an Abrams Collegiate Professor of Pathology and Director of Neuropathology at the University of Michigan. He is internationally known for his research on the mechanism of inherited degenerative brain disorders and is passionate about understanding how brain cells “handle” the abnormal proteins that accumulate in so many brain diseases including the dementias, so that we can design rational approaches to therapy.
Congratulations to Dr. Lieberman on the position and we look forward to seeing what he can do to increase the connectivity and collaboration between the Neuropathology Cores from all 32 ADCs.